Politicians mark time for Lange mourning

The death of former Labour Prime Minister David Lange has thrown the election campaign, including the timing of National's tax policy release, into a state of limbo.

But it is not expected to have a lasting impact on the campaign, with almost five weeks to go to polling day.

National is likely to be relieved that Mr Lange's passing was not in the closing days of the campaign.

The party is waiting to learn of any public memorial service for Mr Lange, who died on Saturday night after a long illness, before deciding whether to release its policy before opening its campaign on Sunday.

There are other major events scheduled this week, including the opening of the Treasury books on Thursday, three party campaign launches at the weekend (United Future's on Saturday afternoon and National's and Labour's on Sunday afternoon) and the first head-to-head televised debate between Prime Minister Helen Clark and National leader Don Brash on Monday night on TVOne.

Helen Clark was involved in talks last night about an appropriate public tribute to Mr Lange while respecting the family's wishes for a modest funeral in a local church with a minister who was close to him.

She said the family had declined her offer of an official funeral, adding, "And one must always respect the family's wishes".

Commentator Colin James said last night Mr Lange's death would be "a diversion which will help Labour to some extent but by the time of the election it will be forgotten".

United Future leader Peter Dunne did not believe there would be a lasting sympathy vote "and I say that with no disrespect at all".

"People will take a few days to take stock and then they will get on with it after that."

Campaign debates over New Zealand's anti-nuclear status, which was cemented under Mr Lange's leadership, may have an added piquancy but Mr Dunne did not believe Labour would try to "play to his memory".

"That would be very apparent and disrespectful."

Dr Brash hopes there will be a public service, as he would like to attend.

"He was a prominent and well-loved Prime Minister and I would go to it because I worked with him on a number of different levels through a number of years."

His first contact was in 1979 when Mr Lange approached him to join the Labour Party policy council and be available for selection as a candidate.

Dr Brash told the Herald last night he had not yet decided whether to continue campaigning this week.

National will not say when it had planned to release its tax policy but it is thought to be considering Saturday or even making it the feature of the campaign launch on Sunday in an attempt to blitz Labour's launch.

"We would need to see what is planned for the funeral and or the memorial service," Dr Brash said. "Without knowing when those might be it is pretty hard to say whether it might disrupt them or not."

Dr Brash dismissed a suggestion that Labour and Helen Clark might benefit in the tax debate that would follow the policy release because of Mr Lange's association with advancing social services ahead of tax cuts.

"She will have to face the fact that Mr Lange was the Prime Minister in a Government that cut the top rate from 66c to 33c and cut the company tax rate from 48c to 33c.

"It won't be terribly easy for her to run the argument that Mr Lange would have agreed with her particular Government's philosophy on tax."

Meanwhile, the Green Party observed a minute's silence at the opening of its election campaign in Takapuna to mark Mr Lange's death.

Co-leader Rod Donald told the crowd of 150 Mr Lange was one of New Zealand's greatest prime ministers.

"For me he was a flawed hero. He has certainly left our country with an enormous legacy, both good and bad.

"His breath would have been uranium-free until the last. Like [former Labour PM] Norman Kirk, he made me proud to be a Kiwi."

- additional reporting: Kevin Taylor