Leaders return to the campaign trail

The leaders of the major political parties return to the campaign trail today after facing each other in a television debate for the first time last night.

Prime Minister Helen Clark and National leader Bill English went head to head on TV3 with no clear winner emerging.

Miss Clark offered "strong leadership" and more of the same policies as polls continued to show her and Labour to be well favoured by the public in the first week of a four-week election campaign before election day on July 27.

Mr English said his party would ensure all New Zealanders could get ahead and were valued by the government.

The pair rarely clashed one on one as the debate also included Greens' co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons, ACT leader Richard Prebble and NZ First leader Winston Peters.

Miss Clark and Mr English both looked comfortable and neither made any gaffes or lost their temper.

Miss Clark has until now been able to ignore Mr English, and his supporters have hoped that once the public saw the pair together National would gain in the polls.

National will need a boost as the latest TV3/NFO poll released last night showed it was making little impact on the public.

The poll showed National gaining only 24 per cent of party votes, the same level as a fortnight ago when this poll was last taken.

Labour was down five points to 51 per cent -- but on that polling could still govern alone.

Winners were New Zealand First, which jumped from 3.1 per cent to 5.7 per cent, and ACT, which rose from 3.9 per cent to 5 per cent.

The Greens also registered a rise in popularity, gaining two percentage points to record 11 per cent party vote support. It is the first time the party has polled in double figures.

The poll was taken before the tensions between Labour and the Greens re-ignited on Wednesday when Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons threatened to stop Labour forming a government and then swiftly backtracked.

Prime Minister Helen Clark said the initial threat was a declaration of "all out war" and further fuelled Labour's bid to govern alone.

The Green's other co-leader Rod Donald said Miss Clark was over-reacting as the two parties jostled for support from the public.

In last night's debate the relationship between the apparently warring parties raised a few sparks as Miss Clark gave yet another indication she was thinking about other options beside a coalition with Greens.

She said there were "many scenarios" that could lead to the formation of a government "depending on the way the cards were dealt" by voters.

Mr English implied the row was manufactured to manipulate voters and all would be solved if the two parties had a chance to govern.

National party strategists have been urging their supporters to remain loyal as they face the prospect of some voters backing Labour to keep the Greens out of government.

Health is also likely to return to centre stage today after a Labour MP seemed to inadvertently slip out plans for Labour to propose a dedicated health tax. Opposition MPs leapt on the gaffe by Labour's senior whip Rick Barker at a candidates meeting in Hawke's Bay of a secret agenda to increase taxes.

Finance Minister and deputy Labour leader Michael Cullen said Labour was only "exploring the feasibility of the idea... and in any case, the rate is irrelevant because the health tax would replace an equivalent of existing income tax".

The focus on health came as angry protests in Kaitaia were held over a freeze on some surgery at the local hospital.

Miss Clark campaigns in Hamilton today while Mr English campaigns in New Plymouth before returning to Wellington for the National Party conference.

- NZPA

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