'No confidence' - David Carter explains exit from National Party

It comes as David Carter exits the board as Goodfellow re-elected.

Former long-serving National MP David Carter has quit the party’s board in disgust at the re-election of President Peter Goodfellow.

The National board voted Goodfellow back in this morning, despite loud criticism of his involvement in the selection of some controversial MPs and candidates.

Carter has been on the board for nine months and told 1 NEWS he “hasn’t enjoyed the culture of the board”.  It’s believed he’d stood against Goodfellow.

“I have no confidence in the leadership of Peter Goodfellow,” he said.

“It’d be hypocritical for me to stay on when I have no confidence,” he said in a brutally honest interview with 1 NEWS.

The “inner sanctum” of the board works in a way he disagrees with and he never felt like he received the acceptance he felt he deserved.

The former MP for Rangitikei wasn’t surprised they voted for Goodfellow, but said while he had the support of the board, he didn’t believe he had the confidence of the wider party membership.

There were boos and astonished gasps when Goodfellow told the hundreds of party members gathered for the AGM in South Auckland that Carter had decided to resign.

Goodfellow was widely seen as an excellent fundraiser for the party.

But Carter disagrees, telling 1 NEWS while he remains the President, National will struggle to get the donations that it needs.

“Until there’s some change, we won’t have the dollars to win (the next election). National need support from corporate New Zealand and he hasn’t been successful at getting that.”

Judith Collins says she has confidence in Goodfellow.

“I’m very supportive of Peter as president, I’ve worked him now for many years and I’m very confident in our board,” she told reporters.

“David Carter has made his own decision, that’s not my decision, that’s his.”

The party pushed the “unity” message hard at this weekend’s conference and Collins brushed off questions about whether Carter was damaging that message.

“If people make comments like that, it says more about what they are feeling, it’s certainly not about us, we’re very confident in the work we’ve got to do.”

While the former Speaker was brutal in his criticism of Goodfellow and his leadership of the party outside Parliament, he had no comment to make on Judith Collins' leadership of the parliamentary side.

“I’m no longer a member of caucus and I don’t comment on that.”

Goodfellow thanked Carter for his service and says he’s aware of the remarks but he didn’t want to comment on them.

On donations, he said: “There’s always a cycle amongst donors, they don’t all give every year. We have small donors, we’ve raised more money online than we ever have before.”

He pointed out the 700 or so members voted for the board, who in turn voted for the President.

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