NZ First's president denies Laws' return

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LATEST: NZ First's party president knows nothing of any plans for Michael Laws to stand for the party, and says he would know if such plans were afoot.

Mr Laws, Wanganui Mayor and a radio host, would today not rule out speculation he was set to return to Parliament but was cagey, simply saying he never commented on rumours.

Party leader Winston Peters has not commented either.

NZ First president George Groombridge said he was confident he would be kept in the loop.

"I am in charge of the governance of the party... things are going along very, very smoothly and I would have heard if anything like that had happened because I am in constant touch with our leader.

"That's a definite no."

Earlier today it was revealed peculation is rife the pair were to team up again as part of a "relaunch" of the party this year.

MPs from both sides of the House and sources close to NZ First said they were aware of plans.

One source said Mr Peters had indicated he wanted to relaunch the party this year.

The annual conference will be in Christchurch in late October.

Speculation about Mr Laws has focused on the Whanganui seat, held by National's Chester Borrows with a majority of 6333.

But he has also been linked with Dunedin North, held by Labour's Pete Hodgson, who is retiring.

If NZ First won an electorate seat, it would then qualify for list seats even if it fell short of the 5 per cent threshold.

Mr Laws said he had nothing to say about the issue. "I am not interested in talking to you at all."

He is a former National and NZ First MP who quit Parliament in 1996 over a Napier City Council poll he had organised. The poll was signed off by a fictitious Antoinette Beck, who was later revealed to be Mr Laws' parliamentary secretary, Louise Sampson.

Since announcing he will not stand again for mayor, Mr Laws has said he intends to stand for both Wanganui District Council and Whanganui District Health Board.

Asked if he had approached Mr Laws to stand for NZ First, Mr Peters said candidate selection was a party matter. He was not being evasive, he said, but it was not for him to release names. "I have most certainly not approached anyone per se."

Asked if he had approached anyone yet, he said: "I have not approached anyone in the way you have couched that question."

However, he expected "a good number" of former NZ First MPs would stand again for the party next year.

The party "was never not launched, mate. We have just celebrated our 17th birthday.

"All you need to know is that the platform for this party has been seriously laid out with some real hard graft work around the country over the last few months and it shows."

A meeting in Panmure this week drew 200 people.

Polling showed it was already averaging 5 per cent, Mr Peters said – a target it had previously hoped to reach by October.

Blogger David Farrar's rolling poll of published surveys this month put NZ First's support at 2.3 per cent. But yesterday's Roy Morgan poll put the party on 4.5 per cent, its highest level in the survey since the 2008 election,

Mr Peters said a wider strategy would emerge next month. "We are certain there is going to be an election by July 2011, so we are not waiting around for a November election."

He would not say what seat he would contest. "All of those things will be revealed as time goes by."