Judith_Collins

Judith Collins

Judith Collins

New Zealand politician (born 1959)


Judith Anne Collins KC MP (born 24 February 1959) is a New Zealand politician who has served as the attorney-general and minister of defence since 27 November 2023. She previously served as the leader of the Opposition and leader of the New Zealand National Party from 14 July 2020 to 25 November 2021.[1] Collins has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Papakura since 2008 and was MP for Clevedon from 2002 to 2008.[2]

Quick Facts 34th Attorney-General of New Zealand, Prime Minister ...

Born in Hamilton, Collins studied at Matamata College, the University of Canterbury and University of Auckland. Before entering politics, Collins worked as a commercial lawyer and was President of the Auckland District Law Society and Vice-President of the New Zealand Law Society. She was a solicitor for four different firms from 1981 and 1990, before running her own practice for a decade. She was a director of Housing New Zealand from 1999 to 2001 and worked as special counsel for Minter Ellison Rudd Watts from 2000 to 2002 before she entered Parliament at the 2002 election.

Collins was appointed to the Cabinet by Prime Minister John Key when the National Party entered government at the 2008 election. She was ranked fifth in the Cabinet and the highest-ranked woman. Collins served as minister of police and minister of corrections from 2008 to 2011 and 2015 to 2016. After the 2011 election, she was appointed minister of justice and minister for the ACC. In August 2014 Collins was compelled to resign following email leaks alleging she had undermined the head of the Serious Fraud Office whilst she was police minister. While she was not cleared of wrongdoing related to that incident, she returned to the Cabinet in 2015.[3] Collins served under Prime Minister Bill English as minister of revenue and minister of energy and resources from 2016 to 2017.

After the National Party left government in the 2017 election, Collins served in several shadow portfolios. She was elected to succeed Todd Muller as National Party leader by the parliamentary caucus on 14 July 2020, becoming leader of the Opposition. She was the second female leader of the National Party, after Jenny Shipley. She led the party to its second-worst defeat in the party's history at the 2020 election, losing 23 seats. Collins was removed as leader of the National Party by its caucus on 25 November 2021,[4] the day after she suddenly demoted Simon Bridges, a political rival, for allegations of making a since-resolved inappropriate comment in 2017.[5] Following National's victory in the 2023 election, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon appointed Collins to Cabinet; she holds seven ministerial posts.

As the current longest continuously serving female MP, Collins is considered the Mother of the House.[6]

Early life and career

Collins was born in Hamilton. Her parents were dairy farmers Percy and Jessie Collins of Walton in the Waikato and she was the youngest of six children.[7] She attended Walton Primary School and Matamata College.[8] In 1977 and 1978 she studied at the University of Canterbury. In 1979 she switched to the University of Auckland, and obtained first an LLB and then a LLM (Hons) and later a Master of Taxation Studies (MTaxS). In 2020 she graduated with a Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety from Massey University.[9] She met her husband, Chinese-Samoan[10] David Wong-Tung, at university. He was then a police officer and had migrated from Samoa as a child. They have one son.[7] Collins has described herself as a liberal Anglican.[11]

Collins was a Labour Party supporter from childhood,[10] but by 2002 had been a member of the National Party for three years.[12] She has been a member of Zonta International and of Rotary International.[13]

Professional career

After leaving university, she worked as a lawyer, specialising in employment, property, commercial, and tax law. She worked as a solicitor for four different firms between 1981 and 1990 and then became principal of her own firm, Judith Collins & Associates (1990–2000). In the last two years before the election to Parliament, she worked as special counsel for Minter Ellison Rudd Watts (2000–2002).[13]

She was active in legal associations, and was President of the Auckland District Law Society (1998–1999) and Vice-President of the New Zealand Law Society (1999–2000). She served as chairperson of the Casino Control Authority (1999–2002) and was a director of Housing New Zealand Limited (1999–2001).[8]

Early parliamentary career (2002–2008)

Collins was elected to Parliament in the 2002 election as the National MP for Clevedon. Although technically a new electorate, Clevedon was largely based on the old Hunua electorate, held by National's Warren Kyd.[14]

In Parliament, Collins became National's Associate Spokesperson on Health and Spokesperson on Internal Affairs. In 2003, these responsibilities were changed for those of Associate Spokesperson on Justice and Spokesperson on Tourism. She was generally regarded as having performed well and when Katherine Rich refused to give full support to the controversial Orewa Speech by then-party leader Don Brash, Rich was demoted in February 2005 and Collins became National's spokesperson on Social Welfare instead.[15] Collins then served as spokesperson on Family and spokesperson on Pacific Island Affairs.

