Revitalised Brash feels like a winner

Don Brash

National leader Don Brash wants to attract more women to join the party before the next election.

After his first holiday in a year, Dr Brash yesterday said he felt refreshed and intended to lead National to win the next election in 2008.

Before the September general election, Dr Brash, 65, said he expected to step down or be removed as leader if National did not win.

However, he had changed his position after National's strong election result of 39.1 per cent.

"After the election it became very clear that a clear majority of the caucus and members of the party outside the caucus were very keen that I stay on," he said. "I have committed to staying on and winning."

The party will meet for a three-day caucus from February 7 to 9 in Taupo.

"We'll cover quite a wide range of policy issues there," Dr Brash said.

"I am leading the first session and that will be about where we are now and where do we need to go in order to form the next government. That will be a major session."

Dr Brash said he was interested in looking at why more women voted for Labour than National.

He did not think it was any reflection on him as the situation had not been better when Jenny Shipley was leader.

"It's not just a gender issue of the leader - it goes back quite a while and we have to ask ourselves, 'Why is that?'

"Why did we comfortably win the vote among men but equally clearly lose the vote among women?

"Is it about policy, about style, about culture - what is it that women find less attractive about National?"

There were "other groups" where progress could also be made and Dr Brash would talk about those at the caucus.

Asked about National's chances of improving its Maori vote, Dr Brash said it would not be easy.

"The Labour Party has a very strong grip on the Maori vote and has done for a long time."

But he said it was "nonsense" to say National's Treaty policy affected its Maori vote.

"If you look at the share of the party vote that Maori gave to the National Party, it's almost identical in 2005 to 2002. That's not the predominant factor. It might have accentuated the willingness of some Maori to vote Labour, not National, but it didn't make a big difference to the vote."

Dr Brash said the party needed to convince the public that while it advocated "a one law for all" policy, National was not anti-Maori.

He was upbeat about the party's chances to make progress this year because of its large caucus of 48, the "tiredness" of the Government and an economic slowdown.

"I think we have a very different political environment ahead than we did last time."

National also looked to be presenting the image of a government in waiting and Dr Brash said the party would develop its relationship with Act.

"I think it's important that the parties that are clearly in opposition to the Government work together constructively.

"Partly because it's important that we do this in opposition but it's also important so people can see that these parties might be able to work constructively in government."

- NZPA