The man regarded as the "godfather" of the Act Party, multimillionaire businessman Alan Gibbs, flew in yesterday to urge the party to think more radically.

Act leader Jamie Whyte has acknowledged he made a mistake in answering questions about incest this week.

"What a difference a new leader and three weeks makes," Mr Prebble said of Jamie Whyte at the party conference in Mangere.

If you're looking for a textbook example of how not to launch a political career, it's hard to go past Act's Jamie Whyte, writes Paul Thomas.

New Act leader Jamie Whyte will today announce that Act wants the entire 826-page Resource Management Act to be dumped.

Prime Minister says Act Leader and potential parliamentary ally Jamie Whyte’s incest comments are "stupid’’ and a distraction from important issues.

New Act leader Jamie Whyte has back-tracked on comments that incestuous relationships between consenting adults should not be illegal.

Act's leader is standing by his comments that incestuous relationships between consenting adults should not be illegal, even though he is "very opposed" to it.

Who better than Prebble to spot a potential wedge between National and Act and create a groundswell in favour of raising the superannuation age, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

A bunch of colleagues from the Press Gallery yesterday were showered with a suite of insults by NZ First leader Winston Peters on his way into Parliament, writes Audrey Young.

In electing a philosopher as its new leader, perhaps Jamie Whyte's party can foster genuine debate and ideas, write Patricia and David Schnauer.

Surely the scandal of school donations should have been Ms Parata's focus this week, rather than a bloated taskforce set up to appease the ideological sensibilities of Act, writes Brian Rudman.

Editorial: Act's new leader could do worse than look across the House to the Greens, polar opposites in political philosophy but occupying a similar tactical position.

Young Epsom candidate says party bent on putting internal wrangling in past.

New Act leader Jamie Whyte says he has had no shortage of advice - it's often conflicting - about what sort of leader he should be.

Writer Jamie Whyte looks set to become the new Act leader tomorrow.

John Boscawen took a risk in holding the meeting, writes Audrey Young. It might have been a miserable turnout but it was a respectable 100. It could have been disrupted by enemies outside the party, or even inside but it wasn't.

Act leadership hopeful Jamie Whyte says he does not want to impose his own views about drug liberalisation on to the Act Party.

Act leadership contender John Boscawen tonight acknowledged disgraced former MP and colleague David Garrett for his three strikes legislation.

The Act board has lost control of the party leadership contest with the decision by contender John Boscawen to hold a public meeting in Epsom and to challenge other candidates to attend.

Act leadership contender and former MP John Boscawen says he will spend the next week trying to highlight the risks of picking someone without his political and parliamentary experience, and highlighting his own experience.

Business people are more accustomed to putting sentiment aside for important decisions, writes John Roughan.

Former National Party President Michelle Boag is the latest figure on the political right to rule herself out of seeking Act's nomination to represent Epsom in this year's election.

John Key's right-hand man made a secret visit to former Act leader Rodney Hide in a desperate search to shore up a coalition partner for the National Party at this year's election.

The tussle to replace John Banks as Act's Epsom candidate is heating up ahead of the party's decision early next month.

Act Party founder Sir Roger Douglas has sounded a warning against former MP Rodney Hide returning to the party leadership.