Alliance split won't stop party's election plans - president elect

12.30pm

The Alliance Party has lost its two most high-profile leaders but says it still intends to contest next year's general election

Alliance leader Matt McCarten told NZPA today he would not seek to retain his position at the party's annual conference in Wellington at the end of the month.

Laila Harre and party secretary Gerard Hehir would also not put their names forward to the party's council, he said.

But party member and president elect Jill Ovens told NZPA today this month's conference would go ahead despite the split and party members fully intended to contest next year's election.

Ms Ovens said the three had decided not to seek to retain their positions after disagreements within the party over its role with the Maori Party.

She said party members had disagreed with public statements by Mr McCarten that the party would not field a list in the next election and would instead tell supporters to vote for the Greens or the Maori Party.

In recent months Mr McCarten has handled Maori Party MP Tariana Turia's by-election campaign, and has been asked to run the party's general election campaign next year.

Ms Ovens said party members believed his role was a conflict of interest.

However Mr McCarten had not accepted their concerns, leading to members entering a remit for the conference stating that anyone working for another party should not be able to hold a leadership role in the Alliance.

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She said Ms Harre also believed the party should play a support role for the Maori Party.

"She says she supports the Maori Party and she does not believe the Alliance is the vehicle for a left of Labour party."

She said Mr McCarten and Ms Harre believed that the Maori Party, with its groundswell of support over its opposition to the Government's seabed and foreshore plans, would be the centre of a new left-wing movement.

Mr McCarten earlier said he would remain a party member, but was unlikely to attend the party's annual conference.

He said there was no "aggro" in the decision not to try to hold on to the leader's position, but would not comment further until he had contacted party members.

He would not comment on whether the decision to step aside would spell the end of the party, which has struggled to even register in the public's consciousness after the party split in 2002 and MPs Jim Anderton and Matt Robson formed the Progressive Party.

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But Ms Ovens said party members were determined to reorganise and fight the next election.

They firmly believed there was a place in New Zealand politics for a left-of-centre workers' party.

Ms Ovens quit as president of the party in July.

She said today she had resigned after council members tried to silence her over public comments she made that the party would not merge with the Maori Party.

However, she said she was currently the party's president elect, as she was the only nominee for president.

She said the party's conference would go ahead on November 27 and 28.

She said Mr Hehir announced he was stepping down as secretary on November 12. The party's council had appointed Christchurch lawyer Andrew McKenzie as acting secretary.

- NZPA