In 2003, while in opposition, Collins campaigned for an inquiry to find out whether New Zealand troops were exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War and if so any effect this subsequently had.[16] Despite previous inquiries stating otherwise, the committee established that troops were exposed to defoliant chemicals during their service in Vietnam, and therefore operated in a toxic environment.[17] This resulted in an apology in 2004 from the Labour-led Government to Veterans and the establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support veterans.[18] In 2004 Collins was awarded the Ex-Vietnam Services Association Pin for campaigning for the inquiry.[16]

Collins's Clevedon electorate disappeared under boundary changes for the 2008 election. She originally announced her intention to seek the National Party nomination for Howick, which comprises the urban part of her former Clevedon electorate. However, following objections made to the Electoral Commission over draft changes to the boundaries that saw a major redrawing of the adjacent constituency Pakuranga, the draft Howick was redrawn and renamed Botany. Collins then sought and won the nomination for Papakura (which comprises the other half of her former Clevedon electorate) and allowed her colleague National Party MP Pansy Wong to seek nomination for Botany. Collins won Papakura with a majority of more than 10,000 votes.[19]

Fifth National Government (2008–2017)

The National Party formed a government after the 2008 election, and Collins entered Cabinet with the portfolios of Police, Corrections and Veterans' Affairs. Early in 2009, she was created Minister Responsible for the Serious Fraud Office.

After the 2011 election she was appointed Minister of Justice, Minister of Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) and Minister of Ethnic Affairs and, with a Cabinet ranking of five, was the highest ranked woman.[20]

Minister of Corrections

Collins at the National War Memorial, 2010

In 2009, Collins questioned the leadership of, and later refused to express confidence in, Department of Corrections chief executive Barry Matthews, after a spate of bad publicity.[21] However, after an enquiry by the State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie, Matthews kept his job because Corrections had made efforts to improve and had warned the government of the day and the previous government that under-resourcing was putting public safety at risk.[22]

Collins increased the availability of work programmes in prison,[23] and increased funding to widen the availability of alcohol and drug treatment programmes. Corrections built three new Drug Treatment Units and introducing condensed treatment programmes for prisoners serving shorter sentences.[24] Collins oversaw completion of a new prison in Mount Eden, Auckland, and instigated the private management contract for the new prison to British company Serco, on the recommendation of the Department of Corrections. This was the first prison since 2005 to be managed by a private sector contractor.[25][26]

In June 2010, Collins announced that from 1 July 2011[27] tobacco smoking and possessing lighters in prison would be banned, to reduce the health risk that smoking and fire presented to prison guards and prisoners.[28] This ban was subsequently successfully challenged in court on two occasions, resulting in a law change to maintain it.[29][30]

Minister of Police

Following a police trial of tasers in 2006–07, Collins supported their introduction by then Police Commissioner Howard Broad.[31] In the 2009 budget she announced NZ$10 million worth of funding to complete a nationwide taser roll-out to all police districts,[32] and since then has advocated that the police be given further discretion about when they can equip themselves with tasers.[33] She has also supported increased access to firearms for frontline officers, by equipping all front-line police vehicles with lock boxes for firearms, but does not support the full-time general arming of police officers.[34]

During her early years in parliament, Collins developed a reputation for tough talking and in 2009 was nicknamed "Crusher Collins" when she proposed legislation to 'crush' the cars of persistent boy racers.[35] Collins described herself as the minister "who brought back deterrence".[36][37][38]

Minister of Justice

In 2012, Collins moderated the cuts-back to legal aid begun by her predecessor, Simon Power. She reduced the charges for family and civil cases, delayed the period before interest is charged on outstanding legal aid debt and dropped a proposal to make it harder to get legal aid for less serious crimes such as theft, assault or careless driving.[39] She did however retain fixed fees for criminal work and the rotation of the legal aid to lawyers in all but the most serious cases, which attracted criticism from some lawyers.[40]

After a two-year investigation the Law Commission produced a report for government with 153 recommendations to reform New Zealand's alcohol laws. While some legislative changes were passed in December 2012, the Opposition and health sector lobbyists said the evidence-based advice from the Commission was disregarded by Collins and her predecessor Simon Power with the result that the final legislation "was a pale imitation of the landmark Law Commission report it was based on."[41] Examples include Collins originally announcing a ban in May 2012 of ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages with 6 per cent alcohol or more from off-licenses. However, in the face of criticism from the liquor industry, she back-tracked on this ban, and three months later announced that the industry would develop its own voluntary code "to limit the harm to young people caused by RTDs".[42] The Commission also recommended a 50 per cent tax increase on alcohol (which was dismissed immediately by the Government) and an increase in the purchase age, which was also dismissed after a conscience vote in September 2012.[41] Collins herself voted to raise the purchase age.[43] Overall Collins said "the reforms struck a sensible balance by reducing the serious harm caused by alcohol without penalising people who drank responsibly."[41] The Labour Party and Professor Doug Sellman of Alcohol Action[44] stated that the changes were weak and would do little to reduce the harm caused by binge drinking. Sellman said: "It's called the Alcohol Reform Bill but it has no reforms in it".[45]

