Hope, humour and human billboards - minor parties holding out for a miracle

It is crunch time on the campaign trail and the minor parties have big plans for their last week trying to win votes.

Parties such as Freedoms New Zealand, New Zealand Loyal and NewZeal are polling on 1 percent, while The Opportunities Party is on 2 percent.

But their leaders told RNZ they had dedicated support bases putting in big hours to connect with voters.

TOP leader Raf Manji said his party was in good humour in the final week of campaigning.

"I've got a lunch with some people, then we're out doing the human billboards and then I've got another flat chat with students. Then the same again Thursday and Friday."

New Conservative leader Helen Houghton said she would be back in Christchurch East this week, "trying to get out and talk to as many people as I can in my electorate".

Meanwhile, former National Party MP turned DemocracyNZ leader Matt King hoped he would be "keeping out of trouble" and catching up with voters.

After five weeks of door knocking, dancing on footpaths while waving signs and holding public meetings, the minor parties were feeling pretty good about their campaigns.

Manji said he was not too sure about the human billboard trend.

"I was pretty skeptical about it. I said, 'I'm never doing one of those things', but actually it's great fun and people love to see you out on the street."

He said there had been a great team behind TOP's electorate campaigns around the motu and in Ilam, where he was a candidate.

"We're peaking at the right time. All of our social media and web stats are on the up and that's where you want to be going into the voting period."

Freedoms New Zealand leader Brian Tamaki said he believed his party would be the dark horse on election night, despite polling at 1 percent.

"We have focused more on a couple of those electorates that are showing under the radar signs that there is a chance."

But he would not say in which electorates Freedoms New Zealand, or its allied parties, might get those surprise wins.

"We don't want anything to happen where by that might be sabotaged, that's why," Tamaki said.

Small parties have fewer resources and volunteers than well-established, bigger parties but their candidates and volunteers push on anyway.

Another former National MP and government minister Alfred Ngaro was the leader of NewZeal.

He said his party did not have a big cash flow but he had worked hard to connect with people who did not usually vote.

"We're not striving because we know that it's impossible but we believe that miracles do happen... We're just that little brown paper bag that is floating through the middle, speaking hope to the nation and we believe it's a sound people are looking for."

New Conservative's Helen Houghton said policy substance mattered more than financial backing or celebrity politicans.

"It is tough, so it's about hope and faith. Also, those connections you make with people you hope that will stand up."

DemocracyNZ leader Matt King said his volunteer base had been crucial to keeping the campaign going.

"We've got so many people that go out and give their energy and their passion willingly."

NZ Loyal Southland candidate Logan Evans said support for his party had been overwhelming.

"The public helped us get billboards up all around the Southland electorate so it sort of started off a bit of a wave around the country," he said.

When polls close on Saturday night, the small parties will celebrate - whatever happens.

King said there would be a live band at his party: "We are going to have fun regardless of the outcome."

Ngaro and Manji said they would be spending election night with their volunteers as a thank you for their support.

Stay up to date with Checkpoint's live election night special with Lisa Owen, Corin Dann, Jane Patterson and reporters around the country from 7pm to midnight on Saturday, running alongside live data and blogging with electorate and party vote results on RNZ's website. RNZ Asia will also be running its own live blog in Chinese.

实时更新报道， 尽在RNZ中文！ 本周六下午5点起，以中文实时追踪2023年新西兰大选。各党票数、全国选情 、计票进展与最终结果，第一手资讯尽在 www.rnz.co.nz/chinese，本周六，我们与您一同关注大选。

Then on Sunday, stay tuned for the Morning Report special from 8am to 10am, examining the results, the drama, and the changes from the night before: with polls this close, exactly who's in government will likely come down to negotiations.