Calls of betrayal in by-election race

Hone Harawira says Labour had betrayed Maori over the foreshore and seabed in the latest round of accusations coming out of the Te Tai Tokerau by-election race. Photo / Chris Loufte

The Labour and Mana parties are trading accusations of betrayal in what they say is a two-horse Te Tai Tokerau by-election race.

Labour leader Phil Goff today said Maori Party voters were defecting to Labour as they sought to punish Mana Party leader Hone Harawira for betraying them by leaving the fold.

Mr Harawira hit back at Mr Goff, saying Labour had betrayed Maori over the foreshore and seabed.

But while the parties today traded shots, both agreed the Maori Party would not strongly feature in this weekend's by-election race.

Last Monday a Maori TV Native Affairs poll put support for Mr Harawira at 41 per cent, with Labour's Kelvin Davis only one percentage point behind, while the Maori Party's Solomon Tipene scored 15 per cent.

The by-election was sparked when Mr Harawira, formerly the Maori Party MP for Te Tai Tokerau, resigned from Parliament so he could contest the seat under the banner of his new Mana Party.

Mr Goff today said he expected Labour to benefit from the stoush between Mr Harawira and his former party.

"I have had former Maori Party voters saying that their intention was to vote for Labour," he said.

"I think those who feel betrayed by Hone Harawira will want to vote against him and will want to see him not returned to Parliament.

"Some people will vote for Kelvin for that reason, many more will vote for him because of the positive policies that he is putting forward."

Mr Harawira responded that people in the electorate would not buy into Mr Goff's comments about betrayal.

"I think Maoridom has been betrayed by the Labour Party over the foreshore and seabed," he told NZPA.

"I think the betrayal is pretty much all one way and Phil Goff's responsible for it."

Mr Harawira agreed the by-election was a two-horse race.

"The Maori Party was never in this race," he said.

"I'm not overly worried about the Maori Party vote, it is very much a two-horse race and the message I'm sending out to people is really simple, in terms of the two horses."

Mr Davis would be in Parliament as a Labour list MP regardless of the by-election outcome, so Mr Harawira said people should vote for him if they wanted representation from both MPs.

The Maori Party today rejected talk it had no chance, with Mr Tipene saying the Labour and Mana parties were still relying on a days-old poll.

The Maori Party's own polling since then showed the gaps had "closed considerably".

"It's all on, neck and neck, down to the wire," Mr Tipene told NZPA.

"I'm definitely in the running -- anything could happen on the day now."

The candidates were today taking their policies to the electorate as the by-election drew near.

Mr Davis was campaigning on unemployment, low wages, high prices and asset sales -- issues that Mr Goff said Labour could win the by-election on.

Mr Harawira has announced several policies, including that all unemployed people be paid the minimum wage for doing community work.

"You put everybody to work, you watch those communities start to hum again," he told NZPA.

"You can pay for it simply by reversing the tax cuts for the super-rich...so it doesn't actually cost any more money, all it is, is a re-focus of other money."

Mr Tipene said he would carry on the momentum of the Maori Party's achievements to date in areas including health, education and housing.

Nobody would work with Mr Harawira in Parliament, while Mr Davis would languish in opposition for another two terms, he said.

"We're the only ones alongside the Government that are actually delivering the goodies," Mr Tipene told NZPA.

- NZPA