Brash apologises over pamphlet 

National leader Don Brash has offered an apology for any confusion he may have caused, surrounding a nationwide leaflet campaign attacking Labour and the Greens.

The National Party is in damage control mode after Brash admitted he knew in advance that members of the Exclusive Brethren were planning an anti-Labour government campaign.

Brash admitted on Thursday that members of the Exclusive Brethren church told him in advance about their leaflet drops. Earlier in the week he had said he didn't know who was behind the campaign.

Brash said at that stage he didn't know for sure that the Exclusive Brethren were involved and says it was only when the church members went public on Wednesday that he had no doubts that they were.

The National leader says he met with members of the Exclusive Brethren church in August and they told him they would be distributing pamphlets attacking the government. He says he told them National was looking for any help it could get.

Brash says he did not immediately connect the meeting with the pamphlet Greens co-leader Rod Donald waved at him on Monday, which attacked the Greens.

He says he apologises if he has caused any confusion

National Party strategist Murray McCully has also admitted his party could have handled the furore over the leaflet campaign better.

McCully says he was aware Brash had met with members of the sect, but did not know what they discussed.

He says Brash did not tell him or the party's deputy leader Gerry Brownlee that the Exclusive Brethren planned the leaflet drop.

Labour Party president Mike Williams questions that claim.

But, Brownlee maintains the matter was not raised at the National Party's strategy committee meeting.

He says the National Party has not handled the matter as well as it could have, but he says Brash is an honest man.

Spending questioned

Labour seized on Brash's admission to renew its attack on his credibility and says National is in danger of exceeding spending limits because of the brochures, which encourage people to support National.

Party leader Helen Clark says it is a scandal and raises questions about whether National's policies are for sale.

National is also wading into the election spending debate with an attack on Labour's spending.

The party is to lay a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer over a series of trade union publications which it says may push Labour's campaign past the legal spending limit.

Murray McCully says the unions have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into campaigns urging people to vote Labour and the Greens.

The unions are the Service and Food Workers Union, the Amalgamated Workers Union, the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union and the Council of Trade Unions.