Hide relaxed about Act member's challenge

Act member Peter Tashkoff. Photo / Supplied

Act leader Rodney Hide is relaxed about a challenge for his Act candidacy in the Epsom seat coming from within his own party.

Act Party member and former board member Peter Tashkoff has said he will challenge Mr Hide for the right to stand for Act in Epsom at general election next year.

Mr Tashkoff said Mr Hide had performed poorly as Act's leader and had dumped deputy leader Heather Roy because he was "jealous" of her popularity.

"He has brought a crisis for the Act Party about for his own personal reasons. There is no political reason for this to occur," he said.

Mr Hide said he was not worried about the challenge.

"Mr Tashkoff, it turns out, wanted Heather Roy to be the leader and I think he's disappointed with the outcome of the recent events," Mr Hide said.

Asked if Mrs Roy wanted to be leader, Mr Hide said: No.

He said he has worked hard for Epsom and did not take his role as Epsom MP for granted.

Mr Hide said he doubts Mr Tashkoff was even aware of the process he now had to go through.

"He has to fill out a candidate register, he has to submit that to the board. He has to get endorsed by the board as a suitable candidate and then he has to go through a selection process to be the Act candidate for Epsom.

"So, I guess from Act's perspective, they'll be thinking: Is this the guy we want representing us? I think the answer to that is pretty clear," Mr Hide said.

Mr Tashkoff is seventh on the party's list and has been scathing of Mr Hide's leadership of the Act Party.

"These issues are long-standing with Rodney Hide, with his character and his unwillingness to be held accountable to anyone but himself," he said.

Mr Tashkoff also attacked Mr Hide for his travel expenses and said Mr Hide misled the party board when he claimed that his taxpayer-funded travel was only one trip worth $5000.

Mr Hide eventually repaid $21,952 for expenses for two trips.

Mr Tashkoff said he had received messages of support about his move to stand in Epsom.

Asked if he had done any polling, Mr Tashkoff said his first intention was to put his hat in the ring.

Mr Tashkoff made a move against Mr Hide's leadership last November when he presented three choices to the Act Party board.

"Path one was: Do nothing; part two was: Fix Rodney up, in short hand; and part three was: Change Rodney out," Mr Tashkoff said.

He said the Act Board had buried its head in the sand.

"They think that if you don't talk about it, it will go away, which I don't understand," Mr Tashkoff said.

Mr Tashkoff stood for Act in the Maori seat of Te Tai Tokerau during the 2008 election. He won 551 votes. Hone Harawira, who won the seat for the Maori Party, got 9332 votes.