In December 2012, Collins revealed she had concerns about the robustness of a report authored by retired Canadian Supreme Court judge Ian Binnie, which recommended that David Bain should be paid compensation for the 13 years he spent in prison before being acquitted at retrial in 2009.[46] The report had been presented to Collins on 31 August 2012, but the dispute only became public after Binnie threatened to release the report on his own.[47] Collins had provided a copy of the report to the police and the Solicitor-General and ordered a peer review by former New Zealand High Court judge Robert Fisher, sending a "34-point list of issues attacking the case" along with her letter of instruction.[48] She did not provide a copy of Binnie's report to Bain's legal team. This fact, combined with the circumstances around the peer review by Fisher, led to accusations from Bain's team and from Justice Binnie that Collins was not following an "even handed process".[49] Collins subsequently released the reports publicly.[50] A month later, Mr Bain filed a claim in the High Court seeking a review of Collins's actions. The claim alleged Collins breached natural justice and the Bill of Rights Act in her treatment of him and that she "acted in bad faith, abused her power, and acted in a biased, unreasonable and predetermined manner".[51]

Minister for ACC

In August 2011, a significant privacy breach occurred at the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) following the accidental release of 6700 claimants' details to ACC claimant, Bronwyn Pullar.[52] Following the breach, Collins wanted a change in the culture at ACC to make "privacy and information security" the most important focus. As part of these changes the board chair, John Judge, did not have his tenure on the board renewed,[53] and the chief executive Ralph Stewart resigned the next day.[54] In May 2012, Collins sued Labour MPs Trevor Mallard and Andrew Little for defamation over comments they made on Radio New Zealand linking her to the leak of an e-mail from Michelle Boag about Pullar's case.[55] The case was settled after a High Court hearing in November 2012.[56]

Controversies

In March 2014, Collins was accused of a conflict of interest after an overseas trip where she 'dropped in' and endorsed the milk produced by Oravida – a New Zealand company which exports to China – of which her husband is a director. After being admonished by the Prime Minister, Collins apologised and stated that she and a Chinese executive were 'very close personal friends'.[57][58][59] Over the following weeks the Labour Party continued asking who the Chinese official was. Collins did not provide his name, which House speaker David Carter described as "very unsatisfactory".[60] Prime Minister John Key stated publicly that Judith Collins was on her final warning over this incident.[61]

In August 2014 the book Dirty Politics, written by Nicky Hager, revealed that Collins was friends with right-wing blogger Cameron Slater and had passed on private information to him about Simon Pleasants, a public servant at Internal Affairs. Collins believed Pleasants had leaked information about Deputy Prime Minister Bill English misusing his housing allowance. Slater published Mr Pleasant's name and details on his blog as well as the abuse and death threats that were subsequently directed at Mr Pleasants.[62] A 3News-Reid Research poll taken at the time revealed that 63% of voters believed Prime Minister John Key should have stood Collins down over this incident.[63] Key said Collins had been 'unwise' and placed on her second final warning.[64]

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters claimed he was approached to do a post–2014 election deal with National with Collins as the leader. Peters went on to say he would swear an affidavit that he had been approached. Collins denied this claim. On 29 August 2014 Key backed Collins up by stating "I accept Judith 100 per cent at her word."[65]

On 30 August 2014 Collins resigned her Cabinet positions following the leak of another e-mail written by Slater in 2011, which suggested she had also attempted to undermine another public servant, Adam Feeley. Feeley was Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and Collins was the Minister responsible for the SFO at the time. Collins says she resigned because she believed the attacks on her had become a distraction for the National Party leading up to the election. She called for an inquiry so she could clear her name.[66]

After the 2014 election, John Key left Collins off the "Roll of the Honourables" due to the ongoing inquiry into her role with Adam Feeley. This made her ineligible to use the title 'The Honourable'.[67] Collins expressed surprise about having found out about the decision through the media,[68] and Key admitted that his decision should have been explained to Collins.[69] On 25 November 2014 the Chisholm report was released, clearing Collins of the allegations into her dealings with former SFO director Adam Feeley,[70] so on 4 December 2014 Collins was granted the right to retain the title of 'The Honourable' for life.[71]

Collins was cleared of involvement in the Adam Feeley smear.[3] On 7 December 2015, Key announced Collins would return to Cabinet, to hold her former portfolios of Corrections and Police again. She was sworn in again on 14 December 2015.

