𝔸 𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕗 𝕕𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕪'𝕤 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕙𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕪 𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕠𝕤 𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟.

I

t's been less than two years since Simon Bridges was ousted as leader after his popularity dropped in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as New Zealanders rallied behind the Government's elimination success. 

Since then, the party has had two new leaders, an MP was sacked for sending inappropriate text messages, an MP quit for leaking sensitive patient data to the media, and a candidate stepped down after his partner revealed he impersonated her online.

Let's take a look back.

 

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Jami-Lee Ross saga

The National Party's woes arguably began when former MP Jami-Lee Ross accused then-leader Bridges in 2019 of committing electoral fraud by asking him to split up a $100,000 donation from a Chinese businessman into smaller amounts, so they could be hidden from the Electoral Commission.

In the end, it was Ross - who later went independent and created his own unsuccessful Advance NZ party which peddled misinformation and is now deregistered - who is facing Serious Fraud Office charges. 

This is so good, credit to the dude who made this...Nationals many leaders.. pic.twitter.com/mPvTyW0xvb

— LouieThePfizeredRed (@LouieTheRed1) November 26, 2021

Bridges loses support

Fast-forward to 2020, and the world was plunged into a pandemic. The Government's decision to extend the first lockdown in April had wide public support, but Bridges criticised the move in a Facebook post that saw National supporters threaten to abandon him. 

Following months of unrest within the National Party after a devastating Newshub-Reid Research poll that saw National eclipsed by Labour, Bridges was rolled as leader. 

After gaslighting LabourG for being a complete shambles for the last twenty two months National the natural home and party of scandals and crisis is in leadership coup crisis mode for the fifth time pic.twitter.com/Onp0r7ZOjE

— Elephant in the room (@LetsGetPfizered) November 24, 2021

Todd Muller's short reign

Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller made his move against Bridges in May last year, taking the helm after receiving majority support in an emergency caucus meeting. It came after months of speculation he would try for the leadership. 

But it wasn't long before Muller, and his deputy Nikki Kaye, fell into controversy - not least of all when Kaye claimed MP Paul Goldsmith was Māori. National MPs told Newshub at the time it was "embarrassing and quite frankly appalling". 

Muller then had to face up to another controversy. This time it was then-Clutha Southland MP Hamish Walker who leaked sensitive COVID-19 patient data to the media. 

Walker eventually quit. It turned out former National Party president Michelle Boag gave Walker the information, which she had access to as acting chief executive of the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust. 

All the pressure got to Muller and he resigned suddenly in July last year. He later revealed he was suffering from panic attacks and that his family "bore the brunt of it".

Rise of Collins

Muller's resignation led to the rise of Judith Collins and her then-deputy Gerry Brownlee. Collins had long been rumoured as a potential party leader. She put her hand up for the job when former leader Bill English stepped down in 2018, but she lost to Bridges.

Andrew Falloon scandal

Collins almost immediately faced a scandal. It emerged that there were "at least five" complaints against former National MP Andrew Falloon from women who accused him of sending lewd images. Falloon resigned.

Election 2020 defeat

Three months later, National MPs were already telling Newshub they were predicting another leadership spill. But Collins was defiant and determined to lead National into the election, which was delayed due to COVID-19.  

During the campaign, Newshub was leaked an email showing former National MP Denise Lee criticising Collins' plan to review Auckland Council as a "highly problematic idea".

The scandal, combined with all the others, led National to a crushing election defeat. Collins later admitted the leak contributed to the defeat. National's caucus shrunk from 56 after the 2017 election to 33.  

Post-election scandals

Ever since National's election defeat, Collins' leadership has been under the microscope and scandals have continued. 

National Party candidate Jake Bezzant resigned from the party in June after his ex-girlfriend accused him in a podcast of posing as her to solicit explicit images online. Collins said it was "disgraceful". 

At around the same time, Collins denied allegations she forced veteran MP Nick Smith to retire from Parliament so she could replace him with a political ally, Harete Hipango. 

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The Delta strain of the virus was transported to New Zealand in August via a traveller from Sydney, around the time when quarantine-free trans-Tasman travel was temporarily permitted. 

The first known COVID-19 case was a market vendor in the Chinese city of Wuhan, according to a recent study published in the journal Science, and it soon spread via international flights from China. But how the Spanish Flu arrived in New Zealand is unclear. 

At the time, many believed that the virus had arrived on a ship which birthed in Auckland in October 1918 after sailing from Vancouver via San Francisco, according to NZ History. 

But historian Geoffrey Rice's analysis of death certificates revealed that peak mortality in New Zealand probably occurred in late November - several weeks later than would have been expected if the vessel had brought the virus, given its incubation period.

What is known is that New Zealand brought the virus to Samoa via a cargo ship in November that year, which led to the deaths of between one-fifth and one-quarter of the population. 

Influenza continues to be a significant public health issue in New Zealand, affecting up to 20 percent of people each year and causing some 500 deaths annually.

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