Senior National Party Ministers Face Parliamentary Exit After Preliminary Election Results

Several senior National Party ministers, including Deputy Leader Nicola Willis and Speaker Gerry Brownlee, face likely removal from Parliament following preliminary results in the 2026 General Election.

The party vote has fallen from 38 percent in 2023 to under 30 percent, leaving high-ranking list-only candidates without seats as the party secures over 40 electorate victories.

The potential loss of these senior figures threatens the composition of the next government, though party leaders remain optimistic about their ability to form a coalition.

"The thing that’s always mattered most to me is that National can form a government and can keep governing the country," said Nicola Willis, the Minister of Finance.

Willis, who did not contest an electorate seat, described the prospect of leaving Parliament as disappointing but expressed gratitude for her eight years of service.

Chris Bishop, the Attorney-General and third-ranked candidate, is currently trailing Labour’s Ginny Andersen in the Hutt South electorate by approximately 1000 votes.

"If I do go on to lose Hutt South, I won’t be an MP in the next Parliament obviously and not a Minister in the next National-led Government," said Bishop.

Paul Goldsmith, ranked sixth on the party list, failed to unseat ACT Party leader David Seymour in the Epsom electorate, where Seymour holds a lead of about 1500 votes.

"Politics is a rough business, and we’ve given it our best shot," said Goldsmith, who holds multiple ministerial portfolios.

Gerry Brownlee, the longest-serving member of Parliament, also appears likely to lose his seat, marking the potential end of a career that began in 1996.

Brownlee told reporters he was eyeing retirement and noted that "I've got no regrets whatsoever."

While preliminary counts suggest these departures, official results are not expected for several weeks, leaving the final status of candidates like Bishop uncertain.