English wants tactical votes for Dunne, Seymour

''We want to increase our party votes in those electorates and that's what our National Party candidates will be working hard to do.'' Prime Minister Bill English

Prime Minister Bill English has called for National voters to back ACT leader David Seymour in Epsom and Unitedfuture leader Peter Dunne in Ohariu.

He said National intended to work with those two support parties in the September 23 election – but he did not include the Maori Party in that comment.

However, he did note that in February he made it clear that if National was re-elected his preference was to continue working with ACT, the Maori Party and Unitedfuture.

‘‘While we don’t always agree, our four parties have maintained a stable and successful Government since late 2008 and we would like to see that continue for the benefit of New Zealanders,’’ English said.

‘‘We are encouraging National supporters to give their electorate vote to ACT candidate, David Seymour, in Epsom, and Unitedfuture candidate, Peter Dunne, in Ohariu – and their party vote to National.

‘‘To be clear, we want to increase our party votes in those electorates and that’s what our National Party candidates will be working hard to do.’’

English said if he was in the Ohariu electorate he would vote for Dunne – a different stance from that of former leader Sir John Key who said in 2014 he would vote for the National candidate in Epsom, even though he signalled that other National supporters should back Seymour.

English said candidates Brett Hudson in Ohariu and Cabinet minister Paul Goldsmith in Epsom would be ‘‘working hard’’ knocking on doors and asking voters not to vote for them but for the other party’s candidate.

‘‘That’s basically the message, yes.’’

But he did not think it was necessary to pull the National candidates from the ballot.

National would rather work with its three existing support parties than with NZ First but it would work with whatever cards the voters dealt.

He said National would be encouraging voters on the Maori roll to vote for both the Maori Party and the Maori Party candidate.

‘‘It makes sense for them to vote for the party and the candidate and the Maori Party may not get to 5 per cent so they need to win some seats.’’

However, he clarified later his first preference was that those on the Maori roll voted National with their party vote.