Nats chew over how they failed

"I think Bill's doing a great job." Opposition National MP Jonathan Coleman

Any doubts over the job security of National’s leadership team have been at least temporarily swept under the rug, as the party’s MPS put on a staunch united front after the first session yesterday of a twoday caucus meeting.

The National Party bunkered down for two days of introspection, convening behind closed doors to dissect the outcome of an election that saw the most popular party put out of government.

Breaking for lunch, a raft of senior MPS and potential leadership hopefuls put their full weight behind leader Bill English and deputy Paula Bennett, straining to dispel any speculation of their own ambition or, at the other end, plans for retirement.

As the party convened to strategise new policies and plans of attack over the next three years, the unusual presence of five candidates not in caucus but next in line should a sitting MP retire, sparked speculation of impending rejuvenation within the ranks.

MP for Nelson Nick Smith was a beleaguered minister in the last Government, mainly over his handling of the housing crisis. But he said he had no intention of retiring before 2020.

‘‘Decisions about any future elections beyond 2020 will be something on the table 18 months down the track,’’ he said.

‘‘I think it’s also about fairness in terms of your voters.

‘‘If you put your name on that ballot paper as a constituency member of Parliament, there’s a reasonable expectation that unless for health or extraordinary reasons you’ll serve those three years,’’ Smith said.

List MP Chris Finlayson said he was ‘‘very happy’’ working in Opposition.

He said he ‘‘thoroughly enjoyed’’ his last stint in Opposition in 2005-2008.

‘‘It’s not a question of whether you breeze in and breeze out; I am a long-term, committed member of my political party.’’

The party’s campaign chair and number three on the list, Steven Joyce, laughed before saying ‘‘no’’ to questions over whether he had any intention of departing Parliament before the term ended.

Ahead of the caucus retreat, sources within the caucus had expressed a dissatisfaction with a lack of explanation from Joyce and the leadership team over what went wrong with the campaign that might have led to the failure of negotiations with NZ First.

And a jovial looking English did not stop to talk to media when he emerged briefly at the lunch break, but quipped he was ‘‘apparently’’ still leader in response to questions.

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges was often speculated to be hopeful for the leadership, should English step down.

He said he had full confidence in English and Bennett.

‘‘I think we’re energised and excited, that’s not to say we can’t learn lessons about how we’ve done things in the past. Any Government, and we were in government for nine years, doesn’t get everything right and we’ll need to evolve with the times.

‘‘But I think we can definitely do it with our current leadership.’’

And MP Jonathan Coleman, who ran against English for the leadership after the resignation of former prime minister John Key, said English had his full backing.

‘‘I think Bill’s doing a great job,’’ he said.

Coleman confirmed he would not challenge English, and said he was ‘‘not thinking that far ahead’’ when asked if he would run again if English should retire before the election.

‘‘We’ve got to have a team approach that gets us into the best position to lead in 2020, Bill’s had a great mandate from the public and he’s doing very well as the leader and we’re all right behind him.’’

In what’s understood to be a party first, the caucus has been joined on its annual retreat by the next four members on the list awaiting to fill any seat left vacant by current MPS.

Present at the secretive caucus meeting were the next five; Maureen Pugh, Nicola Willis, Agnes Loheni, Paulo Garcia and David Hyatt.

Ahead of the meeting in Tauranga’s plush Trinity Wharf Hotel, English downplayed speculation their presence could herald a small exodus of MPS shown the door in the near future.