Andrew Little elected Labour Party president

Arew Little was the only nomination for the position. Photo / NZ Listener

Andrew Little is the new Labour Party president.

Mr Little was the only nomination for the position, Labour general secretary Mike Smith confirmed to NZPA this morning.

Nominations closed on Friday and there were no applications in mail checked this morning.

Mr Little has been declared president, effective immediately.

He is national secretary of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, a role he will continue to hold alongside the presidency.

The EPMU has donated $120,000 to the Labour Party since 2005. According to the union, it donated $60,000 to the party. Returns on the elections.govt.nz website show the union donated $20,000 in 2006 and $40,000 in 2005.

Mr Little said there is no conflict of interest involved in his new role.

He said the union and the party have the same "aims and objectives".

He said he does not take part in any decision making when it comes to the EPMU donating to the party.

Mike Williams resigned as president late last year after several controversies.

In February he offered his resignation over the handling of donations to Labour from Owen Glenn.

He also ran into strife in the election campaign when he made a late and failed bid to associate Mr Key with a fraudulent tax dodge scam in the 1980s.

Mr Williams became party president in 2000 after a long involvement in the party, including as campaign manager.

The party's vice president is Moira Coatsworth.

- NZ HERALD STAFF & NZPA