Christian Heritage board member rejects call to resign

The Christian Heritage board member accused of being an apologist for convicted paedophile Graham Capill after he said his crimes did not meet the biblical definition of rape is refusing to resign from the party.

Mark Munroe, a founding member of Christian Heritage, a candidate in the 1999 and 2002 elections and the current director of party policy, wrote an email defending Capill's actions because they were "not rape as understood from what I understand the Bible to mean".

Mr Munroe's email found its way on to political blogger David Farrar's Kiwiblog site, where it caused a storm.

Christian Heritage NZ leader Ewen McQueen responded by posting a message on the party's website saying Mr Munroe had been asked to resign and said the party did not agree "in any way" with Mr Munroe's comments.

"Whilst Mark's views were his personal opinion, they displayed a serious error of judgment and left me with little option but to ask him for his resignation," Mr McQueen said.

"Like most New Zealanders I am dumbfounded that anyone would want to continue debating the technicalities of the Capill case ... "

But Mr Munroe is refusing to resign. Yesterday he told the Herald he had not received in writing a request to resign from the party's board.

"I am answerable to the board and I don't believe there are any grounds for resignation."

Mr McQueen said he was surprised by Mr Munroe's refusal to resign and said the party's board would now have to meet to follow through the action.

When asked if the board would support him, Mr McQueen said: "Well I will find that out, won't I."

Both men refused to comment further about the matter.

The controversial remarks in the email and now the embarrassing public squabble between Mr McQueen and Mr Munroe is the latest Capill-related matter to dog the party since the former leader was imprisoned for nine years in July for rape, sexual violations and indecent assaults on girls aged between five and 11.

The downfall of Capill - who was a strident moral campaigner while at the same time was abusing young girls - has stuck in the public's mind.

The party has worked to rebuild its image under Mr McQueen, but at the election it registered just 0.12 per cent of the vote, down from 1.35 per cent in 2002.

From Munroe's email

"The offences were not rape as understood from what I understand the Bible to mean, which is why Graham had such a concern about how to plea (as mentioned in the email that was leaked to the media).

Rape of a married woman carried the death penalty. Multiple convictions of any offence could merit the death penalty. But neither of these cases apply to Graham.

As you know, I am a strong advocate for the death penalty, but only where the Bible prescribes it. The "eye for an eye...." is a wonderful point of justice - the penalty must balance the magnitude to the offence, not more and not less."