Gays and lesbians are "clearly not" a part of mainstream New Zealand, says National leader Don Brash. The stinging backslap to gay and lesbian voters came as part of an interview Brash gave to National Radio's Morning Report today. Brash said the government had been concentrating on issues like civil unions while ignoring "mainstream" New Zealanders. When asked by interviewer Sean Plunket whether this meant that he didn't consider gays and lesbians to be part of mainstream New Zealand, Brash replied: "Well they're clearly not, they're a small minority of people." He then repeated his now well-worn defence for flip-flopping on the Civil Union Bill: "...let me be clear. I made it very clear in the debate on that issue that I thought this should be dealt with by referendum because it's a big change in the civil institutions of society. I also said that in the referendum I would vote for it because I have no problem with same sex couples committing to live together faithfully as heterosexual couples do." National's election campaign is centred around what it is terming "mainstream New Zealand", as opposed to "middle New Zealand", which suggests a certain level of income. Brash's comments today are the strongest indication so far that gays and lesbians are not part of Brash's vision for the future. However, Brash has been unable so far to define exactly what "mainstream" New Zealand is, only what it isn't, prompting the government to accuse him of smear politics, and to offer their own definition. "Don Brash stands against couples without children, working mothers, public servants, cultural industries, members of unions, new New Zealanders, Maori, single parents and New Zealanders who are homosexual," Social Development Minister Steve Maharey said in a press statement today. "This excludes at least 1.7 million people so far from ‘mainstream' New Zealand."