Parting of the ways for a dynamic duo

Winston Peters with his MPs in the last term (from left), Jim Peters, Ron Mark, Bill Gudgeon, Edwin Perry, Dail Jones, Doug Woolerton, Barbara Stewart, Brian Donnelly, Pita Paraone, Craig McNair, Peter Brown and Brent Catchpole. Picture / Mark Mitchell

The resignation of New Zealand First president Doug Woolerton marks the end of one of the most successful political partnerships of recent times.

Mr Woolerton, 61, has been president of New Zealand First for as long as Winston Peters has been leader, 12 years.

On Sunday they came to the end of their journey together. Mr Woolerton resigned as president after opposing Mr Peters' acceptance of a ministerial post being offered by Labour.

Hamilton-based Mr Woolerton had been a National Party member for 28 years when the young National MP Winston Peters started showing signs of rebellion against leader Jim Bolger and the economic reforms of Ruth Richardson.

He received a letter from a Waikato office-holder, Doug Woolerton, and the offer of support was taken up.

Success came early. It took less than four years for the pair to build an infrastructure and a following that swept the party into coalition Government in 1996 with the first MMP election.

Mr Woolerton was elected too but remained president of the party.

Mr Peters became Treasurer and nine of the 17 MPs were given jobs in the executive.

Mr Woolerton kept an eye on the raw backbenchers and the party at large.

The party was a difficult mix in those day: besides having a strong elderly and Maori component, Mr Peters had been a magnet for disaffected members from Labour, National and Democrats.

Mr Woolerton exercised complete control over conferences, partly because everyone knew he had the complete confidence and trust of Mr Peters, and partly through his own inimitable style that drew heavily on self-mockery, humour, and colourful language.

He was reported in the Herald on Sunday as describing to an opposing MP what it was like working with Winston Peters, an apt analogy in that Mr Peters has just been made Racing Minister: "He's like a race-horse really," Mr Woolerton reportedly told Green MP Ian Ewen-Street.

"For 10 minutes every day his eyes are bright, his ears are pricked and his nostrils flaring. He races around the track and just hates to be beaten.

"But after the roar of the crowd dies down, for the rest of the day he's just like the other horses - he's back in the stalls snoring and farting and rolling in the hay."

Mr Woolerton and Mr Peters were close but not close friends. Until the past year or so they have been close political companions.

Any socialising they did together would tend to be in one another's smoky office at the end of a long parliamentary day, wise-cracking at some opponent's expense over a scotch or a rum and coke in the president's case.

When the Green Party that once shared a floor with Mr Woolerton complained of smoke drift, Mr Woolerton installed an expensive ioniser in his office - he has since given up the habit.

The strains in the New Zealand First caucus emerged early in the second term of the Labour Government.

National and Act began working more closely together and they attempted to draw New Zealand First nearer to a co-operative relationship.

Police and defence spokesman Ron Mark has been the strongest advocate in caucus for closer relationships on the centre-right; Mr Woolerton, has been the one arguing for independence.

The replacement of Bill English in National with hard-liner Don Brash made it a lot easier for Mr Peters to eschew the path of co-operation with National.

But the perception of closeness arose again when it was revealed that some New Zealand First MPs had been informally talking with National MPs about the possibility of power sharing between Mr Peters and Dr Brash.

The party began to slide in the polls - Mr Peters blamed the reports about power sharing talk - and the issue of New Zealand First's attitude to Government was forced back on to its agenda during the election campaign.

Mr Woolerton advocated the party needed to take an independent line and stay out of Government and he won the day.

Mr Peters announced the party would stay out of Government and any formal coalition.

It would allow the party with the most seats to form a Government and abstain on confidence and supply unless a smaller party was threatening stability.

The position the party finds itself in today, with Mr Peters as Foreign Minister, and positively backing a Labour Government, is a long way from the pre-election position.

Mr Woolerton is refusing to discuss his reasons for quitting but is expected to stay in the party and in Parliament.