Prebble returns to Act as campaign director

Richard Prebble. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

Former ACT leader Richard Prebble has announced he's coming out of political retirement to work as the party's campaign director for the 2014 election.

Acting party president Barbara Astill said the appointment meant ACT would go into the election with the country's best election strategist.

"Richard Prebble is a campaigning legend. He was the architect of ACT's greatest campaigning victories, including taking ACT from a virtual zero in the polls in 1996 to winning Wellington Central and taking seven MPs into parliament.''

ACT increased its vote in every election with Mr Prebble at the helm, Mrs Astill said.

He also won the biggest general seat majority in parliament twice as a Labour MP, she said.

Mr Prebble said he decided to take up the position ``because Parliament needs at least one party willing to ask the question, where is the money coming from for all these political promises''.

ACT needed fresh leadership and new ideas, he said.

"I urged Dr Jamie Whyte to stand for the leadership. Jamie will take ACT back to the original principles of the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers which made ACT the effective third force in politics.

Mr Prebble said he had been reading Dr Whyte's articles in the Wall Street Journal for many years and his "extraordinary knowledge of the world economy'' would make him a valuable member of parliament.