By Keith Locke
AUCKLAND — Election day, February 15, dawned rather damp in Tamaki, but it didn't affect the spirits of 600 Alliance supporters who crammed into Selwyn College to organise getting out the vote. I didn't know most of the people there, which was a good sign because, as well as my NewLabour friends, there were hundreds of Democrats, Greens and Mana Motuhake members.
By 10 a.m., cars were streaming to all corners of the electorate with red, green and yellow ribbons fluttering from radio aerials. It was a pleasant task, with an enthusiastic response from most of the 16,000 listed Alliance supporters or "don't knows" visited on this first sweep.
I was canvassing in the strongly Alliance working-class suburb of Glen Innes, which was a pleasant change after doing all my phone canvassing, doorknocking and leafleting in the richer parts of this blue ribbon National Party electorate. Although many disenchanted Nationals were voting Alliance, many NewLabour supporters felt like fish out of water in mansion territory.
After lunch, we were out on our second sweep, visiting those who hadn't been marked off by Alliance polling booth scrutineers. On our third and final sweep at 4.30 p.m., one or two of those visited were a little testy, particularly those who had been less than forthcoming to pre-election canvassers and had ended up on the "don't know/do visit" list of every party.
The mood on election night was hopeful but not confident. After all, this was one of the Nationals' three strongest urban seats. The mood was still good as the results came in. As everyone said, we'd made a lot of friends in other parties during the campaign, we'd worked well together, and the Alliance was the only way to go. Although we hadn't won (we got 40% of the vote against National's 48%), we had produced the biggest voter shift in one electorate in living memory.
This was much more than a protest vote by National supporters. Alliance won the traditionally Labour working-class areas. Labour's vote declined massively in Glen Innes and the state housing part of Orakei. In 1987, Labour won 64% in the four Glen Innes booths, by 1990 that was down to 48%, and in the by-election it was 36%. The vote for Alliance parties in the same booths rose from 22% in 1990 to 48% on February 15. At one booth in Orakei, Labour's vote dropped from 64% in 1987 to 25% in the by-election, while Alliance votes increased from 25% in 1990 to 50%.
Meanwhile, on election night another alliance was forming several kilometres away at the Tamaki Yacht Club, where celebrating Nationals cheered Helen Clark, Labour's deputy leader, as she arrived to congratulate the winner. Labour's candidate, Verna Smith, had allied with National's Simich against the Alliance during the campaign. Simich had reciprocated by calling for people who couldn't vote National to vote for Smith, "a very, very good candidate" of a "reputable party". Alliance supporters didn't have long to wait for more cheer. On February 19, Alliance candidate Mike Lee scored more than 50% of the vote to easily win a by-election in the previously strong Labour ward of Auckland Central in the Auckland Regional Council.