2016 leadership campaign and aftermath

Collins in 2016

John Key announced his resignation as leader of the National Party on 5 December 2016. The following day, Collins announced her intention to stand as his replacement, which would have elevated her to the prime ministership.[72] The other candidates were Bill English and Jonathan Coleman. On 8 December, both Collins and Coleman withdrew as candidates, allowing English to be elected unopposed.[73]

On 20 December 2016, she was officially sworn in as a minister with new portfolios in the new Bill English cabinet. She dropped in cabinet rank but was made Minister of Revenue, Minister of Energy and Resources, and Minister for Ethnic Communities. The corrections and police portfolios were given to Louise Upston and Paula Bennett, respectively.

Opposition (2017–2023)

2018 leadership campaign

Bill English announced his resignation as leader of the National Party on 13 February 2018. The following day, Collins became the first person to announce their intention to stand as his replacement; she was later joined by Amy Adams and Simon Bridges. She cited the need for "strong and decisive leadership".[74] Collins was endorsed by former National leader Don Brash,[75] and political commentators Duncan Garner,[76] Mike Hosking,[77] Cameron Slater,[78] and Chris Trotter.[79] Hosking later retracted his endorsement when Steven Joyce announced his candidacy.[80] Bridges went on to win the leadership role.

In late May 2018, Collins, in her capacity as Opposition Transport spokesperson, raised the matter that Transport Minister Phil Twyford had made an unauthorised phone call while his flight had taken off; a violation of national civil aviation laws. In response, Twyford offered to resign as Transport Minister. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stripped Twyford of his civil aviation portfolio but retained him as Transport Minister.[81][82][83]

2020 leadership campaign

On 14 July 2020, Collins was elected as leader of the National Party following a leadership election held following the abrupt resignation of Todd Muller earlier that day. Gerry Brownlee was also elected as Deputy Leader of the National Party.[84][85]

She became the second female leader of the National Party.[85]

Collins faced criticism during her campaign for being out of touch with common New Zealanders after she severely underestimated the price of a block of cheese after being asked how much it cost during an interview.[86]

Leader of the Opposition (2020–2021)

Collins led the party to the 2020 election as significant underdogs, with opinion polls suggesting historically large swings to the Labour Party, reflecting its well-received response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Collins, although more popular than her predecessors Todd Muller and Simon Bridges, still significantly lagged behind Jacinda Ardern as preferred prime minister by 30 to 40 points.

Ultimately, the 2020 election saw a massive Labour landslide, with the party winning 65 seats, enough to form a majority government in its own right. Meanwhile, Collins led the National Party to a crushing defeat, suffering a 18.9% swing against them, and a 23 seat drop; finishing with 33 seats. The result was the second-worst defeat the National Party had ever suffered, edged out by the 2002 disaster, where the party won an even grimmer number of 27 seats.[87] The election even saw the party's Deputy Leader Gerry Brownlee lose his own seat of Ilam, which was considered National heartland.[88]

With the result beyond doubt, a near-tearful Collins announced on election night that she had telephoned Ardern and conceded defeat, but vowed that the party would bounce back stronger in the next election.[89] Despite these setbacks, Collins retained her electorate seat in Papakura by a final margin of 5,583 votes.[90]

In early February 2021, Collins confirmed that the National Party would be standing candidates in the Māori electorates, reversing the party's policy of not contesting those seats.[91] As Leader of the Opposition, Collins has opposed alleged policies of "racist separatism" towards the Māori community including race-based affirmative action policies and the creation of separate Māori governance authorities including the Māori Health Authority and the introduction of Māori wards and constituencies in local government. Collins's stance on these issues drew accusations of racism from the Māori Party, which Collins rejected.[92][93][94]

In mid-June 2021, Collins supported the Labour Government's apology for the Dawn Raids of the 1970s and early 1980s, which disproportionately targeted the Pasifika communities. She stated that "this historic act of discrimination against our Pasifika communities caused anguish that reverberated across decades and it is right that we acknowledge this."[95]

In early September 2021, Collins drew controversy when she described immunologist and science communicator Siouxsie Wiles as a "big, fat hypocrite" during a virtual conversation with a Pasifika group aligned with the party. Collins's remarks came after right-wing blogger Cameron Slater posted a video of Wiles socialising with a friend at an Auckland beach during an Alert Level 4 lockdown in the Auckland Region in response to the August 2021 Delta variant community outbreak. Slater had alleged that Wiles and her friend flouted lockdown restrictions in his blog BFD. In response, Wiles clarified that her friend was part of the same bubble as her and that the pair had cycled 5 km from her house to the beach.[96][97] In response to Collins's criticism of Wiles, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield defended Wiles from allegations that she breached lockdown restrictions.[98]

Collins was removed as leader of the National Party on 25 November 2021 following a caucus vote of no confidence, which took place the day after she sacked rival Simon Bridges over a crude comment he made to fellow MP Jacqui Dean five years prior. The incident had been quickly resolved, with no hard feelings afterwards from either party. Therefore, both National MPs and the media saw Collins's action as being to neutralise Bridges as an opponent by smearing him.[99] Shane Reti was acting leader until the subsequent leadership election on 30 November, when Christopher Luxon was elected party leader.[100][101][102]

