Election 2020: National leader Judith Collins visits Howick Village Market, defends Alfred Ngaro's social media post

National leader Judith Collins has defended "gross misinformation" by one of her MPs on social media.

Collins says comments by Alfred Ngaro were his own "genuinely held views" - but they were not the party's.

Ngaro, ranked 30 on the National list and in danger of losing his seat in Parliament on current polling, posted to Facebook a series of attacks on his Labour rival for Te Atatū Phil Twyford.

I wouldn't normally share stuff like this on social media, and even though my opponent has deleted his post, it is such...

Posted by Phil Twyford on Thursday, 8 October 2020

"Your local MP should represent the values of the people and place," he wrote, accompanied by an image of Twyford overlaid with claims "a vote for Phil" was a vote for legalising recreational cannabis, decriminalising all drugs, full-term abortion and "abortion based on gender and disability".

Ngaro deleted the post, but not before Twyford - the incumbent for Te Atatū - got a screenshot.

Collins is spending her Saturday morning at Auckland's Howick Village Market, in the party electorate stronghold of Pakuranga.

Read More

• Election 2020: Judith Collins in 'bittersweet' campaign launch, attacks Labour as 'erratic' and...
• Election 2020: Ardern rebuts Collins' 'corruption' claims over $100m Provincial Growth Fund spe...
• Election 2020: Judith Collins determined to remain leader if National doesn't win - NZ Herald
• Election 2020: The National Party wants all wineries to be allowed to charge for samples - NZ H...

She said she'd spoken to Ngaro, and he told her it was his personal belief, but he also understood it was not the party's belief.

Collins said she supported freedom of speech - but added that Ngaro had deleted the post.

It's not the first time Ngaro has come under fire for an abortion-related social media post.

In May last year he shared a post on social media which compared the issue of abortion in New Zealand with the Holocaust.

Whanganui MP and National Party candidate Harete Hipango has also been criticised for similar comments, in July calling Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern a hypocrite for supporting abortion reform while talking about infant mortality.

At the time Collins defended her MP's right to "free speech".

Hipango again came under fire in September, after sharing a false quote criticising New Zealand's farming sector attributed to Ardern. Fellow National MP Matt King also shared the post.

Hipango argued it was not a false quote but was "a construction of key words aligned with Jacinda Ardern".

Collins again defended her MPs, saying "they are genuinely reflecting what they believe".

Asked on Saturday whether the National Party needed a specific policy when it came to social media posts, Collins said it didn't.

"I just think Alfred has put his own personal views up but once it's been pointed out it's not the National Party's views he's taken it down.

"He's someone who passionately believes what he's put up there, and I don't, nor does the party."

Twyford had earlier shared the screenshots, saying it was "such a gross piece of misinformation it shouldn't be ignored".

"It has more in common with the fake news of the American religious right than the way we do politics in New Zealand," Twyford said on Friday.

National leader Judith Collins with a supporter at the Howick Village Market in Auckland today, one week before election day. Photo / Michael Neilson

It's another distraction Collins could do without after a week which saw her blocked from entering a Ponsonby optometrists, had MPs leaking against her and faced accusations of supporter planting on her walkabouts.

Welcome distractions

Her market walkabout might have given her more of a welcome distraction, as scores of party faithful flocked around her to take photos and offer words of encouragement.

"You're awesome!" called out one woman.

Collins stopped to try some kiwifruit and pick up a bunch of avocados from farmer David French.

"I hope she wins," French told the Herald, even if he didn't get a chance to take a selfie with her.

"They are just more aware of the challenges facing farmers, and we are a bit scared of what Labour might do with the Greens.

"For most farmers the number one priorities are the welfare of their animals and the land. We are not here today, gone tomorrow; we are in these industries for the long haul."

National leader Judith Collins bought two packs of shortbread from Gloria Graydon, of Cheltenham Cakes, but she couldn't sway the ardent Labour supporter. Photo / Michael Neilson

Collins also picked up a face mask, bread, sausages, and two packets of shortbread from Gloria Graydon, of Cheltenham Cakes.

"My husband loves shortbread," Collins told the Herald.

Graydon didn't quite share the same love for National, though, telling the Herald she was "definitely voting Labour".

"Judith, she is very lovely. It was so nice of her to stop by and I've always wanted to meet her.

"But I've always voted Labour, for those who support the working people."

With a week to go until election day, even with the support of Act, National is tracking well behind a potential Labour/Greens alliance.

Collins told the Herald on Friday she was now in "high energy" mode heading into the last week of the campaign attempting to shore up support from the 13 per cent of New Zealand voters are so far undecided as per the latest 1News/ Colmar Brunton poll.

"What we are hearing back is there are a lot of quiet National supporters who don't want to tell pollsters [who they're voting for] – they don't trust people ringing them up and asking how they are voting.

"We have seen them with Boris Johnson and we have seen it with Brexit – people just don't tell pollsters necessarily what they are doing."

On Saturday, Collins said the final push would involve continuing to focus on "what matters for people".

"So tax relief, hardworking families, growing the economy ... jobs and getting tourists back into the country."

The Pakuranga electorate is held by 29-year-old Simeon Brown, who won safely with a margin of 14,886 in 2017.

Overall, National won the largest share of party votes with 62 per cent to Labour's 25.

The seat has largely been held by National since the 1970s, bar the 1984 term when it was held by Neil Morrison, of Social Credit.