National MP Alfred Ngaro says any faith-based party he forms would likely have to join forces with Destiny Church's Hannah Tamaki to have any chance of getting elected.
Ngaro, a list MP and conservative Christian, is considering leaving National to form a new party.
He has been invited to join Coalition NZ, a new party launched on Friday by Tamaki. He told the Herald that he was highly unlikely do take up that offer.
But speaking to Newshub Nation this morning, he said that faith or values-based parties had previously needed to band together to try to reach the 5 per cent party vote threshold.
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Advertise with NZME."If you think about the history of New Zealand, as far as faith-based or values-based organisations or parties that have been there, they've often formed coalitions if they're to make it there.
"You can think about in 1996 — you've got the Christian Democrats with Graeme Lee and then you also have Christian Heritage. So the way forward is to — actually, you would have to form a form of a coalition collectively together."
He added that a coalition with New Conservatives and the Coalition Party was "something that maybe we should consider".
The Christian Coalition, led by former National MP Lee and Christian Heritage leader Graham Capill, missed out on election after polling 4.33 per cent in 1996.
The Conservative Party reached 4 per cent in 2014 and was renamed New Conservatives after the departure of founder and leader Colin Craig.
Ngaro stressed that he had not made any decisions about forming a party, and had not got as far as drafting a constitution. But he said he would have to make up his mind soon because he did not want to disrupt the National Party's direction.
He said he was loyal to National and would not take any other MPs with him if he left.
But also added that MPs were "free to choose" if they left.
