7 Mar 2018

Steven Joyce reflects on life in politics

8:17 am on 7 March 2018

Senior National MP Steven Joyce has been described as 'Mr Fix-it' but also accused by Winston Peters as being a "Black ops" minister - Steven Joyce is standing down from parliament after almost a decade.

Mr Joyce said the new leader, Simon Bridges, offered him a front bench position with a choice of portfolios, but said Mr Bridges needs a new team around him to help National win in 2020. However, the position of finance spokesperson would not be for him.

Mr Joyce told Morning Report the results of the leadership contest, which he made a bid for, answered a question for him.

He said he was proud of his last budget in government and that Labour had hung onto a lot of the work he had done, especially within working for families.

Mr Joyce said it was a shame National didn't get a chance to change tax thresholds and that the bracket creep will make it impossible for people to get ahead.

He said he has no regrets about the claim of an $11 billion hole in Labour's fiscal plan, a claim widely debunked by economists.

Mr Joyce said he's unsure what lies ahead in commercial life but said he's interested in the tech sector and the export sector.

He did not want to speculate about who else might resign from the party.

"People make their own decisions when they're ready," he said.

He was confident Simon Bridges will win the next election.

"Labour are going to muck it up. They weren't ready," he said.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs