Clark fights back in election-style speech

8.30pm - By KEVIN NORQUAY

Election year arrived early tonight when Prime Minister Helen Clark declared all-out war on National Party leader Don Brash, 16 months ahead of polling day.

The Opposition leader was also speaking this evening, in Auckland, and the two leaders' speeches, at opposite ends of the country at the same time, escalated tension over race relations into an assault on several fronts.

It was as if an election campaign had broken out.

In Christchurch Cathedral, Helen Clark outlined her government's achievements in an address to a gathering of church groups.

She lamented a "cynical and manipulative" Opposition setting out to destroy all her government had done.

"A debate about the future of New Zealand has been launched," she said. "I say: bring it on."

"We can go forward together -- or we can rip ourselves apart. The decision about which to take will be in New Zealanders' hands next year."

In Auckland, Dr Brash told the Northern Club that people were fed up with the Government telling them how to think.

"Our once vigorous and combative culture has been hijacked by a phoney sense of 'offend no-one' biculturalism.

"There is a job to be done here and that job will start when this government is gone."

National has dislodged Labour from the top of the polls since Dr Brash made his infamous Orewa speech, calling for an end to preferential treatment for Maori.

Labour initially derided the speech as "divisive".

It then pointed out National had implemented many of the Maori-friendly policies Dr Brash was pledging to remove.

Then it vowed to examine legislation to ensure it was based on need, not race.

Trevor Mallard was appointed Race Relations Minister, amid allegations Labour was so rattled it was doing a policy U-turn.

Helen Clark said her government's positive initiatives were being questioned.

An informal consensus on the country's direction had been "shattered", she said.

"That does not call for a U-turn by Labour and there will not be one," she said.

"What we will do is address the concerns and questions which the current debate has seen genuine people raising.

"It would be both irresponsible and insensitive not to be listening to that.

"If there is to be any good come from the gross and unpleasant Orewa speech, it may be that we can get the facts out on the table and encourage an informed debate about the kind of society we want."

After four years under Labour, New Zealanders were enjoying more enlightened economic and social policy and "increased social investment", she said.

"We can only continue down that path with public support.

"If New Zealanders want the growing opportunity, security and fairness which this Labour-led government has brought, then they will need to vote for it."

The alternative was a return to the policies of "division and despair" with the same old agendas running on the other side of politics.

"Tax cuts for the rich will always be matched by spending cuts affecting everyone else," she said.

"The sense of security and stability which our government ... has established would be quickly shattered by a change of government."

Labour would guarantee retirement income for people now aged under 50, she said.

It had put more people in work, introduced parental leave, increased the minimum wage, improved employment conditions, made housing more affordable and improved health.

"We are also facing the reality that some of our communities have worse health than others."

Maori had high smoking rates and diabetes was more prominent in Maori and Polynesian communities.

"It's important to our government that we endeavour to meet the health needs of all our communities, whoever or whatever they are.

"That may mean spending more in some and doing things differently to even up the odds," Miss Clark said.

"To dismiss such initiatives as unfair and discriminatory, as the National Party has done, is quite extraordinary."

- NZPA

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