Goff admits party procedures need improving

Phil Goff has admitted the Labour Party's handling of the Darren Hughes sexual allegations incident could have been better.

Mr Goff announced on Friday that Mr Hughes would resign from Parliament while police continued their investigation into a late-night incident involving an 18-year-old male student.

A day earlier, Mr Goff stripped the third-term MP of his responsibilities as education spokesman and party whip after the allegations were made public on Wednesday.

Mr Goff learned of the allegations two weeks ago, and has stood by his decision not to inform Labour president Andrew Little or act earlier.

However Mr Goff told Radio New Zealand he accepted that Mr Little was unhappy he had not been told earlier.

"I can understand that, yeah, there are ways in which we can improve our procedures and I'll make sure that happens," Mr Goff said.

"It is a matter for the caucus, but does it have implications for the party, of course it does."

Senior Labour MPs are due to meet in Dunedin tomorrow, but Mr Goff rejected suggestions that his leadership would be in question there, saying that was media speculation.

"The media has speculated on a number of occasions about my leadership, I've been twice elected in accordance with the constitution of the Labour Party, each time unanimously," he said.

"Things have been said that are patently untrue and been rejected and denied by the people that those accusations have been made against."

Mr Goff said he had not spoken to Mr Hughes over the weekend.

"It's been a very tough time on a human front, I think everybody will understand that.

"The remarkable thing I've found, MPs on all sides of the house have come up to me and expressed their regret, both about what's happened and about their concern that Darren faces trial through the media when that should be left to the police."

Prime Minister John Key said the incident highlighted the scrutiny MPs were under and that the public would make up its own mind about how Mr Goff had handled the incident.

"Ultimately (the public) has a look at a leader, works out how they react in certain circumstances, makes their own assessment of it and that is what the public will do here," Mr Key told TVNZ.

Mr Hughes said on Friday that he had done nothing wrong and was confident of the "right outcome" following the police investigation. However, his position had become untenable and he had to resign as an MP.

Former MP Judith Tizard is next on the party list.

Rotorua MP Steve Chadwick is acting whip while David Shearer has taken on the role of education spokesman.

The alleged incident that led to Mr Hughes' resignation happened at Labour deputy leader Annette King's Wellington home, where he boards, after he had been drinking at two bars with a group of students, including the complainant.

The student left the home and is reported to have either flagged down a police car or walked into its path.