New Zealand’s pending election campaign spilled over into Samoa this week, where the Prime Minister used his Pacific islands tour to attack Labour’s immigration policy.

John Key says Labour would make it harder for Pacific islanders to join family members already living in New Zealand.

In Poutasi village, at the start of a Pacific islands tour, Key a chief, an honorary matai, beamed onto televisions in New Zealand with a target – Pacific islander voters.

Key first visited the village on the south-east coast of Upolu island in 2009 just before it suffered extensive damage in the October 2009 tsunami.

The Pacific vote in New Zealand is traditionally Labour’s, but socially liberal policies like same-sex marriage, driven by Labour, have created an apparent drift.

Key says any movement from Labour to National would be “quite powerful”.

But Labour’s David Shearer, also in Samoa with Key, says Labour will not be losing the vote.

Around 190,000 Samoans live in Samoa – nearly as many as live in New Zealand. There are 104,000 Tongans in Tonga. In New Zealand there are 60,000.

Labour says their support is no done-deal and they don’t take it for granted.

But the party wants to restrict the number of foreigners moving to New Zealand to ease pressure on house prices.

“I think it’s destructive to New Zealand to introduce that kind of policy,” Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi commented.

Key is apparently capitalising in Samoa on two fronts – playing the honorary Samoan chief, well received in the islands.

It is also a perfect platform to tear Labour’s policy apart, and he hasn’t missed a beat.

Key got a taste of Samoan pride at Independence Day celebrations in Apia on Monday.

It was the 52nd Independence Day – Samoa became independent from New Zealand in 1962.

New Zealand had governed it since 1914 when New Zealand troops took over what was then German Samoa as part of Allied action.

After the flag-raising and national anthems, Key, his delegation and Tuilaepa –as well as other dignitaries –watched a two-hour long ‘march-past’ of thousands of Samoan people representing their churches, schools and community groups.

Samoa’s Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi spoke to the gathering, recalling that people had questioned how Samoa would cope given its size.

“Why should we celebrate where we are today and how we got here? Because we have shown ourselves and our international supporters that we are a fully-functioning democracy with sound financial management systems and we take the rule of law seriously.”

He said Samoa continued to receive international support and recognition, showing Samoa was a leader in the Pacific.

However, he ended on a cautionary note about the progress and development.

He borrowed an anecdote from his friend, Maori Council co-chair Eddie Durie, about a Maori who was trying to learn English long ago and would practise by writing home to his family: “The hurrier I get, the behinder I become.”

Key ended his visit to Samoa with an announcement of a $1 million boost to develop the island nation’s tourism sector.

He and his 40-strong delegation departed for a two-day visit to Tonga, before going on to Niue on Thursday and then flying back to Auckland.