New Zealand First is likely to try to reignite its political flame by standing a candidate in a byelection for Helen Clark's Mt Albert seat - but it will not necessarily be leader Winston Peters.
Party president George Groombridge said he believed NZ First should put up a
"very capable candidate" if a byelection was forced by Helen Clark leaving to head the United Nations Development Programme.
Mr Groombridge would not comment when asked if Mr Peters would be the candidate. He said it would be up to the party's electorate organisation to choose. He was "pretty certain" NZ First had a branch in Mt Albert.
Mr Groombridge said he also believed that Mr Peters should share the leadership of NZ First.
He said a co-leader would bring in "new blood", while still retaining Mr Peters who "really is the patriarch of the party, there's no question about that".
Mr Groombridge said he would argue for the co-leader scenario at the party conference in Auckland this Saturday to assess the party's future after it was turfed out of Parliament at last year's election.
He said the conference was about "restructuring" and "starting from scratch". Any recommendations from the conference, such as a co-leader, would be put back to the party at its annual general meeting later in the year.
Mr Groombridge said that depending on whether Helen Clark got the job and when she left, NZ First's candidate could be either a contender for the co-leadership or the newly appointed co-leader.
Mr Peters could not be reached for comment yesterday but Mr Groombridge said he was expected at the conference.
Ron Mark, who would be a leading contender for any NZ First leadership role, said he would be attending
the conference but had made no decision on whether he would continue in politics.
Helen Clark has held Mt Albert for Labour since 1981, winning with a 10,351 majority at last year's election.
New Labour list MP Phil Twyford, a long-time resident of the electorate, is her likely successor.