Shadow Cabinet of Christopher Luxon (2021–2023)

On 19 January 2023, Collins was promoted from 19th to 10th place on Luxon's shadow cabinet. She also assumed the new roles of "Foreign Direct Investment" and "Digitising Government" spokesperson.[103][104]

Sixth National Government (2023–present)

In the 2023 election held on 14 October, Collins retained her Papakura electorate seat by a margin of 13,519 votes over Labour candidate Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki.[105]

On 27 November 2023, Collins assumed seven ministerial portfolios in the National-led coalition government, namely: Attorney-General, Minister of Defence, Minister for Digitising Government, Minister Responsible for the GCSB, Minister Responsible for the NZSIS, Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, and Minister for Space.[106] Collins is the first woman to serve as Defence minister. She holds the largest number of portfolios among ministers in the government.[107]

On 8 December 2023 Collins, in her capacity as GCSB Minister, joined New Zealand's Five Eyes allies in condemning the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) for conducting a series of cyber attacks on British politicians, civil servants, journalists, think tanks, academics, and other public figures.[108]

On 15 December, Collins was appointed King's Counsel by Christopher Luxon in recognition of "her career achievements and the responsibility she holds on behalf of the Crown".[109]

On 20 December Collins, in her capacity as Attorney-General, confirmed six judicial appointments: Supreme Court Judge Forrest Miller, Court of Appeal justices Susan Thomas, Rebecca Ellis and Francis Cooke, High Court Chief Judge Sally Fitzgerald, and High Court justice Karen Grau.[110]

On 12 January 2024, Collins expressed New Zealand's support for Anglo-American airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, which had been disrupting international shipping in response to the 2023 Israel-Hamas war. She called the airstikes a "good example of the international community uniting to address a serious threat to international security" and reaffirmed the New Zealand Defence Force's commitment to supporting international maritime security.[111][112]

On 22 February 2024, Collins confirmed that the New Zealand Defence Force's European deployment to train Ukrainian soldiers would be extended to June 2025. She also announced that the NZ military deployment's training mandate will be expanded from July 2024 to include specialised training in combat casualty care, combat engineering, leadership, and maritime explosive ordnance disposal training.[113][114]

Political views

Collins has been described as a conservative.[115][116] She is seen to represent the right wing of her party, and in her previous roles as Minister of Police and Minister of Corrections, she has promoted law and order policies.[116] Collins has praised former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.[117][115]

In 2003, Collins voted against the Death with Dignity Bill, which aimed to legalise euthanasia in New Zealand,[118] but in 2020 voted in support of the End of Life Choice Bill to legalise assisted dying.[119]

Collins has a mixed record on LGBT issues. In 2004, she voted against the Civil Union Act 2004 and the Relationships (Statutory References) Act 2004, stating not because of any sort of homophobic views but because it created a parallel form of marriage. In Parliament she stated, "This Bill is a sop to gay couples, in which they are being told that they can have second best. That is not good enough."[119] She later voted for the Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill 2005, which would have amended the Marriage Act to define marriage as only between a man and a woman.[120] In 2013, however, Collins voted for the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill, a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry in New Zealand.[121]

In 2005, Collins voted for the Sale of Liquor (Youth Alcohol Harm Reduction) Act, a bill aimed at raising the drinking age to 20 years.[122] In 2012, in her role as Minister of Justice, she introduced the Alcohol Reform Bill,[123] a bill that introduced several restrictions on sale of alcohol including stricter opening hours for bars or liquor stores (but ultimately did not raise the drinking age).[124]

In 2009, Collins voted against the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill, a bill aimed at amending the Misuse of Drugs Act to allow the use of cannabis for medical purposes.[125] In 2020, Collins voted no to legalising cannabis in the 2020 New Zealand cannabis referendum.[126]

In 2011, Collins pledged to support abortion-law changes which would make it illegal to perform an abortion on someone under the age of 16 without parental notification. Collins had proposed adding this to the Care of Children Act in 2004.[127] In 2020, she supported the Abortion Legislation Act 2020, which decriminalised abortion.[119]

In June 2021, Collins defended the advocacy group Speak Up For Women, a group opposed to gender self-identification, which had been prevented from hosting a meeting at a Christchurch City Library venue on the grounds of alleged transphobia.[128]

In August 2021, Collins called for a referendum on the growing use of Aotearoa, the Māori-language name for New Zealand, in official documents and statements. This was in spite of the fact that Collins had used the name several times during her time as a minister in the previous Fifth National Government.[129]

