Peter Goodfellow retains national presidency: former MP joins board

Former National chairman Peter Goodfellow has remained in office, overcoming a potential challenge from former MP David Carter at National’s annual general party meeting.

Goodfellow was re-elected as chairman by the party board on Saturday night.
Hours earlier, party delegates had re-elected him to the board along with Rachel Bird.

Carter, who was a deputy for 21 years before retiring in 2020, was elected to the board for the first time and it was understood that he was pushing to become president as well.
Goodfellow started in the role in 2009 and is now National’s longest-serving president.

In a statement, he thanked the party for its “vote of confidence” in him and said the board was “strong and united.”

“I have made commitments that I will keep by covering the campaign review, fundraising, and delivering the change necessary to win the 2023 campaign.”

Goodfellow’s experience in fundraising and connections with potential donors was probably a critical factor, as was his Auckland base.

He had insisted on the need for the party to have some stability and continuity as it embarked on a review of the results of its elections. There has been criticism of the board’s handling of some candidate selections, including the controversy in Auckland Central.

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Minister, and now aspiring national president, David Carter has been elected by delegates to the party board.

Goodfellow has held the position for 11 years.

Before tonight’s election, both Carter and Goodfellow had been lobbying delegates for support for weeks.

In a member flier, Carter told National faithful that changes are needed at the board level or “we run the risk of history repeating itself.”

Goodfellow, who is the longest-serving president in National history, addressed his supporters directly this morning in a set address.

He pointed to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and said the election was about “a celebrity leadership race.”

He referred to the 1:00 pm press conferences, often led by Ardern, as “televangelist – like a gospel to the masses.”

“Democracy, for a time, gave way to a temporary tyranny.”

That was the reality in a “world of Jacindamania,” Goodfellow said.

He then addressed the media, calling some of the election coverage “contagious and baiting journalism.”

Speaking to party loyalists at the General Shareholders’ Meeting, National leader Judith Collins was overwhelmingly progressive, but took time to reflect on National’s defeat.

“While the country was focused on the Covid-19 challenge this year, I felt that the National Party was too focused on itself,” he said.

“We don’t spend enough time talking about the things New Zealanders care about. The consequence of that can be seen in the outcome of our elections and in our small group.”

Moving forward, he said the only way the party will recover is by coming together and sticking to its values ​​of individual freedom, personal responsibility, limited government, and equal citizenship and opportunity.

National must also present itself as an “inspirational alternative”, to come up with bold ideas and set the agenda.

But most of all, Collins said National “needs to listen.”

“We have three years to do this job and bring New Zealanders on board with our vision, be bold and give New Zealanders a reason to vote blue.”

“Three years will come and they will go very fast. There is a lot of work to do to come back stronger. But we have done it before and we will do it again. New Zealand needs us.”

Speaking to the media after his speech, he said National needed to focus on the people – “that’s what they’re voting for us.”

“Everything we talk about should be about people, less about ourselves, more about people.”