KEY POINTS:
The National Party is going ahead with a policy launch this weekend even though a government minister has released draft copies of it.
Environment Minister Trevor Mallard confirmed tonight that he had a copy of National's environment policy, although he would not say how it reached his office.
"It just shows an organisation that can't even run itself in opposition, much less as a contender for government," he said.
"This indicates a lack of trust within National's inner circle."
Mr Mallard said the Labour Party treated draft policy documents very seriously and circulation was tightly restricted.
"I would think that was the case with National, particularly when the environment is one of the key issues for the election, and one around which National has a lot of sensitivity."
A spokesman for National's leader, John Key, said a simple mistake might have been made.
"Who would leak to Trevor Mallard? It's more likely a copy was left lying around somewhere like the Beehive cafe," the spokesman said.
Mr Mallard rejected the Beehive cafe theory. "There's a Tui billboard for that - Yeah Right," he said.
He has studied the draft policy and said he thought it was "pretty weak, it's consistent with the Key climate change denial line".
Mr Mallard said National had dumped a previous strategy to create a billion dollar fund for conservation work.
"Really, the only issue of substance is the setting up of a new bureaucracy, an environmental protection agency," he said.
"That's more bureaucracy from a party that says it opposes bureaucrats."
National's environment and conservation policies will be launched on Saturday on Waiheke Island, Mr Key's spokesman said.
- NZPA
