The Maori Party will be the most influential party of the election

Last election the Maori Party was described by Helen Clark as "the last cab off the rank". This year they will be coalition makers, as they are the only party with substance that can court both the left and the right. It is quite possible that the Minister of Maori Affairs could come from this party after the election as part of a post-election coalition deal. Both National and Labour's political advisors will be courting the Maori Party this year and you can bet that the Maori seats will not be on the agenda, but the Electoral Finance Act will be.

From a voters perspective, it is ironic that most of the population will not be able to vote for any of the candidates of the most influential party and will chose not to vote for the party with their party vote for fear of it being a wasted vote.

More later.