Campaign heroics or hubris?
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12:02 pm, June 6th, 2013 - 38 comments
Categories: activism, by-election 2013, campaigning, labour, mana -
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I was impressed by this press statement from the Mana Party on the ground in the Ikaroa Rawhiti by-election reporting that they door-knocked over 1000 houses over the weekend and found that support for their candidate was over 70%. As a political campaigner of many years experience, and I’m now running Labour’s by-election HQ in the Hawke’s Bay, I know what a heroic amount of work by literally hundreds of volunteers has to go in to get a result like this.
We were also out door knocking last weekend, in Flaxmere, and on average to find one person on the Maori roll who was at home our volunteers needed to go to between 7 and 10 houses. That means Mana must have door-knocked something like 5000 to 10,000 homes. That’s an incredible effort!
I don’t think they could have door-knocked in Flaxmere though, where Labour and Meka’s support was steady and strong but I guess we’ll find out where all these Mana supporters are this weekend when we go back out on the campaign trail.
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Poor old Bomber.
They probably treatened to bash whoever opened the door if they didn’t vote for them. I call it the Harawira way.
Very amusing – you should perhaps be called talkwin. You obviously have the idea for gaining electoral support. Good if you can get more voters out – for whoever, but participating.
You really should pop up to Kaitaia some time, you can see them at work. I was probably a bit harsh in comment, I apologise for that.
I suspect that tarkwin has a name for his penis as well – and discusses current affairs with it as well…
He seems like the type.
I call mine Bocephus…
I call mine Cockasaurus.
Because it’s a fossil? Or because no-one’s ever seen it in the flesh?
touché.
No silly, it died a long time ago
Winston, along with your partner of puzzling gender I call yours Bocephyllis.
Buecephalus, surely?
Good luck to Meka. You have to respect a candidate who tells her leader to shut up …
http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/article/?id=32731
Will Shearer be out on the campaign trail this weekend or has he been asked to stay away?
You seemed to have put up the wrong link, nothing there about telling her leader to shut up.
Mana Poneke is active in the Hutt and Wainuiomata. Te Hamua would command strong support in Te Tai Rawhiti as well. Whether that informal support translates to votes, well, I’m cynical.
Fortunately I’ve never had to work a Maori electorate, but I suspect that (except in a few widely separated high density locations) that door knocking would be a exercise in futility for a short campaign.
BTW: Have fun…
I once hand delivered letters to Maori homes across Clutha-Southland. Of all the things I’ve done, that was the ultimate exercise in futility, and fuel cost… And that was without a campaign budget as well.
boo hoo
Perfect evidence of the thanks that you get for political activism …
Maybe a sarcasm tag should have been attached to this post?
So, they say they knocked over 1000 doors (not 7000 or 10 000) and found their support was running at 70% . Now sure – maybe they should have said something like ‘70% of respondents supported us’. But 70% is 70% – give or take whatever amount of salt is your bag given the sample size and the source.
+1
Is it possible they knew which addresses were people on the Maori roll?
Yes Weka it is. Political parties are able to access the electronic electoral roll which allows them to find voters on the Maori and General rolls. But it’s still a huge effort to hit 1000 respondents. However good on them if they did; they’ll be feeling mighty pleased with themselves.
Maybe people are ‘home’ for Mana and not for you guys. 🙂
Yes I agree there Ant – facebook certainly showed lots and lots of activity and there are the Radio Waatea, Radio Ngati Porou and Gisborne Herald polls which show a preference for Mana but of course the day of voting is the one that counts. My feeling is that quite a few non-voters are changing their minds and I’m anticipating quite a strong turnout. Seems labour’s terror campaign hasn’t quite got going yet – plenty of drones though.
Tongue in cheek surely, sarcasm is so unkind.
Did the press release say it was 70% of eligible voters? or just 70% of households spoken to? Quite different things.
Yup. Although….dunno why you didn’t just call unequivocal bullshit on it is all.
Saying that you agree with someone who just showed up at your door is a cultural norm rather than an actual vote.
Why would you need to door knock between 7-10 homes to get one Māori roll voter at home? If you had an electoral roll, you can know which houses to door knock?
because people are out! I take it you’ve never actually done any doorknocking?
Hi Jack Do you know how the Greens are doing?
Mana Party exaggerating stuff? Surely not!
Labour is facing the classic political problem in this by-election of course: there is no upside to a win. For Mana it’s exactly the reverse, they have not a thing to lose but everything to gain.
It’s no BS, Deemac.
Mana had two people canvassing in our area (Hutt Valley). Despite our household being Green supporters (Party Vote), we had a pleasant chat. It was hard to really determine what real differences our Parties have. If Labour-Green-Mana can’t work together post-2014, well, shame on us.
Good on’em, I say.
I agree CV. Labour’s other problem is people thinking it’s an easy win and they don’t need to vote.
“We were also out door knocking last weekend, in Flaxmere, and on average to find one person on the Maori roll who was at home our volunteers needed to go to between 7 and 10 houses.”
Maybe they were hiding…………….. from the terrorist.
Here’s a photo from the day:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=487658861305843&set=a.484792111592518.1073741829.484316791640050&type=1&theater
Jenny – do the people canvassed by your team show any enthusiasm for Labour? If so, how much of it is due to residual loyalty and respect for Parekura Horomia and how much is due to the prospects Labour offers them in 2013?