Graham Reid's campaign: Not every politician has his price ...

In a bizarre incident on Saturday night, a National MP was briefly abducted and held for ransom then returned unharmed in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to Wellington police.

The former MP, who cannot be named - because he doesn't want to be - was abducted by three well-dressed men from his party headquarters in the capital just before 9pm while others were distracted by Raybon Kan's hilarious appearances on TV3.

The former MP was allegedly held in a Karori house while the men made their ransom demands.

However, the kidnapping was short-lived.

About 3am on Sunday morning the man was tied to a tree on the Parliament grounds and gagged with a suppression order.

Police were informed of his whereabouts by an anonymous caller.

During the abduction, the kidnappers made numerous attempts to contact Michelle Boag, which went unanswered until late in the evening.

When told of the kidnapping, Boag - oddly enough still "party president" - laughed strangely and allegedly said, "How would we know he was missing? He was never there in the first place.

"I suspect these people are actually doing us a favour."

The former MP said he was offended by such comments, but added that he was now looking for work as a school teacher "or maybe in a haberdashery shop".

Ransom demands made to Bill English were also treated lightly.

When those at English's headquarters learned that a National MP was missing, some started singing, "There were 10 MPs sitting on a wall ... "

It wasn't until the radiant Mary English said the man was "missing like in really missing, not missing like in missing in action" that the incident was taken seriously.

On being told of the abduction, Helen Clark said she would work with anybody to resolve this very worrying incident, "except New Zealand First because we are a party that stands for tolerance and acceptance of all criminals regardless of the crime. Or some statesmanlike saying.

"I have a sound reputation for co-operating with police and that is certainly what I intend to do again - if they speak to us politely," she said.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters rushed to assure the New York Stock Exchange and other foreign markets that he could "fix it".

"And probably duff up a few lowlifes and innocent foreigners along the way if that's what it takes to get crime under control in the next three years.

"This will be typical of what we can expect under this new wishy-washy leftist government, unless of course we are included in some shonky backroom deal."

United Future leader Peter Dunne, excited by the prospect of calling a "caucus meeting" to discuss a response to the incident, issued a brief statement saying the man's family were probably quite upset, and that was not nice at all really, was it? "Families must come first."

The Greens said late last night they hoped the tree hadn't been harmed by having someone tied to it.

A note found with the former MP said that when no one would pay the $120 ransom, the kidnappers decided to give him back.

"Up until [Helen] Clark eventually came out and announced her victory, he just wouldn't shut up. He would interrupt and shout over the top of us, or make some snide comment.

"You can have him back - he seems deadwood now anyway."

Bill English said yesterday that he was delighted the former MP had been returned unharmed, because "to rebuild this party we need all the deadwood we can get".

Full election coverage

Graphic: Seats in the 47th Parliament

Full election results

Election links:
The parties, policies, electoral information, and more