Dunne's Weekly: National's Quiet Achiever

DUNNE’S WEEKLY

In every government there is a quiet achiever – a Minister who just gets on with the job and gets things done, without fuss or fanfare, no matter what else is going on around them. In the current government, that Minister is Judith Collins.

When Collins lost the National Party leadership in bruising circumstances in 2021, after a difficult couple of years in charge, which had included one of National’s biggest-ever election defeats in 2020, many wondered about her political future. She left the leadership role largely unlamented and unloved, with little apparent support in her Caucus. While no-one really expected her to slope off into political oblivion – that did not seem within her nature (she was renowned as a natural fighter) – many speculated she might become a difficult personality within the National Party Caucus, like Sir Robert Muldoon did after he lost the National leadership in 1984.

Initially, her assertions that she was “the ultimate team player”, “always happy to be a constructive member of the team” were taken with a considerable grain of salt. But over the next two years in Opposition, despite a comparatively low Caucus ranking of 19, Collins proved to be just that, burying her head and working hard and effectively in her roles as National’s spokesperson on Research, Science, Innovation and Technology. She was able to build up a rapport with the science and technology community that, despite public platitudes of support, has often felt neglected by governments in the past. Collins also developed an interest in space technology, an area in which New Zealand has the capacity to play an increasingly important role, as the growth of companies like Rocket Lab is showing.

When National returned to government last year, Collins unsurprisingly returned to Cabinet, ranked number 8 around the table, and holding the substantial portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister of Defence, Minister for Digitising Government, Minister Responsible for the GCSB and the SIS, Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, and New Zealand’s first Minister for Space. She was also appointed a Kings Counsel in December 2023.

In each of these portfolios she is already marking a mark. As Attorney-General she has made several new judicial appointments and is overseeing the government’s response to the Royal Commission’s Report into the Christchurch Mosque Attacks. As Minister for Digitising Government, she is working on unifying government digital services, beginning with developing an app to bring together all NZTA services from vehicle registration reminders, to warrants of fitness and ultimately leading to a digital driver’s licence.

As Minister of Defence, Collins is at the forefront of New Zealand’s efforts to assist Ukraine, and, more controversially, in discussions about what role, if any, New Zealand should seek to play through Pillar Two of the AUKUS Agreement. She has also taken up the cause of conditions of service for Defence personnel.

In both her related roles as Minister in Charge of the GSCB and SIS, Collins has taken a strong position on protecting New Zealand from mounting international cybersecurity threats. In her Science, Innovation and Technology, and Space roles, Collins has also been busy. This week, she announced her intention to modify New Zealand’s genetic modification rules to better align them with current international practice.

There is also Collins’ previous experience during the Key and English governments as a Minister holding at various times the Police, Corrections, Justice, ACC, Revenue and Energy portfolios. They add to the breadth of experience she brings to the present government. Whether one agrees with her politics or not, Collins has proven to be one of National’s best performing Ministers, the ideal combination of a safe and reliable pair of hands that gets things done, seemingly with a minimum of fuss. Other Ministers, still struggling to come to grips with their portfolios could well look to Collins as a guide on how to carry out their roles effectively.

Through her actions since leaving the party leadership, Collins has effectively rewritten the book about how ex-leaders should behave within a party Caucus. Over recent years, there have been examples in both the major parties of disruptive former leaders, sulking on the backbench, more interested in trying to protect their reputations, than serving their party’s needs. True to her initial post-leadership assertions, Collins has resisted that temptation, and proven that if they are of a mind to, ex-leaders can play a constructive role in their Caucuses and make an effective contribution to government.

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