Woman elected to top National Party body

Press, 10 September 1979, Page 24

Woman elected to top National Party body

PA Wellington A woman has been elected to the National Party’s six-member policy committee for the first time. She is the party’s woman vice-president, Mrs Sue Wood, of'Auckland. The committee comprises the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) the party president (Mr G. A. Chapman) two Parliamentary representatives, and two members elected from the party organisation. She was elected at the party’s Dominion Council

meeting in Wellington. Mr Chapman said the council discussed recommendations of a special* sub-committee set up to review candidate selection and organisational procedures in the party after the 1978 General Election. “Several changes to the pre-selection and selection processes were selected. The pre-selection process allows for a nine-man preselection panel to be convened if there are more than five candidates, with five representatives from the electorate and four

from the party organisation, to select the five most appropriate people to go forward for selection. “The selection system allows for one voting delegate for every 20 members in each branch of the electorate at the final selection meeting, and a progressive ballot,” Mr Chapman said. “It was resolved that the present selection system is the fairest and best method available, and that it will be retained without alteration.”