Formation

After gaining the leadership, Collins stated that she would formally announce portfolio assignations and the caucus rankings on 16 July. However, she indicated in her first press conference on 14 July that Paul Goldsmith would likely retain the Finance portfolio, suggested in a television interview that ousted deputy leader Nikki Kaye would likely keep the Education portfolio, and stated in her second press conference on 15 July that Shane Reti would replace Michael Woodhouse as Health spokesperson and join the front bench.^[3][4]

Ahead of Collins' announcement, Kaye and Amy Adams, who had ranked third and been a key part of the leadership "triangle",^[5][6][7] announced they would retire at the general election. Adams' retirement was apparently linked to the loss of her COVID-19 recovery portfolio.^[5] The full list of party spokespersons was announced on 16 July.^[8][9] Commentators noticed that the departures of senior MPs Kaye and Adams meant that the "minor" reshuffle Collins had foreshadowed was "more substantial" as a result.^[6][10]

National's former leaders were ranked highly: Simon Bridges at four, the same rank he had given Collins when he was leader, and Muller at eight. Woodhouse, the former Health spokesperson, was demoted and given the Pike River recovery and regional economic development portfolios.^[4] Mark Mitchell, who had contested the leadership against Collins, was also demoted, from ninth to 15th, and lost the Justice portfolio to Bridges.^[11] Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis, who are regarded as members of the "liberal wing" of the National Party and were key players in Muller's coup two months earlier, were both promoted and received new roles.^[6] Bishop became Shadow Leader of the House; Willis picked up the Education role. These promotions were regarded as replacing the more liberal but departing Kaye and Adams.^[6] Another significant promotion was that of first-term MP Harete Hipango who was moved up 21 places and made Shadow Attorney-General. Deputy leader Gerry Brownlee took a new portfolio for COVID-19 Border Response. Adams' drug reform role went to the conservative MP Nick Smith who, other than Collins and Brownlee, is the last remaining member of former Prime Minister John Key's 2008 Cabinet.

As in previous National Party portfolio allocations, only MPs contesting the next election are assigned portfolios. The press release issued with most of the changes appears to have been incomplete; the National Party website shows Paulo Garcia holding the Land Information portfolio (which previously belonged to the now-retiring Hamish Walker), Agnes Loheni in an Associate Health role, and Jian Yang in the list of retiring MPs.^[12]

List of spokespersons

Formation

The 2020 election saw National lose 23 seats compared to its 2017 result, including 14 sitting MPs who failed to be re-elected. The composition of the new National caucus was definitively confirmed by the release of the final election results on 6 November, while the Government announced its new ministerial line-up on 2 November. Before the announcement of the new Shadow Cabinet, the party held a contest on 10 November for its leadership and whip roles, as required by its internal rules.^[16] On 6 November, incumbent deputy leader Gerry Brownlee announced that he would not seek to retain his position.^[17] At the meeting Collins was confirmed as leader without opposition, and Shane Reti was elected deputy leader, also without opposition. Matt Doocey and Maureen Pugh were chosen as the Senior and Junior Whips, respectively.^[18] The new Shadow Cabinet was announced on 11 November.^[19]

Commentary on the portfolio allocations focused on the finance role, which was split between Andrew Bayly (in the new role of Shadow Treasurer) and Michael Woodhouse (as finance spokesperson). Collins' former finance spokesperson, Paul Goldsmith, had also held that position under Collins' two predecessors as National Party leader but attracted negative attention during the election campaign after a "four billion dollar hole" was identified in the party's fiscal and economic plan.^[20][21][22] Goldsmith was demoted to twelfth-rank and assigned the education portfolio. The New Zealand Herald reported that Collins asked former leader Simon Bridges to take the finance portfolio, but that Bridges did not agree to Collins' plan to divide the portfolio across two positions.^[23] In a press conference, Collins explained that Bayly would be responsible for revenue, budget preparation and review, monetary policy, KiwiSaver and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, while Woodhouse would have responsibility for the monitoring of government expenditure, fiscal settings debt and interest rates.^[24] The twin roles are similar to the Australian model of Treasurer and Minister for Finance, which was also used in New Zealand at the end of the Fourth National Government in 1996–1999. Attention was drawn to the fact that while the Shadow Cabinet has a Shadow Treasurer, there is no person in the Government with the role of Treasurer for them to shadow, although Collins suggested re-establishing that role if National were to win the next general election.^[25]

In addition, Collins assigned herself a new role as spokesperson for technology, manufacturing and artificial intelligence; she had previously committed, during the election campaign, to establishing a Minister for Technology.^[26] Chris Bishop picked up a new role as spokesperson for COVID-19 recovery, mirroring the new ministerial role held by Labour's Chris Hipkins. Brownlee, no longer deputy leader, was placed at 15 on the list, ahead of former leader Todd Muller at 19 as spokesperson for internal affairs and trade. National's five newest MPs were put in alphabetical order at the bottom of the list.

