The ACT Party is trying to mend its badly damaged fences despite damning evidence of intense ill-feeling between leader Rodney Hide and his ousted deputy Heather Roy.Mrs Roy was replaced as deputy leader by first-term MP John Boscawen on a 3-2 vote by ACT
The ACT Party is trying to mend its badly damaged fences despite damning evidence of intense ill-feeling between leader Rodney Hide and his ousted deputy Heather Roy.
Mrs Roy was replaced as deputy leader by first-term MP John Boscawen on a 3-2 vote by ACT's caucus members on Tuesday.
She immediately resigned her ministerial portfolios and went on leave -- but she was back in action last night saying she had congratulated Mr Boscawen and would stay in Parliament to work for the party.
Mrs Roy even put in a brief television appearance beside Mr Hide, and tried to play down 82 pages of notes she had prepared to defend herself at the caucus meeting.
Those notes, leaked to the media yesterday, showed Mrs Roy's anguish as her relationship with Mr Hide deteriorated.
"He routinely tries to bully and intimidate me...there was an instance recently where he was extremely angry at my staff, characterised by shouting abuse in offices and also as he stormed up and down the corridor," the notes said.
"This caucus has allowed itself to be hijacked by lies and innuendo...the leader set out some time ago to undermine my authority and my effectiveness as a minister."
The notes said Mr Hide's attitude at meetings with her had been "menacing" and she believed he was trying to get her out of Parliament.
"ACT sees team leadership as primitive combat with a need to destroy a colleague's reputation," the notes said.
Mrs Roy believed she was the victim of a vendetta.
"Since last November he has been determined to discredit me, irrespective of the effect on the party and our contribution to government."
Mrs Roy said she had never wanted to challenge Mr Hide's leadership, although it is widely believed that she has been trying to undermine his position by rallying support against him within the party.
She said last night she was concerned about the leak of the notes, which were "background" for her defence at the caucus meeting.
It emerged yesterday that the last straw for both of them was an incident involving a confidential defence document which Mrs Roy had in her capacity as associate defence minister.
Mr Hide wanted to see it, but she wouldn't let him take it out her office.
He took it anyway, and Mrs Roy went to Ministerial Services with a complaint.
Mr Hide found out about the complained through a call from Prime Minister John Key's office.
