Nat’s ‘Mr Fixit’ quits
‘‘Simon has made a very positive proposal to me to stay and contribute as a senior member of the team on the front bench with a choice of portfolio. However, I feel that it is time for him to get a new team around him.’’ Steven Joyce
National Party senior MP Steven Joyce has resigned from Parliament.
Joyce has been the party’s mastermind campaign strategist since he entered Parliament in 2008, and has been a senior minister holding finance transport and infrastructure portfolios.
But most recently he failed in a leadership bid, when the caucus elected Simon Bridges to replace Bill English. Joyce said he was leaving on a high.
‘‘I have had a wonderful time in this place over the last nearly 10 years, including nine years as a Minister, and have been privileged to be able to make a real contribution to the development of our country.
‘‘With the recent change of National Party leadership I have had the opportunity to consider again what I would like to do over the next several years,’’ he said.
‘‘Simon has made a very positive proposal to me to stay and contribute as a senior member of the team on the front bench with a choice of portfolio.
‘‘However, I feel that it is time for him to get a new team around him to take National forward and win in 2020 and then govern again for the benefit of all New Zealanders.’’
Joyce said he would assist National from outside parliament and ‘‘will remain a staunch supporter of the party.’’
Personal highlights during his decade in Parliament including setting up major infrastructure projects like ultrafast broadband, the motorway and expressway projects that were now beginning to be used, and the electrification of Auckland’s commuter rail network.
‘‘I have also enjoyed my involvement in the tertiary education sector, the hitech sector, the science sector and regional New Zealand and am proud of the progress we made as a Government in all four areas.
‘‘I have led the National Party’s general election campaign five times as Campaign Chair and in four of those for John Key and Bill English, we achieved a Party Vote in excess of 44 per cent, the only time it has happened under MMP.
‘‘And it was an honour to be Bill English’s Associate Minister of Finance for eight years before presenting my own budget in 2017, which continued building the platform for future economic growth and focused on boosting incomes for low and middle income earners.
‘‘My plan now is to return to commercial life and seek new challenges and also to focus on being a good dad to Tommy and Amelia.
‘‘I’d like to thank my wife Suzanne, colleagues, staff, party supporters, the public and all the people I have met through my work for their encouragement, support and friendship over the last 10 years in Parliament and 15 in the party.’’