Two Christian parties won't split vote, says Copeland

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Independent MP Gordon Copeland does not believe the formation of 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 tonight the party's primary goal would be to wrest the Mangere and Manukau seats off Labour at the next election.

He did not mention Mr Copeland, who today said attempts to form a united Christian party were "well intentioned, but ultimately unsuccessful".

His 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 was ambushed by Destiny Church Bishop Brian Tamaki.

Today, 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 is splitting the Christian vote as the Family party would be similar to Destiny New Zealand and appeal to different people.

Earlier this year Mr 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 Mr 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 he had lost faith in him after the premature announcements.

Mr Copeland had earlier feigned ignorance to media outlets about the planned content of the Destiny press conference, but he revealed today he knew about it in precise detail – right down to the answers scripted for Mr Tamaki and Mr Lewis to likely reporters' questions.

"Careful planning went into that press conference including scripted answers to possible questions," he said in his regular newsletter.

"That was all agreed to."

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 Kiwi's league star Olsen Filipaina, would contest Mr Field's Mangere seat, while he contested Manukau.

Mr Field told NZPA last month he would probably have to delay his involvement in the new party while he fought a High Court decision that allowed police to lay corruption and bribery charges against him.

Mr Lewis said the party believed a strong pro-family Christian constituency in south Auckland would deliver the new party the two seats.

He said the party would spend the next year "saturating the electorate to convert Labour supporters".

- NZPA