The way Prime Minister John Key tells it, Labour will lose the Mana by-election on Saturday even if it wins, and National will win even if it loses.At his weekly press conference, Mr Key tried to paint the by-election as almost unwinnable for National, wh
The way Prime Minister John Key tells it, Labour will lose the Mana by-election on Saturday even if it wins, and National will win even if it loses.
At his weekly press conference, Mr Key tried to paint the by-election as almost unwinnable for National, which faces a drubbing in the largely working class electorate.
Mr Key pointed out Mana was one of Labour's safest seats, so taking it would be akin to Labour winning Bay of Plenty off National.
National candidate Hekia Parata -- already in Parliament as a list MP -- had run an "outstanding campaign", Mr Key said.
Labour leader Phil Goff was preparing for a reduced majority after a poor campaign by his chief press secretary Chris Faafoi, he said.
"It's a long shot for us, but if National voters get out there and support Hekia Parata, hey, who knows?"
There was no history of the Government winning a seat they did not hold in a by-election, he said.
Mr Key expected to be in Mana on voting day, even though as a rule prime ministers didn't go to by-elections, he said.
Mr Key did not go to Mt Albert on by-election day in June 2009, when Labour out-polled National nearly four to one in former Labour prime minister Helen Clark's electorate.
Mr Goff has said National could win if turnout is low. A poor rate of participation would see the majority close.
"The way in which the National candidate [Hekia Parata] could win is if there is a very low turnout. She's run before, she's reasonably well known there, but it really depends on turnout," he told stuff.co.nz.
There was further trouble for Labour yesterday, with TV3 reporting a Labour Party worker in the electorate published insulting race-orientated comments about Mrs Parata on a website.
Mana has a higher than average proportion of Maori and Polynesian voters, who might take exception to the remarks.
Containing low-income suburbs Cannons Creek and Porirua East, some of the poorest in the country, most Mana residents are not natural National supporters -- Labour has never lost the seat.
