Election 2014: Hone's call to arms after Winston backs Kelvin

Hone Harawira, left, has asked voters to ignore calls from National, Labour and NZ First to support his opponent, Labour's Kelvin Davis (right). Photo / APN

Te Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira is issuing an 11th hour call to arms, asking voters to ignore the calls from National, Labour and NZ First to support his Labour opponent Kelvin Davis.

The Mana leader has been targeted in the last days of the campaign, with John Key, David Cunliffe and Winston Peters all endorsing Mr Davis.

Mr Harawira has also claimed that the Maori Party may be telling supporters to vote for Mr Davis. The Maori Party has said strategic voting was considered, but ultimately dismissed.

Mr Harawira issued a statement this morning asking voters to "hold fast to their mana" against the party leaders who have "ganged together" against him.

"I call on our people to answer them in the strongest way possible, by making sure that every one of your whanau gets down to the polling booths over the next 48 hours and votes for me", Mr Harawira said.

"Now some party leaders want to take away their right to freely choose their next MP, and that's just not right."

He again defended his arrangement with the internet Party and its backer Kim Dotcom, saying it was the best way to get more Mana MPs into parliament.

Kelvin's the man - Winston

The race for Te Tai Tokerau has intensified on the eve of the election, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters and Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia both taking shots at incumbent MP Hone Harawira.

Mr Peters even went so far as to publicly endorse Mr Harawira's opponent, Labour's Kelvin Davis - the first time in his long career he has asked supporters to give their electorate vote to someone from a different party.

He and Mrs Turia both accused Mr Harawira, leader of the Mana Party, of selling out to internet Party founder Kim Dotcom.

The seat is critical to internet-Mana, who need Mr Harawira to win or face oblivion unless the party can pass the 5 per cent threshold. A loss could also hurt the left bloc overall, by rendering any votes for the party wasted.

Mr Harawira claimed this week that the Maori Party was considering telling their supporters to vote for Mr Davis.

Mrs Turia said strategic voting was ruled out, but was initially considered because polling had showed the party would not do well and a campaign is expensive.

She said she would not tell Maori Party supporters to vote for Mr Davis, but was disturbed by Mr Harawira's deal with Dotcom.

"What Hone is doing is selling a Maori seat to a person who has no interest in doing what is right as far as tangata whenua are concerned. We believe [ Dotcom]'s interfering in democracy, and how dare Hone sell a Maori seat to somebody like Kim Dotcom."

Mr Harawira did not respond to requests for comment.

Mr Peters revealed his endorsement during a street meeting in Paihia yesterday.

"We need to ensure that Mana-Deutschland doesn't win and that Kelvin Davis does."

Afterwards he told reporters that Dotcom was a "crooked German that's been here for five minutes".

"Frankly we think it's absolutely intolerable that someone can float into this country, is a law breaker, causes us so much angst in the election, in fact ruined the whole election, and start a new political party and get away with it.

"I've got no doubt that NZF voters on that roll are going to be voting for Kelvin Davis."

National leader John Key also said yesterday he would vote for Mr Davis, as he saw him as a better MP than Mr Harawira.

A Maori Television/Reid Research poll this week saw Mr Harawira and Mr Davis only 1 percentage point apart.

Mr Davis, who was also campaigning in Paihia yesterday, said he was trying for every vote. "I'm happy for an endorsement from anybody."

Mr Peters spent yesterday on a whirlwind tour of Northland towns including Kaitaia, Kaikohe, Kerikeri, Paihia and Kawakawa.

In Kaikohe, local Cohi Woodman said she was voting for New Zealand First because Mr Peters had made the effort to visit.

"You're really handsome in real life," she told him.

But in Kerikeri, local Troy Munroe was somewhat embarrassed when she interrupted their small talk to ask him who he was.

Former Labour minister Dover Samuels showed his support for Mr Peters by joining him in Kaikohe.

He told reporters that Mr Peters should go with National after the election.

But he said the decision was up to Mr Peters.