Subsequent changes

On 3 June 2021, Collins gave herself the additional role of spokesperson for space.^[27] On 10 June 2021, the list MP Nick Smith resigned from Parliament,^[28] and was replaced by the next candidate on National's party list, the former MP Harete Hipango.^[29] Hipango was subsequently ranked at 23 in the caucus, as Smith had been, and was allocated the two portfolios that he had vacated, Research and Science and Electoral Reform, as well as the re-created portfolio of Māori Tourism, which she had held for most of the previous Parliament.^[30][31] Collins signaled that a wider reshuffle was due in September 2021.^[32]

A portfolio reshuffle was announced on 28 August 2021, while New Zealand was in an Alert Level Four lockdown in response to an outbreak of the Delta variant of COVID-19. Collins stated that there were two main reasons for the reshuffle: Smith's resignation and Todd Muller's announcement that he would not stand at the 2023 New Zealand general election. Muller was ranked last and given no portfolios; his Trade and Export Growth portfolio was given to Nicola Grigg and his Internal Affairs portfolio went to Simon O'Connor. Harete Hipango was assigned the roles of spokesperson for Children/Oranga Tamariki, Whānau Ora, Māori Development and Māori Tourism. The Research and Science portfolio was reassigned to Christopher Luxon while Chris Penk gained responsibility for electoral reform.^[33][34]

Additionally, Chris Bishop was relieved of his role as Shadow Leader of the House. Collins' press release stated this was to enable Bishop to focus on his role as COVID-19 response spokesperson.^[35] However, The New Zealand Herald's journalist Thomas Coughlan claimed that this was a punishment for "not toeing the party line hard enough" in the aftermath of National's vote against the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill on 5 August.^[36] Bishop was replaced by Michael Woodhouse with Collins loyalist Simeon Brown as Deputy Shadow Leader of the House.^[37] To accommodate this change, David Bennett was assigned Woodhouse's transport portfolio; Bennett's agriculture portfolio was given to Barbara Kuriger. Louise Upston picked up a new role as spokesperson for regional economic development; her land information portfolio went to Luxon. An associate economic development position, previously held by Bishop ally Nicola Willis, was disestablished.^[37]

A number of other minor changes were made. Deputy leader Shane Reti became spokesperson for child poverty, having given up the children portfolio to Hipango.^[38] To accommodate Simeon Brown's assumption of the deputy shadow leader of the house role, he was replaced as spokesperson for youth by senior whip Matt Doocey.^[39][40] Ian McKelvie lost the disability issues portfolio to Penny Simmonds, who had previously been his associate spokesperson. Simmonds also picked up an associate transport position from Kuriger.^[41][42][43] Joseph Mooney replaced Kuriger in the rural communities portfolio and also became associate spokesperson for space.^[44][43] Simon O'Connor and Nicola Grigg became associate spokespeople for the ethnic communities portfolio,^[45][46] and Simon Watts became associate spokesperson for revenue.^[47] Changes to the National Party's select committee membership based on the new portfolio arrangements were announced on 31 August 2021.^[48]

On 9 September 2021, following the 2021 Auckland Countdown stabbing, Collins announced that Mark Mitchell would become National's spokesperson for counter-terrorism, and would also take up a role shadowing Andrew Little in his capacity as the minister in charge of the government's response to the Royal Commission into the Christchurch mosque shootings .^[49][50]

Former National Leader Simon Bridges was demoted from Collin's shadow cabinet unexpectedly on 24 November 2021, with Collins citing historical allegations of "serious misconduct".^[51] Collin's demotion of Bridges prompted members of the National Party's parliamentary caucus to pass a vote of no confidence in her leadership on 25 November. Deputy leader Shane Reti assumed the role of interim leader until a leadership vote was held on 30 November, when Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis were elected leader and deputy leader.^[52][53][54]

Policy

In late January 2021, 1 News reported that the National Party had plans to contest the Māori electorates in the future following lobbying by Māori Members of Parliament including Jo Hayes. 1 News also reported that Collins was planning to announce the change during a caucus meeting the following week.^[55] On 1 February 2021, Collins and Party President Peter Goodfellow confirmed that National would be contesting the Māori electorates at the 2023 New Zealand general election.^[56]

List of spokespersons