Below the beltway

The party’s finance spokesman and uber strategist made it a crowded field after throwing his hat in to the ring for the National Party leadership race. Winston Peters: The NZ First leader cheekily announced he had been reelected leader of the party at a caucus meeting this week. That must have been the shortest conversation in history. Shane Jones: The regional development minister launched NZ First’s election fightback plan by splashing the cash around underfunded regions at the launch of a $3 billion infrastructure fund in Gisborne. It’s called pork barrel politics because it works.

DOWN

Ron Mark: The defence minister and NZ First deputy looks likely to be rolled when the party opens up the deputy leadership next week. Barbara Kuriger: The National MP has been in the spotlight over her husband and son facing animal cruelty charges.

Internal Affairs: Its officials are in the gun after an overpayment bungle involving Winston Peters and Jacinda Ardern.

IN THE LINE OF DUTY

A sudden call went out on Wednesday for a journalist to fill the pool spot on a helicopter with the Civil Defence minister and officials to visit areas affected by ex-Cyclone Gita. Stuff’s Jo Moir answered the call of duty and had just enough time to ditch the high heels, change into her gym clothes and swallow a couple of Sea Legs tablets before boarding the chopper. It turned into a nine-hour marathon through some horrendous weather but Moir kept filing throughout – sending constant updates, including video and photographs, to keep the live blogs up to date. It was only after Moir landed that we found out she’d had an iPhone in one hand and a paper bag in the other while she filed between bouts of severe air sickness.