Parker an ambitious risk-taker who inspired trust

David Parker alone in Parliament yesterday after resigning from his ministerial portfolios. Picture / Paul Estcourt

It seems there are few MPs in Parliament who are as widely liked as David Parker or who would disagree he seems an honourable man.

Of course these are sentiments expressed in the wake of a resignation, a time when MPs are often unusually generous.

There's an aspect of the "there but for the grace of God" mentality involved - which in Mr Parker's case will be occupying the minds of more than a few MPs.

The speed in which the cauterising is executed also plays a critical role in any eulogising; National kept its knives sheathed yesterday with deputy leader Gerry Brownlee saying Mr Parker had "acted honourably when he got caught".

United Future leader Peter Dunne said: "He's made the clean break and he's given a pretty cogent explanation to the House. He should be given credit for acting so quickly."

Mr Parker was his deputy on the Constitutional Affairs select committee last year and was thorough, meticulous even. For this reason Mr Dunne is surprised by Mr Parker's mistakes.

"But I never had the sense ... that he's someone who would deliberately set out to distort, trick or deceive anybody," he said.

National finance spokesman John Key sat on the Finance and Expenditure committee with Mr Parker last term and was not surprised he went to Cabinet. While not a great orator, Mr Parker was "smart", stood up for what he believed in and was a lateral thinker.

He'd never had any reason to question the MP's integrity, although he was a little surprised to hear him "acknowledge that he'd deliberately taken the course of action that he did".

One close friend believes Mr Parker's actions can be attributed to juggling too many balls in the air at one time.

An ambitious risk-taker always seeking a new challenge, he gave up a comfortable job as a senior law partner in a big South Island law firm to develop business ventures, some of which went horribly wrong.

His failed business dealings with Russell Hislop - the man whose belief he was wronged by Mr Parker led to yesterday's revelations - brought him close to breaking point.

Former Labour colleague John Tamihere - who flew to Wellington yesterday to support him - said: "It nearly dragged his relationship [with poet and wife Sue Wootton] down and him down."

Mr Parker told the House he could have taken the easier path and declared himself bankrupt - but he didn't.

Fellow Dunedin MP and senior minister Pete Hodgson, who Mr Parker consulted over the 28 hours before fully resigning, said the MP's efforts to pull himself and the business back up encouraged fellow businessmen to enter new ventures with him. Mr Tamihere said he remembered Mr Parker delivering the "most wise and prudent advice anyone could hope for" when he was in the dogbox. Mr Parker had long harboured parliamentary aspirations, his friend Mr Tamihere said. "This will hurt."