National leader Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to several departing National MPs, describing the departure of longtime colleagues and friends as one of the hardest parts of the election.
In a post shared to Instagram, Luxon reflected on the contributions of Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith and Gerry Brownlee, alongside other National MPs who are not expected to return to Parliament.
"Politics can be tough. One of the hardest parts of this election came this week, when we said goodbye to some giants of the National Party," he wrote.
"There are my colleagues, but more than that, they're my friends."
Luxon singled out Willis, his deputy and Finance Minister, praising her for taking on "the toughest job in government at one of the toughest times".
"She’s super smart and hardworking, and she never stopped caring about the people behind the numbers. I couldn’t have asked for a better deputy or a more loyal friend," he said.
He described Bishop as an "absolute powerhouse", crediting him with running National's successful 2023 election campaign and driving the Government's infrastructure and planning reforms.
"Nobody works harder, nobody knows the detail better, and nobody loves Parliament quite like Bish."
Willis, Bishop, Goldsmith and Brownlee are among National's senior MPs facing the exit, leaving Luxon mourning the loss of political heavyweights while welcoming a new generation into the caucus. (Source: 1News)
Luxon called Goldsmith the "ultimate team player", while Brownlee was praised for his three decades of public service, including his time as Speaker of the House.
"We also farewelled Melissa Lee, Vanessa Weenink and Nancy Lu. Each of them should be incredibly proud of their service to their communities and to our country," Luxon wrote.
"I'm so grateful I had the chance to work with every one of them."
Victims of National's electorate success
The tributes followed a bittersweet election result for National, which won 42 electorate seats but secured no list MPs under the preliminary results.
Despite winning 29.21% of the party vote, National secured more electorate seats than its proportional share would ordinarily allow, creating a six-seat overhang.
It was the last caucus for Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and Paul Goldsmith. (Source: 1News)
That left no room for list-only MPs such as Willis and Brownlee, while Bishop and Goldsmith were unsuccessful in their electorate contests based on the preliminary count.
The result marked a significant loss of experienced MPs for National, despite the party's existing coalition with ACT and New Zealand First retaining a narrow majority on election night.
National held 42 seats under the preliminary results, with ACT on 13 and New Zealand First on 12, giving the three parties 67 seats in a 131-seat Parliament.
The make-up of Parliament could still change, with about 399,000 special votes yet to be included in the final count.
Official results were expected on November 27, meaning the departures within the National Party were not confirmed, but highly likely.
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