Harbour is lying sixth equal on points with Kaikorai and is five points behind fourth-placed Dunedin.
The Hawks were in a worse position in 2011, when they won their last five games of the round-robin competition to make the semifinals.
Harbour beat Southern 19-18 in the semifinal and lost the final at Carisbrook to Taieri 12-6.
In the next three games, Harbour plays Pirates, Zingari-Richmond and Green Island, which it beat in the first round. It had bonus-point wins over Pirates and Green Island.
Harbour started badly this winter, losing its first three games, and at the end of the first round had only won four games. The bad start has now been turned around.
''It was just momentum from a new team,'' coach Marty Hurring said.
''Discipline has been a huge thing. To be honest, Harbour had a huge issue with the `thug' tag that concerned me a lot when I went there first.''
Hurring has worked hard to change the culture since taking over as head coach this year.
''We are never going to win anything if we haven't got good discipline. The refs are telling us that we have turned that around.''
The return of former Highlander and Samoan international Seilala Mapusua has helped the Harbour midfield.
Other key players include fullback Mateo Malupo, who has played 23 first-class games for Northland, and two former Southland representatives, lock Hale T-Pole and flanker Ratu Dawai.
''We've got some good cattle in there,'' Hurring said.
''They weren't there for the first three weeks. We missed the boat at the start of the season.''
The lack of a reliable goal kicker has been a problem for Harbour this season. But the return of Ollie Cuthill, from shoulder surgery, and Joe Collins should firm that up.
Collins was the goal kicker last winter and scored 117 points. Cuthill scored 137 points in 2012.
Hurring expects five-pointers in the next three games - against Pirates at Watson Park tomorrow, and against Zingari-Richmond and Green Island.
''That will put us right in the mix,'' he said.
Hurring has wide experience coaching rugby in South Otago and was asked to help a struggling Harbour club that finished eighth in the 10-team competition last year.
''I chose a club that was near the bottom of the league. It was a challenge for me to bring them up.''
The return of Collins and Cuthill means that Japan's Nick Ealey can play in his specialist position of halfback.
Ealey's father is a New Zealander and his mother is Japanese. He is understudy for Highlanders halfback Fumiaki Tanaka at the Panasonic Club in Japan and could make the Japanese World Cup team next year.
''I will be a happy man if we get those 15 points in the next three weeks,'' Hurring said.
''It would be all on then.''
The last three games of the season are against Taieri, Dunedin and University A.
''We'd probably only need to win one or two of those games and we would be in the semifinals.
''We've come a long way but the next three weeks are very important to us.''
Mapusua will play his 50th game for Harbour tomorrow and Pete Mirrielees his 150th.
In the other key game of the round, Taieri will be defending the Speight's Challenge Shield against Southern at Peter Johnstone Park.
