Call me ‘Aunty Jude’, not ‘Crusher’

WELLINGTON: Veteran MP Judith Collins is known to many across the country by a name she does not much care for — Crusher.

Her foes use it as a slur — her supporters use it to summarise her ruthless political streak.

But new national Party leader Ms Collins is on record saying she wishes people would call her by a different name: Aunty Jude.

Whatever name she goes by, the Papakura MP has a hell of a fight on her hands as she attempts to dethrone Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her governing Labour Party.

After Todd Muller announced his shock resignation as National’s leader early yesterday morning, Ms Collins’ name was one of the first to be mentioned as his replacement.

Not only is she one of National’s most experienced MPs, but also she is one of the bestknown political names in the country.

On her way to Wellington for National’s emergency caucus meeting yesterday afternoon, she was coy on her leadership ambitions.

‘‘I’m going to keep all of my discussions within caucus,’’ she said when asked about a tilt at the leadership.

This, of course, is not the first time Ms Collins has challenged for the leadership of the National Party.

She put her hand up to replace John Key after he resigned as prime minister in 2016.

After it became obvious that Bill English, who was Mr Key’s preferred choice, had the numbers, she withdrew herself from consideration.

When Mr English resigned as National leader in early 2018, she, along with fellow National MPs Mark Mitchell, Simon Bridges, Amy Adams and Steven Joyce, ran for the top job.

She lost to Mr Bridges, polling the lowest.

But as National dropped in the polls, Ms Collins was mooted as a possible replacement for nowousted leader, Mr Bridges.

Her goto line was the noncommittal: ‘‘I support the leader of the National Party’’.

Before she was one of the most recognisable names in New Zealand politics, Ms Collins was a backbench National MP, coming out of a successful career as a lawyer and businesswoman.

In fact, it was almost 18 years to the day since Ms Collins addressed Parliament for the first time.

‘‘I stand for one standard of citizenship for all, for one justice system for all, for one country, and for one sovereignty,’’ she said in her maiden speech.

‘‘I do not stand for political correctness.

‘‘I do not stand for dividing this country, my country, our country, along the lines of race,’’ she continued.

In her recently published memoir,

she talked about how excited she was to be an MP.

It is her opinion that backbench MPs can get much more done in opposition than they can in Government.

After rising up the ranks of the Opposition, she earned a Cabinet position after National won the 2008 election.

During her time in government, she had ministerial portfolios including corrections, justice, ethnic communities, energy and resources, revenue, police, ACC and veterans’ affairs.

In 2014, she resigned as justice minister after emails leaked which alleged she had undermined the head of the Serious Fraud Office while she was the minister responsible for that organisation.

A subsequent inquiry cleared her. That came after she came under she had faced intense pressure, following revelations she had dinner with a Chinese border official and bosses of Oravida, a company of which her husband is a director, while on a taxpayerfunded trip to China.

Ms Collins remained on the backbenches until the end of 2015, when then prime minister John Key brought her back into Cabinet.