Mana Party leader Hone Harawira. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Mana Party leader Hone Harawira is ahead of his closest rival, Labour's Kelvin Davis, in the latest poll on the Te Tai Tokerau seat - and the Labour Party, Maori Party and Mana Party are all on equal pegging in the party vote.
The Te Karere Digipoll survey, released at
4pm today, shows Mr Harawira has 42 per cent support to Mr Davis' 35 per cent. The Maori Party's candidate Waihoroi Shortland was behind on 20 per cent while 8 per cent did not know. Mr Harawira was also the most favoured Maori MP in the poll - 30 per cent chose him as their favourite, ahead of Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples on 22 per cent and Mr Davis on 11 per cent.
The poll showed an almost even three-way split between the three main parties for the party vote in that electorate. In the party vote, Labour and the Maori Party were neck and neck on 27 per cent and Mana was just behind on 25 per cent. The results show the extent to which the Mana Party's creation has split the vote on Harawira's home turf - In the 2008 election Labour won 45 per cent of the party vote and the Maori Party 30 per cent.
The latest Te Karere Digipoll survery also shows Maori Party candidate Waihoroi Shortland has rebuilt some support compared to the party's candidate, Solomon Tipene, in the June byelection. Mr Tipene won only nine per cent of the votes cast in the byelection. Mr Harawira held onto the seat with a majority of 1,117 getting about 49 per cent of the votes cast to and Mr Davis secured about 40 per cent.
The poll brings some good news for Mr Harawira afer an earlier, much smaller Marae Digipoll survey indicated the seat was close by giving Mr Davis the edge.
