NZ First getting late surge in support, Peters says

WELLINGTON: Winston Peters says New Zealand First is getting a late surge and he feels great going into tomorrow’s polls.

The party’s leader said members had been campaigning hard.

‘‘This is not my first rodeo, for goodness sake. And it’s been a hard, enduring, tiresome experience but that’s the way campaigning is and we’re going to go right to the wire having done 12,000km seeing New Zealanders all around the country.

‘‘We have thought of nothing but campaigning as hard as we can go right until 6pm on the 16th of October . . . Everything else is in the hands of the voters.’’

He said his party was seeing a surge in support, although that did not appear based on concrete evidence.

In last night’s 1NewsColmar Brunton poll, New Zealand First climbed from 2% to 3% support.

‘‘On the media’s face, the look of growing anxiety as you try and cover your butts in this campaign, I can tell there's a surge on,’’ he said.

‘‘Whether you like it or not, there’s a huge surge on.

‘‘There are a whole lot of voters undecided and we can tell by the calls and the messages we’re getting that we’ve done the right thing to hammer this out as hard as we can go, to the last moment.’’

He said the party had been stable for the past three years, and would be so again after the election.

‘‘Look, the National Party’s lost frontbenchers by the scores. They’ve also lost three leaders, and the poor government in Jacinda’s lost four of her ministers.’’

He refused to comment on his earlier statements that New Zealand First was ‘‘totally separate’’ from the New Zealand First Foundation, however, walking away from the interview. — The New Zealand Herald