KEY POINTS:
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said today his party would pay back unlawfully spent parliamentary funding.
He told delegates at the annual conference in Taupo that he refused to comment on the issue before because he wanted to tell them first.
New Zealand First deeply resented the finding of Auditor General Kevin Brady that money that came from Parliament had been illegally spent on the 2005 election campaign.
A party staffer later said all $158,000 of the money would be repaid and the reason for the delay was that it had been placed in a term deposit that did not mature until November.
Party faithful are hoping to hear answers to some difficult questions during the conference. Some will be wondering whether Mr Peters will stand again in Tauranga, while some will just be questioning their deal with Labour.
Tensions have always existed since NZ First backed Labour into government in exchange for policy wins - such as extra police - and Mr Peters taking the foreign affairs portfolio.
Long serving party president Doug Woolerton quit the post immediately and others have also questioned the deal supporting a socially liberal party.
Mr Peters said this sort of tension would always be a problem for centre parties who have to deal with parties of the right and the left, leaving some in NZ First disgruntled.
Mr Peters said he tried to get supporters to focus on what policy victory the party could gain irrespective of whether it was supporting Labour or National.
"At the end of the debate in politics, your three year term is the record that you have established, was it substantial? Did you promise to people and deliver? That's what I am basing my record on and that is what we will campaign on in 2008," Mr Peters said.
NZ First will open nominations for some electorate seats in December and it is expected that Mr Peters will decide before then whether to stand in Tauranga, so other MPs can decide where they will stand.
Under the party's rules those seeking to become NZ First MPs must stand in an electorate seat.
As a result there has been much debate about whether Mr Peters will try to take back his old electorate stronghold or stand elsewhere and focus on national campaigning to lift NZ First's party vote.
NZ First is currently well below the five per cent support threshold needed to regain a place in Parliament and will need another strong campaign performance from its leader.
Mr Peters said the issue was irrelevant to him at this stage.
"I don't know where this controversy comes from," Mr Peters told NZPA.
"I am not going to waste my time with slothful media who think this is an issue. Helen Clark has not declared, nor John Key. None of that matters to me or my party."
Mr Peters said the theme of the conference would be "Kiwi values", the risks they faced and how NZ First was the best party to defend them.
He would not define what Kiwi values were or say why they were at risk saying this would be revealed at the conference.
- NZPA