Public image

Collins is a controversial and polarising figure[citation needed] in New Zealand politics; while she has been praised for bringing her formidably irreverent and larger than life image to the core of the National Party, she has been just as much critiqued for it as well. She has been nicknamed "Crusher Collins", which stems from her policy as Minister of Police to crush the cars of speeding drivers.[130] She has also been subject to ridicule after using her Samoan husband's ethnicity to "shield herself" from accusations of racism and a lack of diversity in her shadow cabinet.[131][132] She has won a mixture of light-hearted admiration and disapproval for her "tough image"[133] and tongue-in-cheek hubris, to the extent that she was indirectly referred to by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as a "Karen" in 2021.[134][135]

Bibliography

Non-fiction

  • Pull No Punches (2020) ISBN 9781988547510

References

  1. "Hon Judith Collins MP for Papakura". National. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  2. Hager, Nicky (14 July 2020). "Press advisory on Judith Collins and the book Dirty Politics | Scoop News". Scoop.co.nz. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  3. Cooke, Henry (25 November 2021). "Judith Collins ousted from National leadership, vote to replace her next week". Stuff. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  4. Cooke, Henry (24 November 2021). "Simon Bridges demoted by Judith Collins over alleged historical comments to a female colleague". Stuff. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  5. "Members of Parliament – Longest, shortest, oldest, youngest". New Zealand Parliamentary Service. Retrieved 18 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. Judith Collins (30 August 2002). "Maiden speech" (Press release). Scoop. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  7. "Judith Collins". Matamata College. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  8. Clifton, Jane (24 March 2006). "Leader of the pack". Listener. 202 (3436). Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  9. Walters, Laura (23 October 2020). "Is new-look National really more socially conservative?". Stuff.co.nz.
  10. Orsman, Bernard (8 May 2002). "National purge sweeps into safe seat". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 15 June 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  11. "Hon Judith Collins". New Zealand Parliament. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  12. Tunnah, Helen (11 May 2002). "National Party puts Kyd out in wilderness". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  13. Hager, Nicky (2006). The Hollow Men: A Study in the Politics of Deception. Potton & Burton Limited. p. 145. ISBN 978-1-877333-62-0.
  14. "Swing seats: Papakura new battleground". One News. 6 November 2008. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  15. "Official Count Results – Papakura". Wellington: Chief Electoral Office. 22 November 2008. Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  16. Collins, Judith. "Hon Judith Collins – Biography". New Zealand National Party. Archived from the original on 27 December 2004. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  17. Cheng, Derek (21 December 2010). "Prisons boss ends six years' hard labour". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 22 January 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  18. Espiner, Colin (10 March 2009). "Head survives and dept in line to get more cash". The Dominion Post. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  19. "Prisoner Employment". Department of Corrections. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2012. The Department is developing a new strategy to boost the number of prisoners learning industry-based skills by a further 1,000 prisoners by 2011. Part of that strategy will involve engaging with private companies about meaningful work and training for prisoners.
  20. "Mt Eden/ACRP contract manager announced" (Press release). New Zealand government. 14 December 2010. Archived from the original on 6 May 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  21. "Minister opens new Mt Eden Corrections Facility" (Press release). New Zealand government. 30 March 2011. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  22. "Prisoner smoking ban set for 1 July 2011" (Press release). Department of Corrections. 28 June 2010. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  23. Dickison, Michael (28 June 2010). "Prison smoking ban to kick in next July". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  24. Koubaridis, Andrew (24 December 2012). "Prison smokes ban ruled unlawful". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  25. "Tobacco victory goes up in a puff of smoke". The New Zealand Herald. 4 July 2013. Archived from the original on 16 July 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  26. Houlahan, Mike (21 May 2009). "No halt to Taser roll-out". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  27. "Budget 2009: Judith Collins – $10 million to complete national taser roll out" (Press release). beehive.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  28. Cheng, Derek (7 April 2011). "Collins calls for police discretion in taser use". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 30 April 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  29. Martin Kay, Andrea Vance (14 October 2010). "Easier gun access likely for police". The Press. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  30. Kay, Martin (2 March 2009). "'Crusher Collins' vows to take no prisoners". The Dominion Post. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  31. Trevett, Claire (27 October 2012). "Crusher Collins' eye on reform". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  32. Leask, Anna (12 October 2012). "Call to close three-strikes loophole". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  33. Davison, Isaac (9 October 2012). "Legal aid law changes watered down". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  34. Davison, Isaac (12 December 2012). "Alcohol reforms 'watered down'". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  35. Hartevelt, John (23 August 2012). "6% alcohol limit for RTDs dumped". The Press. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  36. Newstalk ZB staff (30 August 2012). "Drinking age: How MPs voted". Newstalk ZB. Archived from the original on 25 November 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  37. "Alcohol Action NZ | We need more than just tinkering". Alcoholaction.co.nz. 13 August 2014. