Brash believes his leadership safe

Don Brash

National leader Don Brash says there is no appetite in the party for a leadership coup and he plans to lead it into the next election.

However he couldn't guarantee he would remain leader: "Two-and-a-half years is a long time away," he told National Radio.

"No one can predict that far ahead but as far as I can tell I will be leading National into the next election."

Leadership speculation has been renewed after a bad run for Dr Brash last week when he bungled a press conference held to deal with NZ First leader Winston Peters' allegations that there was US involvement in the National campaign.

The claims did not stack up but Dr Brash struggled to answer questions and needed to borrow a copy of the email from a journalist.

That, coupled with an unfortunate photo opportunity the next day where Dr Brash unsteadily walked a plank to get on to a boat at a Wellington wharf, prompted renewed leadership speculation.

In the Sunday Star-Times yesterday National activist and media commentator Matthew Hooton wrote that Dr Brash was an historic figure and had saved the party from oblivion but it was time for him to go.

"The longer Brash stays, the more damage he will do to his outstanding legacy. A managed handover to [finance spokesman] John Key would serve everyone's best interests -- except for Helen Clark's."

A former National press secretary, Mr Hooton was one of the organisers of Dr Brash's coup to take over National.

He has previously staunchly defended Dr Brash.

Dr Brash said he was not in a position to judge whether he was an historic figure or not, "but I certainly did not agree with Matthew Hooton's conclusion," he said.

"I sense no mood in the caucus at all for change."

Mr Hooton said last week's 70th anniversary dinner for the National party was an opportunity for Dr Brash to "bask in the glory he has earned".

He said there was never any prospect of a leadership change before the dinner but that milestone had passed.

The problem was not Dr Brash's age but his inability to get New Zealanders to love him.

"By the end of last year's election campaign he had communicated to Maori, solo mums, homosexuals, immigrants and people planning to vote Labour that he did not see them as 'mainstream New Zealanders' -- yet the latter group defines who National needs to win power."

Mr Hooton said at times Dr Brash's performance was "woeful" and "such bungling can no more be repeated than can National's effort in 2002."

He said numbers were being tallied behind the leader's back.

But Dr Brash said he had unfinished business and did not intend to step down.

"I came into politics not quite four years ago to achieve something important -- namely to narrow the gap in living standards between New Zealand and Australia. I haven't achieved that and this Government quite frankly is taking us in absolutely the wrong direction and I want to change that."

Dr Brash reiterated the press conference was mishandled and he should never have walked the wobbly plank but said such coverage was a diversion from the Government's bad week.

"Frankly last week was a disaster for the Government."

He said the triple whammy of Australian tax cuts, a report showing New Zealand's competitiveness was down, and the Telecom leak were the real issues.

Dr Brash said he had never had a preferred prime minister poll rating of below 15 per cent while Labour leader Helen Clark went as low as 4.5 per cent early in the role.

He said his party was polling well.

A TV3 poll on Saturday night had Labour on 42 per cent support and National on 41 per cent.

Miss Clark was preferred prime minister, on 34 per cent support, while Dr Brash scored 18 per cent.

- NZPA