Banks tells National: I'm in no hurry to get elected again

John Banks told a National conference in a letter last night he was not breaking his neck to return to Parliament - a further signal he is now unlikely to stand for Act.

The former National MP has spoken at the party's northern regional conference in Auckland in recent years, in his capacity as Auckland Mayor. But neither the new mayor nor Mr Banks was invited to speak this year.

Mr Banks' flirtation with Act has angered Auckland National Party members, some of whom earlier this year considered asking the party board to consider expelling him if he were, as Act claimed, also an Act member.

Under National rules membership of two parties is forbidden.

The National leadership downplayed the issue, unwilling to trigger a fight with the prominent long-time party stalwart and claiming it was unclear whether Mr Banks - who said he didn't know - was an Act member.

But while Act initially welcomed Mr Banks' attentions, his clear signal at its party conference this year that he would expect a high list placing was seen as overly ambitious and inappropriate, and relations subsequently cooled.

Mr Banks sent an apology for not attending this weekend's National conference and asked for some additional correspondence to be read out.

In it he said he was not breaking his neck to return to Parliament. He reminded members he had been a National Party member since 1972 and had made "substantial" donations to several National candidates.