The NSW Liberal leader has outlined a plan to refresh the party brand, boost respect and win back government at the 2027 state election.

On Saturday party officials met for the first time since the March election at the Fullerton Hotel in Sydney where leader Mark Speakman made a series of commitments.

Addressing hundreds of party delegates, Mr Speakman vowed to renew the party’s organisational wing and build “deep connections” with the community.

Mr Speakman said the party was identifying a pool of potential candidates “well ahead of 2027” and more women, young people and representatives from diverse backgrounds were essential.

“This is not a twelve year project, this is not an eight year project, this is a four year project,” he said.

“We will renew, rebuild and win government in four years, nothing less.”

He said key to the party’s renewal was “respect”.

“Respect for each other and respect for the volunteer members of our party.

“The party [Robert] Menzies created 80 years ago was a partnership between the parliamentary party and the organisational wing and we have to strengthen that relationship.”

The March state election saw the Liberals lose a string of key seats in Western Sydney, allowing Labor to return to government after 12 years in opposition.

Many Liberals pinned the loss on the party’s failure to pre-select appropriate candidates in a timely manner.

“No way was the result in March what we worked so hard for,” Mr Speakman said on Saturday.

Speakman’s stance on the Voice undecided

Federal Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley — the party’s most senior figure in New South Wales — also addressed the council and reiterated the party’s opposition to the Voice to Parliament.

She claimed it would do nothing to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage.

“This is bad policy, it’s a bad proposal, it will not deliver better outcomes for Indigenous Australians but it will deliver worse outcomes for all Australians,” she said.

“We do not believe that the path forward is thorough a group of appointed national leaders…with an unlimited untested ability to interact…across the full spectrum of executive government.”

While former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet expressed his support for the proposed Voice during his time as leader, Mr Speakman is yet to outline has position on the referendum vote.

Despite his federal party’s firm opposition to the Voice, Mr Speakman said his members will have freedom to campaign either way and “no MP in New South Wales should feel under any pressure to make their decision one way or the other”.

Mr Speakman said he has been “reading extensively” on the Voice and would announce his position “within the next few weeks”.

“I’ve been meeting with interested parties for and against, consulting some local groups in and around my electorate, and I’ll have something to say in a few more weeks,” Mr Speakman said.

“I understand that the referendum will be around October, I will make a decision and reveal that decision publicly within the next few weeks, so to the extent that anyone would take notice of what my personal view is, they’ll be aware of that well ahead of the referendum.”

Delegates have voted to elect a new state president after Maria Kovacic replaced the late Jim Molan in the Senate. A result won’t be known for a few days.

The party is also in the process of recruiting a state director with Chris Stone soon to leave after seven years in the role.

Former moderate Liberal MP Jason Falinski, who lost his seat of Mackellar to a teal independent in last year’s federal election, is one of the two nominees for president.