Botany candidates running cheap byelection campaigns

Labour's Michael Wood. Photo / Supplied

With less than two weeks until the Botany byelection, it is already shaping up as one of the thriftiest for campaign spending.

The 10 candidates each have a $40,000 spending cap, but many of the independent candidates are short of money.

Spending by the Labour Party is not in danger of pushing the limit, said Labour candidate Michael Wood.

"We don't have those big bucks. We rely on people and meeting people in the community."

Mr Wood said it was going to be tough to overcome National's 10,872-vote majority.

"All we can do is work as hard as we can. You have to focus on that job."

National Party candidate Jami-Lee Ross did not know how much the party was spending but said he was taking nothing for granted. He was already making use of more than 50 billboards and flyers in English and Mandarin.

Last week, the prediction website iPredict had Mr Ross as a virtual certainty to win, but he said it would depend on who turned up on the day to vote.

"We are telling voters that they really need to get out on election day and cast their votes, because nothing is certain until all the votes are cast and counted."

Mr Ross said he did not stand for anything that was outside Government policy. "I believe in and support National Party policy."

Independent candidate Wayne Young is broke and homeless, and his campaigning resources amount to a sticker on his car and a fluoro-coloured jacket with his name on it.

Rob Caithness, of the Join Australia Movement, is spending about $2000 on local newspaper advertising and some posters.

He said making New Zealand a state of Australia would stop the transtasman brain-drain, because interstate migration was not seen as a brain-drain.

"I want to make an impact, and this is an opportunity for me to test our support for the idea of joining Australia for the general election at the end of the year.

"Australians want us to join more than we want to join Australia. They want to be a big country. This is how prosperity happens."

Independent candidate Penny Bright has organised several public meetings already, focusing on corruption.

When asked if she could win, she said: "Absolutely. Byelections are unpredictable creatures and often used to give a clear message to the Government."

Leo Biggs, of the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party, admitted he had no policy that wasn't already spelled out in the party's name. "Once we legalise cannabis, we'd have to change our name and we'll be more like other parties and focusing hugely on health and growing the economy."

The other candidates are Hussain Al-Saady (Pirate Party), Robert Goh (independent), Lyn Murphy (Act) and Paul Young (New Citizen).