Peters denies claim of gutter politics

Bob Clarkson and Vivienne d'Or

The political brawling over Winston Peters' pivotal Tauranga electorate intensified yesterday when a disgruntled former worker of National candidate Bob Clarkson raised fresh allegations about his sexual behaviour.

Former contractor Vivienne d'Or flew into Auckland Airport from a holiday in Australia to speak at a press conference organised by New Zealand First at which she labelled the millionaire developer a "bully" and a "weasel".

Mr Peters, who is fighting to save his Tauranga seat and the future of his NZ First party, ignited the controversy on Monday when he distributed copies of a Bay of Plenty Times 2002 article in which Mr Clarkson said Ms d'Or had threatened legal action for his use of the phrase "I'd bet my left testicle".

Yesterday Mr Peters took the moral high ground, saying he felt he had a duty to raise the allegations when, at the weekend, an unnamed journalist drew his attention to the story.

He said he had not read the story at the time but felt a duty to defend Ms d'Or: "I've been accused of playing gutter politics but nothing could be further from the truth. I'm going to do my duty by my electorate, whether others will or not."

Mr Peters, with characteristic theatricality, replayed a cell phone message from the woman on Sunday, in which she confirmed she was happy for him to publicise her story.

Mr Peters said he had nothing to do with the timing or organisation of her decision to return to Auckland yesterday from Australia.

NZ First MP Dail Jones was at Auckland Airport to meet Ms d'Or.

After being briefed by Mr Jones, the 53-year-old sales and marketing consultant said she had sexual harassment-type problems with Mr Clarkson from the outset when her company sold advertising and corporate boxes at his BayPark Stadium in Tauranga in 2001. Ms d'Or said she asked Mr Clarkson about 50 to 100 times to stop talking about his left testicle and alleged he had spoken to her about his sex life.

"At my age it is my opinion that men who talk about their private parts, they are either very small or they are a very insecure person and he can choose which one of those he is ... I personally don't think he is fit to be an MP."

Ms d'Or said Mr Clarkson made her life very miserable after she rebuffed him and he pulled her up for using the F word against a client. She admitted she may have called the person a "f ... wit".

Ms d'Or said she did not take a case of sexual harassment against Mr Clarkson but had a long-running dispute to get paid $65,000 for the work she did for him.

Both she and Mr Clarkson suggested that the 2002 report appeared in the Bay of Plenty Times after he approached the paper.

But the paper's editor at the time, Bruce Morris, rejected suggestions that there was any agreement with Mr Clarkson, formal or informal.

Mr Morris said last night he was confused by Mr Clarkson's apparent certainty that he had approached the Times, because his own recollection was that the story had come to the paper through normal sources.

Mr Clarkson yesterday holed up in National's Tauranga electorate office, refusing interview requests.

Last night, his campaign manager, Wayne Walford, said the candidate had been told by National Party headquarters not to say anything.

However, Mr Clarkson issued a statement rejecting the sexual harassment allegations.

"In response to allegations made by Mr Peters and another person," it said, "Bob Clarkson denied all the allegations, stating they are untrue.

"Mr Clarkson will make no further comment on these matters pending further legal action he has decided to take."