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  38. Television New Zealand staff (12 December 2012). "'Hollow' Alcohol Reform Bill criticised by opponents". One News. Archived from the original on 13 December 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  39. NZN (11 December 2012). "Bain report lacking – Collins". 3 News. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  40. "Bain case: How compensation claim unravelled". The New Zealand Herald. 27 June 2013. Archived from the original on 11 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  41. "Collins sent 34 'concerns' to reviewer of Bain case". The New Zealand Herald. 29 June 2013. Archived from the original on 11 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  42. APNZ (12 December 2012). "Binnie hits back at Bain report critics". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  43. Department of Justice. "Release of Bain reports". Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  44. Quilliam, Rebecca (30 January 2013). "Bain takes High Court action against Collins". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  45. "Who is Bronwyn Pullar?". 3 News. 22 March 2012. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  46. Vance, Andrea (12 June 2012). "ACC Board chair John Judge goes". The Dominion Post. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  47. Hartevelt, John (13 June 2012). "ACC boss resigns amid political pressure". The Dominion Post. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  48. "Mallard served papers by faux-constituent". 3 News. 28 May 2012. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  49. Bennett, Adam (14 November 2012). "Judith Collins defamation case settled". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  50. Adams, Christopher (14 March 2014). "Collins dinner great for Oravida". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  51. Bennett, Adam (13 March 2014). "Two strikes and Collins will be out". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  52. Claire Trevett; Adam Bennett; Isaac Davison. "Collins handled situation 'very poorly' – PM". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  53. Collins' defiance over Oravida upsets Speaker Archived 15 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine, NZ Herald, 11 April 2014
  54. Judith Collins comes clean about dinner Archived 12 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Stuff.co.nz. 12 March 2014.
  55. "Key, English distance themselves from Collins". Radio New Zealand. 19 August 2014. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  56. 3News-Reid Research poll sees big post-Hager bounce for Conservatives Archived 30 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine. The National Business Review. 27 August 2014.
  57. PM's 'last chance' for Collins over blog link Archived 26 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine. The New Zealand Herald. 20 August 2014.
  58. Gulliver, Aimee (29 August 2015). "Peters, Key squabble over Collins 'coup attempt'". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  59. Cheng, Derek (30 August 2014). "Judith Collins resigns". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  60. Adam Bennett; Claire Trevett (14 October 2014). "Judith Collins loses 'Honourable' title". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  61. Bennett, Adam; Trevett, Claire (14 October 2014). "Judith Collins loses 'Honourable' title". Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  62. "John Key: We should have explained Honourable decision to Judith Collins". One News. 15 October 2014. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  63. Stacy Kirk; James Ireland (25 November 2014). "Judith Collins cleared of involvement in SFO smear campaign". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  64. "Judith Collins announces tilt at PM role". The New Zealand Herald. 6 December 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  65. "Bill English will be next Prime Minister, Judith Collins, Jonathan Coleman stand aside". New Zealand Herald. 8 December 2016. Archived from the original on 8 December 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  66. "Judith Collins, Simon Bridges, Amy Adams gunning for leader". Newshub. 14 February 2018. Archived from the original on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  67. "Duncan Garner: National, want the nuclear option? Pick Judith 'Crusher' Collins". Stuff.co.nz. Fairfax Media Limited. 17 February 2018. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  68. Hosking, Mike (14 February 2018). "Why Judith Collins should be National's next leader". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  69. Slater, Cameron (15 February 2018). "Crushin' it". Whale Oil. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  70. "Judith Collins heir to National Party throne – Chris Trotter, Trish Sherson". Newshub. MediaWorks New Zealand. 14 February 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  71. Hosking, Mike (20 February 2018). "No contest – Steven Joyce should be National's next leader". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  72. Satherley, Dan (25 May 2018). "Judith Collins' role in bringing down Phil Twyford". Newshub. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  73. Watkins, Tracy; Moir, Jo (24 May 2018). "Minister Phil Twyford apologises for Civil Aviation breach". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  74. Bennett, Lucy (24 May 2018). "Grounded: Phil Twyford offers to resign, stripped of role after phone call on plane". New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  75. Whyte, Anna (14 July 2020). "Judith Collins new National Party leader, Gerry Brownlee deputy". 1 News. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  76. Walls, Jason (14 July 2020). "Judith Collins is new National Party leader, Gerry Brownlee her deputy". New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  77. "2020 General Election and Referendums – Preliminary Count". NZ Votes. 17 October 2020. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  78. "Ilam – Preliminary Count". NZ Votes. 17 October 2020. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  79. McKay, Ben (17 October 2020). "Collins concedes in NZ, vows Nats comeback". