Troubled Colin Craig in leader squabble

The Conservative Party has been tearing itself apart since Craig stood down as leader last week. Photo / Paul Taylor

Self-inflicted body blows continue to batter the Conservative Party, with a newly appointed board suspending the membership of founder, party benefactor and former leader Colin Craig.

And in a further hit to the divided party's credibility, Craig last night said the new board - and therefore his suspension - was invalid because neither natural justice nor the party's constitution had been followed at yesterday's meeting.

"I think any ordinary person will realise a process when you don't advise the person that you're considering something, you don't let them attend, you don't even give them a chance to respond to allegations, is no proper process," Craig told the Herald on Sunday.

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"What we've seen today is not the Conservative Party, we've just seen a few people.

"The party is thousands of supporters around the country [and] we elect our boards through democratic process."

The Conservative Party has been tearing itself apart since Craig stood down as leader last week, and then held a press conference - with wife Helen by his side - admitting some of his interactions with former press secretary Rachel MacGregor were "inappropriate".

The fallout from Craig's revelations has decimated the party's board with all but one member, John Stringer, resigning in the past week.

Stringer appointed himself chairman yesterday and created a new board with former electorate candidates Deborah Cunliffe, Mark Pearce and Thomas O'Rourke, and Waikato regional chairman Al Belcher.

"They meet again next month, when they may make a final decision on Craig's suspension and appoint a leader.

Craig said Stringer's actions were invalid because he had been suspended from the party by remaining board members on Thursday, which Stringer denied.

"It's a bit rich of him to accuse us of things he's done himself. I think he has got bigger issues to resolve than us."