Resignations ‘relief’ to Miss Waring

Press, 12 November 1979, Page 6

Resignations ‘relief’ to Miss Waring

PA Hamilton The resignation of almost all of the National Party’s Otorohanga branch committee has come as a great relief to the member of Par- 1 liament for Watpa (Miss Marilyn Waring) and the electorate chairman (Mr A. Myers).' •_. Fourteen of the 16 branchcommittee members have resigned. saying that Waipa has become the Waring party, and that she has forced her opinions on the electorate; executive. The members have not resigned from the party itself. The branch chairman (Mr T? Polstra) officially announced his resignation from the committee on Monday at an executive meeting attended by Miss Waring. Miss Waring said on Saturday that the resignations were a great relief to her and everyone concerned. The Otorohanga branch is the largest in the constituency with 360 members.. Miss Waring said she believed she had the support of the rank-and-file branch membership.

Asked whether she would; seek electorate opinions as ait result of the resignations, !n she said she did so all the'v time. Mr Myers said he believed I e the Otorohanga committee t members had done the right V thing in resigning. “They have been opposed t to Miss Waring right from! a the start and it has been di- s fficult for us to work with! them for some time,” he c . said. I r The electorate was not di-ii vided in its support for Miss ; f Waring and she had not' been telling the executive p what she wanted. p “We work with Miss Wnr-ir ing very well, in my opin-it ion. There are odd times'l when we don’t always agree ! bur that is only natural.” 'j Mr Myers said a new;? Otorohanga branch com-! mittee w-ould be elected at a 1 meeting on November 20. Heli did not envisage any prob-it lem. The resignations and newlt • committee might even; 1 encourage National Party; ( membership in the electorate . which had fallen away. I

He expected that some of I the disgruntled Otorohanga; members w-ould continue tot work for the party, Mr Polstra has said the! electorate executive should; be stronger and control Miss! Waring. Mr J. Bolger, brother of; the Minister of Labour, isj among the 14 who have re-1 signed. He said the group were concerned party members, not rebels, and that the resignations were not a hotheaded decision. Branch opposition to Miss Waring came to a head in! April when she advocated! menstrual extraction for! women who wanted an abor-; tion. Mr Polstra said then that Miss Waring had; proved herself to be unsuit-■ able for the job. The branch was believed! to have called for Miss War-; ing’s resignation at that! time. When Miss Waring won! the candidacy from three; other contenders in March,! 1978, the then electorate; chairman, Mr V. Collison, and the secretary, Mr E. L. Riddell, resigned.