KEY POINTS:
Independent MP Gordon Copeland does not believe the formation of a rival Christian values-based party will split potential supporters.
The new party, named the Family Party, will be led by former Destiny New Zealand leader Richard Lewis and former United Future MP and Copeland colleague Paul Adams.
The
new Christian party intends to contest two key South Auckland seats at the next election. Mr Lewis said the party's primary goal would be to wrest the Mangere and Manukau seats from Labour at the next election.
He did not mention Mr Copeland, who said yesterday that attempts to form a united Christian party were "well-intentioned, but ultimately unsuccessful".
Mr Lewis's split from the so-called united Christian vehicle had been widely expected since the new party's formation hit the rocks last month, with Mr Copeland claiming he had been ambushed by Destiny Church bishop Brian Tamaki.
Yesterday, Mr Copeland said there was too big a gap between the factions to reach a compromise.
"I have maintained a friendship with Paul [Adams]. So I am not at all surprised to see him working with Richard [Lewis]. That has been on the cards for some time," Mr Copeland said.
"They are very much on the same page politically ... I could see it was quite likely that they would come together and form a party."
Mr Copeland said he did not see it as splitting the Christian vote, as the Family Party would be similar to Destiny New Zealand and appeal to different people.
This year Bishop Tamaki announced the church was deregistering its political wing and that Mr Lewis would be one of the new Christian party's co-leaders.
Mr Copeland announced he would be the other co-leader, but said Bishop Tamaki had jumped the gun with his statements and he was not happy with Mr Lewis as a co-leader.
In a series of confused statements he then admitted he had agreed to Mr Lewis being a co-leader but had lost faith in him after the premature announcements.
Mr Copeland said he would fight the next election under the banner of Future New Zealand.
The new Family Party made no mention of Independent MP Taito Phillip Field, who was also involved in talks to form the new Christian party.
Mr Lewis said Jerry Filipaina, the brother of former league star Olsen Filipaina, would contest Mr Field's Mangere seat, while he contested Manukau.
He said the party believed a strong pro-family Christian constituency in South Auckland would deliver the new party the two seats.
