‘No bribes’ in leader bids

All National Party candidates say they have steered clear of promising positions to MPs

Ndeputy political editor ational Party leadership contenders all claim they are resisting appealing to the MPs’ baser instincts, refusing to offer roles or senior positions as part of their leadership bids.

The vote by National’s 56 MPs will be held next Tuesday to choose between Mark Mitchell, Steven Joyce, Amy Adams, Judith Collins and Simon Bridges as the new National leader.

It is understood some MPs have made it clear which roles they are interested in but all candidates said they have steered clear of promising positions to MPs to secure support.

Collins has said she had spoken to some people about the role of deputy, but had not offered any roles out.

Bridges also said he was not making any promises because a new leader needed flexibility to make such decisions. “My focus is on becoming leader of the National Party and it is only after that those conversations would take place.”

Adams is the only one to have secured public endorsements from four MPs, but she said she was campaigning on her own merits rather than offering roles as inducements.

“I’ve just decided that’s the approach I think is the one that would give me, if I am the future leader, the space and flexibility to make the calls that give us the best chance of winning.”

She did not know what her rivals were doing, saying most MPs were being discreet about their conversations with others.

“Each candidate makes their own calls about how they want to run their own campaign.”

Joyce said he did not believe it was appropriate to offer future roles.

“I just don’t think it’s the right way to go about things. People choose which way they approach things.”

When Mitchell first announced his bid, he said he would like Joyce to stay on as finance spokesman but had not discussed that with Joyce.

He said yesterday that he was not offering anything up to his colleagues.

The new leader will have to consider where to position their nearest challengers once the vote on leader is done, and all will be keeping the finance portfolio open to cater for that.

If not leader, it is likely Bridges, Adams and Joyce would want finance, while Jonathan Coleman is also understood to be interested in the role.

Things could change as the contest nears. Whip Jami-Lee Ross said it was completely up to the candidates to decide how they worked with their colleagues.

The prospects of a negotiated deal to narrow the field now appear thin. All candidates have said they intend to see it through to the bitter end.

There is just one more day of Parliament sitting before the MPs meet next Tuesday to vote and the contestants were making the most of having their colleagues around to lobby for support.

The five involved are not allowed to ask questions in Parliament while the contest is under way — perhaps because they mocked Labour’s candidates for taking turns asking questions during a leadership contest.

There was some teasing from those in Parliament, including New Zealand First leader Winston Peters who set out the odds for each contestant. He put Bridges and Joyce at 500 — 1 while Adams was at 30-1 and Collins and Mitchell the frontrunners on 10 — 1.