KEY POINTS:
The Labour Party will approach wealthy supporter Owen Glenn for another donation, despite the embarrassing events of the past week that have included Prime Minister Helen Clark avoiding being photographed with him.
Party president Mike Williams - who on Wednesday offered to resign over the ongoing Glenn affair - yesterday said relations with Mr Glenn were "good" and he had no qualms about asking for another donation.
"Look, I ask about 1000 people directly for money every year," Mr Williams told the Weekend Herald.
"Yes, of course I will [ask Glenn]," he said. "He's a generous man and he supports Labour."
Mr Williams was yesterday fundraising in Auckland when he paused to be interviewed. He had been "quite upset" by the storm that developed around his comment that Labour had not received any donations from Mr Glenn since the 2005 election - when in fact the freight magnate had given the party a $100,000 interest-free loan.
Mr Williams said he should not have said what he did, and acknowledged he had "screwed up".
When a media commentator effectively called him a liar on television on Wednesday, Mr Williams phoned Helen Clark and offered to resign because he had contributed to the party going "off message".
"I rang Helen, and Helen said 'don't be silly, you made a simple mistake'."
Asked whether the Prime Minister was the right person to tender his resignation to, Mr Williams said that technically he should have offered it to the party's general secretary - something he won't now be doing. "No, I'm going to redouble my efforts," he said.
"I have had better weeks, but I've been hardened by the support I've got from ordinary party members."
As for his relationship with Mr Glenn, Mr Williams said he hadn't talked to him "for a while" but did talk to "his mate" Sir Howard Morrison.
"Owen's done nothing wrong," Mr Williams said.
"It's me who screwed up."
John Armstrong, A22
