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National Party veterans Gerry Brownlee and Nick Smith promise to remain MPs on the list after losing their electoral seats for a long time.
National MPs led the press on Tuesday after a “sad” caucus meeting, where outgoing MPs were fired and the party’s annihilation in the 2020 elections was discussed.
Brownlee lost the Ilam seat in Christchurch to Labor’s Sarah Pallett on Saturday night, having held the post since it was created in 1996. Smith lost Nelson’s electorate to Labor’s Rachel Boyack. He first became a deputy in the Nelson-Tasman region in 1990.
Brownlee, the deputy party leader and campaign chairman, said he was responsible for how the campaign was “presented” and would participate in a review of the campaign.
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National Party Deputy Leader Gerry Brownlee looks on during a press conference in Parliament on Tuesday after the party was defeated in the 2020 elections.
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He would remain a roster deputy, and his position as a deputy has yet to be discussed, he told reporters.
“Christchurch needs to have some national presence, and we don’t have that as of Saturday night, so I think there is work to be done there.”
Smith said it was his “intention” to stay, saying Stuff expected a “change of pace” as a deputy from the list.
National leader Judith Collins said she retained the confidence of her deputies after the crushing defeat.
“When we said goodbye to our lovely deceased colleagues, it was a bit sad actually. But I also thought there were moments of humor from some of our outgoing colleagues that made us laugh at things and cheered us up a bit, ”Collins said.
“They are such high quality people … There was no self-pity, let’s put it that way.”
National may lose more MPs when the remaining special votes are counted in the coming weeks.
Braden Fastier / THINGS
Nelson’s MP Nick Smith appeared at Labor’s campaign event in Nelson on election night to congratulate Rachel Boyack on winning the seat.
“It’s out of our hands, we can’t worry about things that we can’t control,” Collins said.
She said that no deputy had indicated that they could withdraw, and “if they wanted to, that’s totally up to them.”
“I don’t expect anyone to do something like that. Some might, but look, those are discussions they need to have with their own families … and some of them will and some of them won’t. “
National will reassign its spokesperson duties after the special votes have been counted, and the Labor Party chooses which of its deputies hold ministerial posts.
