The polls in New Zealand's election are stagnant but the contest is increasingly chaotic, with revelations of a fresh house invasion and heated spats between parties.
More than 200,000 New Zealanders have used advance voting to cast ballots ahead of polling day on October 14.
Polls show centre-right opposition National continues to lead the way, charting 36 per cent in Wednesday night's TVNZ-Verian poll, with Labour trailing on 26 per cent.
Both figures are unchanged since last week.
The right bloc, including libertarians ACT and Winston Peters' NZ First, is on 52 per cent, with the left bloc, which brings in the Greens and the Maori Party, on 41 per cent.
Coalition-building is the norm under New Zealand's electoral system and based on current polls, National will need to negotiate with both ACT and NZ First to form government.
Eyeing victory but wary of those negotiations, National wheeled out its big gun on Thursday, with former prime minister Sir John Key fronting advertisements urging New Zealanders not to flirt with minor parties.
"The election result is far from certain," he said.
"Imagine if we woke up on 15 October in limbo land.
"To make sure National has the numbers it needs to govern well for you, without lots of moving parts, make sure you party vote National ... don't risk having no clear election result."
In an odd twist, National's last deputy prime minister and one of its chief fundraisers, Paula Bennett, was pictured with ACT's candidate in Tamaki, Brooke van Velden, in a tacit endorsement of her candidacy.
Ms van Velden is standing against National candidate Simon O'Connor, and polls suggest she could win.
Both insist the photo was "just two friends catching up" but their choice of drink - tea - references a deal made between the two parties for National to concede another electorate to ACT.
Maori Party President John Tamihere laid sensational allegations on an elderly National party member, saying he invaded the home of 20-year-old Maori candidate Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke.
Ms Maipi-Clarke was the victim of other home invasions earlier in the campaign.
On this occasion, the man involved - identified as Graham Gunn in a Newshub interview - said he wanted to congratulate Ms Maipi-Clarke on her performance at a debate he attended.
"No way would I do anything to harm her ... I wish her the best," he said.
"I thought she presented herself well and I wanted to wish her all the best being such a young person getting into politics and especially a young Maori girl."
Mr Gunn said he spoke to Ms Maipi-Clarke's husband at the door and went home without speaking to her and without incident.
Detective Inspector Darrell Harpur said police would issue a trespass notice to a Huntly resident regarding the incident, but did not believe it was "racially motivated".
Maori concerns are a major part of the election contest, including the key issue of "co-governance", or the role of Maori decision-making in public service delivery.
It is one of the issues that splits the parties right down the middle - the right bloc is vehemently against, while Labour and the Greens have advanced co-governance in office.
Earlier, Mr Tamihere said "National and ACT's race-baiting has empowered and emboldened a dangerous type of human being who is hell-bent on silencing Maori".
Both parties have rejected the accusations of race-baiting.
National said the Maori Party had overblown the incident.
"It is incredibly disappointing and upsetting for this individual to be dragged into a political stunt like this," a spokesman said.
In a separate incident showing the campaign atmosphere, signage on rubbish and recycling bins was targeted in Tauranga on Wednesday, with vandals painting over the Maori words on more than 40 bins across the city.
