Senior MP and former minister Michael Woodhouse claims a "diversity" drive cost him a winnable spot on National's party list with his career in politics now all but over.
Woodhouse is currently running in the Dunedin electorate — one which National hasn't won in nearly 50 years, but which the list MP has contested many times before.
On Saturday, he announced his "departure from political life" after withdrawing from the party's updated list before its public release.
Woodhouse was previously ranked 16th on National's list.
Speaking to Breakfast, party leader Christopher Luxon appeared unwilling to discuss the veteran MP's specific list ranking or the reasons behind it.
"I'm not going to get into that, because that's a confidential process. There's 31 people on our list ranking committee within our party that make the decisions on the list rankings."
He said the overall list ranking process was "incredibly challenging and tough" but that a balance had been struck between different interests.
"We've got fantastic, seasoned, experienced MPs, and I want to augment that with new and fresh talent that also has different skills and different profiles that are really helpful to our team."
In an interview with the Otago Daily Times, Woodhouse reportedly said his list position meant he had "probably no better than a 45% chance of getting back into Parliament, much less being in the thinking of the leadership for a ministerial post.
"Really, the decision was made for me by that decision by the leadership."
He also told the newspaper that: "Firstly, there was a contest between diversity and experience, and in my case diversity won.
"Secondly, I think that there was a bit of naivety about using the list rankings as a process to send messages. Thirdly I think that there were other factors at play working against me that I won't elaborate on, but I wasn't part of the caucus club, that's for sure.
"I have a habit of saying things without fear or favour."
Luxon said today: "The list rankings, just so we're clear, is all about the team that we want to take into the election and then obviously, decisions around Cabinet are then made after the election."
He added: "We have been at our absolute best, we are what I call a national National Party. When we are talking to all communities across New Zealand."
Kiwis back 'incredibly destructive' wealth tax
The latest 1News Verian poll showed 63% of voters backed the idea of taxing the wealthy in order to pay for universal free dental care.
Both major political parties and ACT have rubbished the idea of a wealth tax, whilst the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are supportive.
Responding to the poll result today, Luxon said the idea — backed by a majority of New Zealanders — would be "incredibly destructive".
The Green Party says the results mean Labour needs to "step up". (Source: 1News)
"A wealth tax would be incredibly destructive in our economy," he said.
"We don't have a tax problem in New Zealand. We have a spending problem in New Zealand. This is a government that has created so much economic mismanagement."
Luxon added: "The people of New Zealand want to change. They know we're going in the wrong direction, but what they need is strong economic management, so that we can afford the public services that we will want and deserve."
The prime minister said it was “simply not the time for a big shake-up of our tax system”. (Source: 1News)
The National leader said the public would get to see the party's tax policy "very shortly" and that it would be "very well costed".
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