Senior National Minister Judith Collins has announced her retirement from politics.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Wednesday confirmed Collins had been appointed President of the New Zealand Law Commission.
The Prime Minister's Office confirmed Collins would remain an MP and continue to hold her portfolios until she moves to her new job in the middle of the year.
A spokesperson also confirmed her resignation would not automatically trigger a by-election for the Papakura electorate as it would be close enough to the general election.
Judith Collins at Burnham Military Camp for an announcement on a $82m regional supply building. Photo: Anna Sargent
First elected in 2002, Collins is the current longest continuously serving female MP, one of the most experienced politicians in the government, and has a reputation for toughness.
Speaking to reporters after the announcement, Collins reflected the eight elections she had been through.
"I am the mother of the House, I can say that's quite aging," she joked.
"... I've done my dash. It's time for someone else to step in and take over some of these roles and have an opportunity."
Collins said it has been a privilege to serve her local electorate Papakura and New Zealand.
"The highs have been high, the lows have been very low, and through it all I have been able to do what I do because of the unwavering support of my husband David and my son James."
Judith Collins in her Beehive office after her media conference, where she announced her retirement from politics. Photo: RNZ/Craig McCulloch
There were rumours of her departure over the summer break.
She preceded Christopher Luxon as National leader, taking the party to a resounding defeat in the 2020 election, which led to Labour taking enough seats to govern alone for the first time in MMP history.
The campaign was marked by the Covid-19 response and increasing accusations of policy on the hoof. Collins followed up the next year with claims of racist separatism around the He Puapua report.
Judith Collins announcing National Party policies during the 2020 election campaign, alongside Simon Bridges (left). Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers
During an election debate with Labour's Jacinda Ardern, she was asked by Aorere College head girl Aigagalefili Fepulea'i Tapua'i about students having to quit school and find employment to support their families, and began with "My husband is Samoan so, talofa".
After claiming no prisoners had escaped while she was Corrections Minister - soon corrected to 20 escapees - she explained the quote away as a joke, saying people could tell she was joking when her eyebrows went up and urging reporters questioning her to "bone up on your comedy skills".
She was replaced in November the following year after suddenly demoting rival Simon Bridges in a late-night statement, accusing him of serious misconduct.
The handling of that led the party to a vote of no confidence in her, and her replacement, but under Luxon's leadership, she has reformed her image as one of the government's most effective ministers, now holding seven portfolios.
Media surround Judith Collins before she enters the debating chamber during the Oravida controversy in 2014. Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
As Defence Minister this term, she has led a huge increase in spending and bolstered the Defence Force's equipment and property - and has fronted the handling of the Manawanui sinking.
She has also been minister for the spy agencies, the public service and digitising government, and in her former role as Science, Innovation and Technology Minister, led large-scale reforms to the sector.
Early in her political career, she earned the nickname "crusher" Collins for a policy that would see boy-racers' cars crushed if they were caught speeding.
"The problem with nicknames like that is it lets people stop thinking about you like a human being," she said on Wednesday.
Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel
Collins is no stranger to controversy. In 2014, in John Key's government, she was on her "final warning" after endorsing Oravida milk, which her husband is a director of.
She received her second final warning when her involvement in the Dirty Politics saga was revealed, and resigned her portfolios later in 2014 after accusations she undermined the head of the Serious Fraud Office as Police Minister, but returned to Cabinet in 2015.
"Yes, what a load of rubbish that was," she told reporters on Wednesday. "Well, it was, and I was exonerated in the Chisholm inquiry".
She said she had acted ethically at that time, but wasn't in a position to say much at that time: "You know the rule, you never ever, ever disagree with the prime minister".
"That was actually a really hard time," Collins said.
"But my friends stuck with me and my electorate stuck with me."
"You don't get to be resilient if you don't have some scars on your back."
Photo: VNP/Louis Collins
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