National Party leader Don Brash today admitted he knew the Exclusive Brethren were going to distribute anti-Labour leaflets.
National deputy leader Gerry Brownlee said yesterday that the party was unaware of the plan.
“We were not aware that they were coming out, have had nothing to do with it,” Mr Brownlee said.
On radio station bFM today Dr Brash said he met members of the church within the last month when they told him they were fed-up with the Government.
“They indicated they were going to campaign against the Government…they were going to issue some pamphlets.”
Dr Brash said he was not involved with the contents of the pamphlets.
“…I did not read those pamphlets and I had absolutely no part in reading them, writing them, funding them or distributing them,” he said.
“I knew they were going to issue some pamphlets attacking the Government and I said that’s tremendous I’m delighted about that because the Government’s lousy and should be changed.
Dr Brash said church members had also put up National billboards and reportedly had delivered National pamphlets along with their own in Christchurch.
“I was not aware they were distributing for the National Party and their own pamphlets together but people from all kinds of backgrounds help the National Party all over the country. There are Catholics and Presbyterians and agnostics and atheists and all kinds of people helping us.”
Negative pamphlets about the Greens had also been distributed, he said.
“Labour and the Greens have been trying to portray this as a National Party plot and it is a lie.”
Labour and the Greens have attacked National over the pamphlets and continued to do so after the church members came forward yesterday admitting their involvement.
Originally it was unclear who was behind them.