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- Commentary by PJ Taylor
If there’s such a thing, Judith Collins deserves a life membership of the National Party.
She’d most likely say she’s a supporter for life anyway, having served as a high-achieving Member of Parliament for 24 years for the Papakura and (former) Clevedon electorates and high-ranking senior Minister in two Governments, as well as being Leader of the Opposition.
She’s held many important roles, officialdom portfolios where the language is very legal, an area she has been suited for because of her extensive lawyer career.
There’s regular talk about how many MPs there are, how much they get paid, and there are genuine questions about performances, but in the case of Collins she’s been undeniably value for money.
In all her political jobs, she’s been on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, has always been hard and fair, a reliable, safe pair of hands, someone who’d always tell it straight, and when appropriate, with a sense of humour.
She, unlike most of the present crop of parliamentary elected members, has a strong character and presence.
Why life membership? Because in 2020, after National had changed its leaders twice and quickly after Sir Bill English and heading into an election against Dame Jacinda Ardern’s and Winston Peters’ and the Greens’ coalition, there was only one person they could turn to. Collins. Because, like her or not, she’s a leader and was the only option.
She was on a hiding to nothing in the Covid year election, when Labour’s popularity was at its record high.
Such was the rapid decline in public favour for the Ardern Government by the end of 2021, if the election had been a year later, Collins could have been Prime Minister.
It’s the only senior position she’s not held, along with finance.
Papakura, like Pakuranga, has a long history as being one of the safest parliamentary seats for National and Collins, because, on the whole, is liked and respected in the electorate, she’s made it an even safer seat.
One of the Michelle Boag-recruited fresh new-blood intake of 2002, Collins and others such as Sir John Key were brought in to replace longstanding sitting MPs.
Collins replaced incumbent Warren Kyd as National’s ultimately successful candidate in Clevedon, when she lived at Beachlands.
Collins came to the Times when it was in East Tamaki in 2007, a year before Helen Clark’s Government finally ran out of steam.
She had with her Pansy Wong, who’d go on to become Botany’s first MP.
Can’t remember much, apart from saying as we said goodbye: “A compassionate tory is a very difficult candidate to beat on the campaign trail.”
