While National still leads Labour in all the surveys, Helen Clark could be in a position to pull a majority together with the backing of the minor parties.
The Greens hit an unlikely 11.5 percent in a New Zealand Morgan poll published yesterday, and the party's average in NZPA's rolling poll is heading for 8 percent.
Some of the Greens' gain appears to be coming from Labour, but when the two parties are put together they match or come close to matching the strength of National and its ally ACT.
NZ First isn't factored into this equation yet because it hasn't reached the 5 percent threshold, but it is slowly gaining ground and the Morgan poll put it at 4.5 percent.
As National says it won't work with Winston Peters under any circumstances, NZ First would also be in Labour's camp if it manages to get back into Parliament.
The Maori Party, which could end up holding the balance of power, isn't stating a preference although co-leader Pita Sharples said this week it was "joined at the hip" with Labour because of the preference of its supporters.
National's leader, John Key, says a Labour-led government would be "a five-headed monster" with strong left-wing tendencies.
Miss Clark said that comment was evidence he is worried and "getting rattled" by the polls.
Mr Key and Miss Clark had a quiet day on the campaign trail yesterday but ACT's Rodney Hide managed to put some life into it.
He staged a stunt in Auckland where a black-robed witch whipped a poor farmer staggering along under the burden of debt that ACT says would be imposed on the agricultural sector by the Government's emissions trading scheme.
Mr Hide looks set to retain his Epsom seat, which means ACT won't have to reach 5 percent of the party vote to have MPs in Parliament.
The party is hovering around the 2 percent mark, enough to get Heather Roy back in with Mr Hide.
In some polls ACT has enough support for a third MP, and that would be Sir Roger Douglas.
Miss Clark is using that possibility to try to turn off voters, suggesting Sir Roger would be part of a National-led government if Labour loses.
Other campaign developments yesterday included:
* National's Wellington Central candidate, Stephen Franks, said about 100 of his campaign billboards had been vandalised and he is using an infra-red camera to snap the culprits;
* Fiji's military leader and self-appointed prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama urged New Zealanders to vote against Miss Clark. "She wants to be queen of the Pacific," said Bainimarama.
* Grey Power, the influential lobby group representing older voters, said it was paying close attention to the health and home insulation policies of the political parties.
