National MPs are keen to put the leadership question behind them, and a former MP has told them to pull themselves together if the party has any hope of winning the election.
By Lauren Crimp and Giles Dexter of RNZ
Following an emergency in-person caucus meeting on Wednesday, Christopher Luxon remains National leader and prime minister, having secured the confidence of his caucus.
As MPs left the capital and returned to their electorates it seemed, for a few hours at least, that that was that, until a further statement from the prime minister's office on Wednesday afternoon announced Luxon had sacked Chris Penk from all of his ministerial portfolios, and from Cabinet.
Penk, who had held the defence, veterans, space, GCSB, NZSIS, and building and construction portfolios, then announced he would stand down from politics altogether, and not seek re-election in November.
The Prime Minister, flanked by the National Party President and other senior MPs, said he had the "full support" of his caucus. (Source: 1News)
His statement did not address the allegations he was behind a leadership challenge, but it did say he backed National and Luxon to win the election.
Luxon's office has confirmed to RNZ its position was that Penk was acting on his own behalf, a position backed up by rumoured challenger Chris Bishop, who said people did not launch leadership challenges on behalf of someone else.
However, former defence minister Wayne Mapp believed Penk had been made a sacrificial lamb.
"You have to have at least someone be the fall guy, and you can't punish everyone who might have a different view. He's at the second level of the cabinet and doesn't have huge name recognition, and so he was chosen."
Mapp said there were four leadership challenges while he was an MP, but in every case there was a clear alternative.
Other parties are scathing of the “damaging” and “circus” antics from the governing party. (Source: 1News)
He said it was notable that Luxon appeared at his brief press conference with his front-bench behind him, which showed the party was pulling together as a team and putting its best foot forward.
"I think they've got to do a bit of a reset in how they present themselves to the public. That press conference was very brief, no questions, not a lot of smiling faces there. So they're clearly going to have to do a bit of a reset. It's a little bit like a rugby team, the All Blacks who have lost a big game and they have to pull themselves together for the next game."
He, along with former National press secretary Janet Wilson, had earlier identified Stanford as the potential next leader.
After the dust had settled, Wilson said while there had been numbers gathering force on Tuesday night, by Wednesday morning MPs were prevaricating.
"The fact that she was raised in dispatches, so to speak, in a media sense, and didn't speak to journalists as she arrived at Wellington Airport, signalled to me that she was absolutely going to be a contender, but that didn't occur. The whole thing's just laughable. It's a farce," she said.
Wilson believed Luxon and National's campaign had been "gazumped" by their own actions, and did not believe the matter had been settled.
"They are now facing endless questions of loyalty within the caucus, who backed who and why. His assertion that he had the numbers and the full support, and also his assertion that 'our caucus is united,' will be seriously questioned in coming weeks."
National MPs keen to move on
Leaving Parliament on Wednesday afternoon, National MPs were keen to put the leadership matter behind them.
Maungakiekie MP Greg Fleming, who on Tuesday evening was unable to say whether Luxon had his backing, now said he did.
Fleming said it had been "fantastic to re-assert the confidence" the caucus had in the prime minister, and did not think it would hurt National's chances at the election.
"I think it will actually strengthen, because it takes this subject out of play and gets the focus on all that I'm hearing on the doorstep, which is that people want us to carry on doing the job that we're doing of fixing the basics and building the future."
He was looking forward to returning to his electorate, and carrying on with the door-knocking he had originally had planned.
Commerce and consumer affairs minister Cameron Brewer said it had been a "great day" for the National caucus.
"We are re-emerged, re-launched, and re-energised, and we're going to win the election."
List MP Nancy Lu said the caucus did not want to be "distracted", while East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick said the caucus was "not disunited" and there would be no further leadership votes.
"We will not be back here in a couple of months. We are going to win the election."
ACT leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour said it was a National Party political matter, but the government as a "common enterprise" was functioning well.
"It's been an awful lot of energy expended to end up exactly where they started. We need to be pointing the finger not at each other, but what we have achieved for New Zealand. And I actually think the government has a good story to tell."
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said it was "irrelevant" whether or not Luxon stayed on as leader.
"The National Party is clearly in total disarray. They are in no fit state to provide the sort of leadership that the country needs. Our government right now needs to be focused on the things that matter the most: tackling the cost of living, getting New Zealanders back to work, providing support to the businesses that are really struggling. That's not where National's focused."
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