Candidate relies on individual votes

Press, 16 July 1986, Page 3

Candidate relies on individual votes

A National Party presidential candidate, Mr Hamish Kynoch, believes he is fast making up ground on the early frontrunner, Mr Brian Shackel, of Christchurch.

Mr Shackel emerged as the early favourite when he first won the divisional nomination of Otago, then carried Auckland and Waikato during the same week-end. His two rivals, Mr Neville Young, of Christchiirch, and Mr Kynoch, of Wellington, each won their home divisions. The successor to the retiring president, Mrs Sue Wood, will be chosen at the party’s national conference which will begin in Auckland on August 1.

In Christchurch yesterday on a whistle-stop campaign tour, Mr Ky-

noch said it was the voting of individual delegates to the conference which counted, not the number of divisional nominations won.

In spite of winning only one division Mr Kynoch believed that in terms of delegate support there was little between himself and Mr Shackel.

Asked whether delegates might be reluctant to see the posts of party president and party leader both being held by North Island farmers, Mr Kynoch said the occupation of the president should not be an Important factor. Candidates would be judged on their individual skills and experience and it was wrong to think that the National Party thought in terms of fac-

tions, he said. Auckland was the most urban division yet and he had won almost 50 per cent of the votes in the selection contest there, Mr Kynoch said. The impending decision of the party’s secretarygeneral, Mr Barry Leay, to resign could assist him by placing even more of a premium than usual on experience within the party, he said.

Mr Kynoch also dismissed any suggestion that the presidency cost more than $20,000 in campaign costs, putting it above the reach of most'., members.

“I am serious about the presidency and I certainly have not got that sort of money to spend on it,” he said.