National sets up grooming system

By COLIN JAMES

The National Party will on Wednesday launch a candidates college to spot, prepare and train aspiring MPs as it gears up for the 2005 election.

The idea was approved at the special April conference which extensively reshaped the party's constitution. A innovation for this country, the college has some similarities with schemes operated by the Conservatives in Britain and the Republicans in the US.

The college will be an informal group chaired by president Judy Kirk and consisting of MPs Simon Power and Pansy Wong, the Auckland and Canterbury regional chairmen Scott Simpson and Roger Bridge, ex-MP Roger McClay and general manager Steven Joyce.

It will develop a team of "talent scouts" to seek out potential candidates and will evaluate nominations of people to the college, and train and mentor those it accepts.

Becoming a member of the candidate college will not guarantee a candidacy for either an electorate or the list.

There will also still be five places on the list held back for people of high quality who cannot declare their hands far in advance of an election - like, for example, leader Don Brash, who left the Reserve Bank only three months before the 2002 election.

It is expected some aspiring politicians will join the college young, sometimes several elections before being selected as candidates.

The college will hold one or two training days a year for its members and mentors will be assigned to them to help prepare them for candidate selection.

They will be "advised to have an active involvement in the party", attending conferences and carrying out mundane party activities. They will also be encouraged to become known for their community involvement.

The first training day will be in February. Training will include party background and organisation, Parliament, campaigning, and media and policy matters.