KEY POINTS:
As the latest victim of cocktail party secret taping, National MP Nick Smith feared the worst - that he was "entrapped" into talking loosely about National's policy on nuclear power.
Dr Smith's recording played last night - a conversation about how National was in a "neutralise phase" with
its election strategy - was not as controversial as the others that have been leaked.
Dr Smith had earlier told Parliament that he believed he was recorded by a man claiming to be a Young Nat who asked him lots of questions about National's nuclear power policy.
He told the Herald the man claimed to be a fan of nuclear power and asked two or three times why it wasn't National policy. Dr Smith did not say how he replied, but described it as "an exercise in entrapment" that left him asking, "Did I express myself as clearly as I would on a public platform when discussing National's policy on nuclear power?"
National last night also released photos of rubbish at leader John Key's Helensville electorate office it says was interfered with on Tuesday night - food was left behind but the bag it was in and papers were taken away.
It has blamed the secret recordings on Labour and Mr Key accused the party of a "dirty tricks campaign". He said security camera footage from the cocktail party would be reviewed and legal advice was being sought about whether the recordings were illegal. Under the Crimes Act it can be illegal to tape a conversation if the circumstances indicate the speaker wants it to be private.
Mr Key blamed Labour activists for infiltrating the cocktail party, saying some were ejected later in the conference weekend.
"I don't think you have to be Sherlock Holmes ... We've got someone out there with strong motivations who has provided low-quality tapes."
Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen said Mr Key should apologise to Prime Minister Helen Clark for the "dirty tricks" remark.
Helen Clark has said she has no knowledge of where the tapes came from, adding: "I think his [Mr Key's] paranoia is getting the better of him."
Dr Smith's recording follows those of Lockwood Smith and deputy leader Bill English that fuelled National's problem in being associated with "secret agendas".
Mr English said he would like "eventually" to sell Kiwibank, and Lockwood Smith suggested he would like to do things in government "that may not be policy right now".
TV3 said last night its source was not a member of Labour, or any party.
Clinton Smith, a blogger on the left-wing website thestandard.org.nz, was seen later at the conference but said he left of his own choice rather than being "ejected". He said he had applied to cover the conference but his application had been declined. He did not know who had made the recordings.
WHAT'S ON TAPE
Nick Smith was recorded saying: "We are quite deliberately in neutralise phase at the moment. We don't want to fight the election on KiwiSaver. You got to decide what you want to fight the election on. We want to fight the election on tax. We want to fight the election on education standards. We want to fight the election on law and order."
