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Auckland millionaire and former Herald publisher Michael Horton has applied to register as a "third party" so he can campaign against new electoral laws that he says leave free speech in an election year to be decided by a "Soviet Union-style commissar".
Mr Horton, 70, has applied to the Electoral Commission to be listed as a third party, which will allow him to spend up to $120,000 on his plans to campaign for the repeal of controversial new electoral laws.
Mr Horton was managing director of Wilson & Horton when the family-controlled company owned the Herald prior to 1996. His son, Matthew Horton, who owns Horton Media, will be his financial agent.
Mr Horton said he had previously donated to the National Party and was associated with the party at grass-roots level in Epsom.
However, he was prompted into more direct political activism for 2008 by the new Electoral Finance Act, which he said was the "nationalisation of free speech".
"The act requires someone at some stage to have to censor speech and expressed opinion, because they decide whether something is political or it isn't," he said.
"We are going to have a bit of a Soviet Union-style political commissar, an institution sitting there judging whether something is political or not. Do we really want to be having an official Government censor who for one year decides what is acceptable and what is not?"
The law, which was passed last month, allows third parties to spend up to $120,000 on "election advertising" in an election year, and to register if spending more than $12,000.
Mr Horton said he had not yet developed a plan for his $120,000 campaign, but it was unlikely to be an attack on any political party, although he said Labour had "taken collective leave of its senses over this issue".
"I live in harmony with both parties. What I'm against is the act. I think the act must be repealed, so whoever promises that, I suppose, will be worthy of my support."
Mr Horton is the third person to apply to be a third party and is expecting criticism of his stance from those who support the law.
"I've been threatening the family I'm going to have an armband made. Instead of the Star of David, which the poor Jews had to wear, I'm going to have a little armband which says, 'Registered third party'."
While some of the law's opponents, such as Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt, have threatened to ignore or deliberately break the new law, Mr Horton did not intend to follow suit.
"I expect to spend up to the limit, but I certainly will operate within the law, not outside it.
"I don't believe in that. I'm not interested in going to jail at the age of 70," Mr Horton said.
The National Party has already vowed to repeal the law, which it strongly opposed, with the Maori Party, Act and, at the final reading, United Future.
Yesterday the National Party moved to distance itself from all third parties, in a bid to avoid a possible repeat of the Exclusive Brethren controversy that dogged it in the 2005 election.
Deputy leader Bill English yesterday issued a statement saying the party would not endorse or authorise any anti-Government third party campaigns.
He also released an email the party received which advised of plans for a "Give NZ a fair go" campaign attacking the Labour Government.
Mr English said National had made it clear to the sender that National would not endorse the campaign, or any other attack campaigns.
He said it was up to individuals and groups to decide whether to take any action and while the party had opposed the Electoral Finance Act as anti-democratic, its advice to third parties was to seek advice and operate within the law.
In 2005, National came under attack after the party initially denied knowledge of the $1 million campaign, before its then leader, Don Brash, admitted meeting leaders of the Exclusive Brethren.
The links with the reclusive Christian group outlined in Nicky Hager's book, The Hollow Men, were regarded as contributing to Dr Brash's departure from politics soon after.
* MICHAEL HORTON ...
* Was managing director of Wilson & Horton, the family-controlled firm that owned the NZ Herald until a takeover in 1996. It also owned several provincial newspapers.
* Head of the Horton family, which the NBR Rich List estimates to be worth $190 million.
* Chairman of his son's commercial printing and publishing company, Horton Media.
* Married to Rosemary Horton, philanthropist and vice chair of the Starship Foundation.
* Son Matthew Horton is sole shareholder of Horton Media, which also does business in Australia, and part-owner of the Truth newspaper.
* Was one of the initial complainants to the Securities Commission about the sale of TranzRail shares, which he estimated lost him about $200,000. David Richwhite and Sir Michael Fay have since paid $20 million to settle the insider trading case but without admitting guilt.
