Schoolboys grade Peters 'not achieved'

The schoolboys of Tauranga have some bad news for Winston Peters.

The Tauranga Boys' College political poll, famous for accurately predicting local voting, suggests National challenger Bob Clarkson will win 40.9 per cent of the vote and snatch the seat from the New Zealand First leader.

Mr Peters got 36.5 per cent of the electorate vote in the poll, which also predicted a win for National in the party vote, with 42.4 per cent, followed by Labour on 27 per cent and New Zealand First on 14.7 per cent.

"Some of the younger boys like Winston's personality ... because he's so charismatic, but a lot of the others have absolutely no time for him," said deputy principal Rob Naumann, who conducted the survey of 320 students and staff two weeks ago and finished crunching the numbers last night.

Before the poll the school hosted each Tauranga candidate for a speech.

Mr Peters, 60, claims to be furious at this week's publication of internal National Party polling that predicted victory for Mr Clarkson, 65, a wealthy local businessman and former tractor salesman.

"Very few of the boys take Bob Clarkson seriously and most think he is too old to have a decent political career ahead of him, even though the petrol-heads among them like the fact that he built a speedway and a football stadium and he supports car racing," Mr Naumann said. "But there is a real mood for a change of government."

The poll indicated tax was the biggest issue and suggested National would have to form a coalition with New Zealand First.

There was little comfort for Labour's Sally Barrett, a Tauranga Girls' College English teacher, who took 12.5 per cent of the electorate vote and 27 per cent of the party vote.

Ms Barrett, 47, was gamely fighting on yesterday, doorknocking and chatting to netball spectators.

"Miracles do happen," she said. Ms Barrett is not on the Labour list, and so must win the seat to get into Parliament.

"People here need someone who does care, not a rich businessman or someone like Winston, who does very little for Tauranga," she said.

Since it began in 1973 the poll has rarely got it wrong in Tauranga, although it stumbled on the national result in the past two elections.

In 1999 it failed to predict Labour would sweep to power, instead tipping a National-Act coalition. At the last election the school predicted a Labour-Green coalition, but overestimated the Greens' strength.