Key keeps Act at arms length

Heather Roy. Photo / Supplied

Prime Minister John Key is trying to keep his distance from the ructions in the Act Party that led to Heather Roy being dumped as deputy leader and from her ministerial portfolios.

But he hinted that leader Rodney Hide had spoken to him about Mrs Roy's former senior adviser, Simon Ewing-Jarvie, who lost his job last week, too.

Asked if he was concerned about Mr Hide's view that Dr Ewing-Jarvie had undue influence over Mrs Roy, Mr Key said: "I don't think it is really appropriate for me to go into that."

He had met him on a couple of occasions with Mrs Roy but was not in a position to comment about whether he was "good, bad or indifferent".

Mr Hide claims that the best thing that has come of the Act wars is that he has strengthened his relationship with National by keeping them informed all the way through and saying he has received good advice from them.

Mrs Roy was ousted from the caucus a week ago today and replaced by John Boscawen after her relationship with Mr Hide broke down.

Mr Key said yesterday at his post Cabinet press conference that Defence Minister Wayne Mapp had never raised issues about Mrs Roy as Associate Defence Minister with him.

"I think he thought he had a good working relationship with her and thought she was quite a good minister," Mr Key said.

Mr Hide said he had been approached twice by Dr Mapp who had concerns about the contents of two defence papers.

Dr Mapp was concerned at the ideas in one paper.

That is the paper described by Mrs Roy in her leaked caucus dossier as one that had been recalled by Dr Mapp and all copies shredded.

The Herald understands that some of the views concerning Dr Mapp may have been its criticism of senior officers for not standing up to changes proposed under the last Labour government.

Mrs Roy says in the dossier that the paper "was only intended to be a document shared between the Minister of Defence and myself".

That is the paper the Herald understands that Mr Hide was looking for when he took a Defence paper from Mrs Roy's office, prompting her to complain to ministerial security.