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  80. Cooke, Henry (1 February 2021). "Judith Collins confirms National will run candidates in Māori seats next election". Stuff. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  81. "Collins says her party won't stand for 'racist separatism' New Zealand". Radio New Zealand. 28 April 2021. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  82. Robinson, Claire (6 May 2021). "Judith Collins' comments on Māori health policy are a diversion". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  83. Small, Zane (12 May 2021). "National leader Judith Collins not backing down from co-governance debate in face of Māori Party protests". Newshub. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  84. Cooke, Henry; Basagre, Bernadette (14 June 2021). "Government to formally apologise for race-based dawn raids". Stuff. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  85. Neilson, Michael (10 September 2021). "Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Dr Siouxsie Wiles hits back at accusations she broke lockdown rules". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  86. "Collins calls Dr Siouxsie Wiles 'a big, fat hypocrite'". Otago Daily Times. 10 September 2021. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  87. Small, Zane (10 September 2021). "Ashley Bloomfield defends Siouxsie Wiles' maskless beach visit as Judith Collins labels her 'hypocrite'". Newshub. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  88. "The era of Judith 'Crusher' Collins ends in a blaze of fury". The Guardian. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  89. Ensor, Jamie (25 November 2021). "National leadership crisis live: Shane Reti new temporary boss, leadership to be decided Tuesday". Newshub. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  90. "National reshuffle: Luxon promotes former leaders Judith Collins, Todd Muller". The New Zealand Herald. 19 January 2023. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  91. New Zealand National Party (19 January 2023). "Luxon Sets Out Team To Contest The 2023 Election". Scoop. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  92. "Papakura – Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  93. "Cabinet lineup for new government unveiled – who gets what?". Radio New Zealand. 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  94. "GCSB Minister Judith Collins condemns Russian cyber attacks". Radio New Zealand. 8 December 2023. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  95. "Attorney General Judith Collins appointed as King's Counsel". Newshub. 15 December 2023. Archived from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  96. Collins, Judith (20 December 2023). "Judicial appointments announced". Beehive.govt.nz. New Zealand Government. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  97. Collins, Judith; Peters, Winston (12 January 2024). "NZ support for strikes against Houthis". Beehive.govt.nz. New Zealand Government. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  98. "NZ Govt throws support behind US, UK's strikes in Yemen". 1 News. TVNZ. 12 January 2024. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  99. "New support for Ukraine". New Zealand Defence Force. 22 February 2024. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  100. McKay, Ben (23 February 2024). "Russia-Ukraine war: Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanks New Zealand for new aid". The New Zealand Herald. Australian Associated Press. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  101. Graham-McLay, Charlotte (14 July 2020). "Judith Collins named New Zealand National party's new leader". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020. Judith Collins – a combative, tough-talking conservative lawmaker who styled herself after Margaret Thatcher
  102. "Who is the woman who will take on Jacinda Ardern with two months' notice?". ABC News. 15 July 2020. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  103. Sowman-Lund, Stewart (14 July 2020). "Here comes Judith: What does Collins' book tell us about her leadership pitch?". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  104. "Death With Dignity Bill – New Zealand Parliamentary Conscience Votes Database". Votes.wotfun.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  105. Palmer, Scott (15 July 2020). "Where Judith Collins stands on cannabis, same-sex marriage, abortion and euthanasia". Newshub. newshub.co.nz. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  106. "Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill – New Zealand Parliamentary Conscience Votes Database". Votes.wotfun.com. 7 December 2005. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  107. "Justice Minister now pro gay equality, marriage". GayNZ. 20 August 2012. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  108. "Alcohol Reform Bill". www.parliament.nz. New Zealand Parliament. 2012. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  109. Davison, Isaac (11 December 2012). "Major alcohol reforms pass into law". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  110. "Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill — First Reading". Hansard. 655. Wellington, New Zealand: New Zealand House of Representatives: 4850. 1 July 2009. Archived from the original on 9 January 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  111. "Judith Collins backs action on secret teen abortions". Stuff. 22 May 2011. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  112. Cooke, Henry (4 August 2021). "Judith Collins suggests referendum on name of New Zealand, despite using 'Aotearoa' while in Government". Stuff. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  113. Molyneux, Vita (23 September 2020). "Judith Collins blasted for 'weaponising' husband's ethnicity during leaders debate". Newshub. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  114. Hager, Nicky (20 July 2020). "Nicky Hager: Five reasons why Judith Collins won't be prime minister". The Spinoff. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  115. Walker Ahwa, Zoe (23 September 2020). "My husband is Samoan, so talofa | Ensemble Magazine". www.ensemblemagazine.co.nz. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  116. Chapman, Madeleine (1 July 2021). "Is Judith Collins a Karen?". The Spinoff. Retrieved 26 November 2021.

Works cited

More information New Zealand Parliament, Political offices ...

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Judith_Collins, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.