NZ First sidesteps Rangitikei poll

New Zealand First is unlikely to contest Rangitikei after the Suzanne Bruce debacle last election, says deputy leader Peter Brown.

Ms Bruce, a Feilding farmer and the party's Rangitikei candidate in 1999, quit politics before the election when Inland Revenue filed GST fraud charges against her.

But her name stayed on the ballot paper, and she picked up 5.4 per cent of the Rangitikei electorate vote, finishing fourth in a field of eight.

And at seventh place on the New Zealand First list at the time, Ms Bruce was the party's highest-ranking woman candidate, well ahead of demoted women MPs.

Had she not pulled out, she would have only narrowly missed out on being eligible to be elected from the party list.

Ms Bruce and her partner were later ordered to pay more than $27,000 in fines and costs on 24 tax charges, which they did not contest.

Mr Brown said the Bruce affair had been "a huge embarrassment" to the party.

It was one of the reasons New Zealand First was unlikely to stand a full slate of candidates this election.

"Some candidates let us down badly last time, so we're going for quality not quantity this election."

Mr Brown said he could not rule out New Zealand First finding candidates for Rangitikei or next-door Palmerston North.

"If the right person approaches us, then we'll have a look.

"But in all likelihood we won't have a candidate in either seat."

New Zealand First Palmerston North electorate chairman Graham Odering agreed, saying the election had come too soon for him to stand.

The party polled poorly in Palmerston North last election, its candidate attracting less than 1.5 per cent of the electorate vote and 3.1 per cent of the party vote.

Mr Brown said New Zealand First had picked about 20 candidates so far, and he expected the figure to reach about 30 soon.

Nominations close on July 2.

- NZPA

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