Todd supports Bill’s leadership

Todd says he will continue to work hard for the Bay. File photo

Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller today dismissed speculation about the National Party's future leadership when contacted by SunLive.

'To be honest that is wild speculation, it's what happens when you are perceived to have lost an election.

'There's a prevailing thought that people need to change. Well my personal view is Bill ran a fantastic campaign, we got 44.4 per cent of the vote. He did an extraordinarily good job and I very much hope he stays on.

'I have no sense whether that's likely or not in the short to medium term, but that's my personal view. I would very much like him to stay on.”

For Todd the shift to opposition means he is no longer chair of the foreign affairs and trade Select Committees, but apart from that, he says not a lot is going to change.

'I'm very much a local MP. I've thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of the job over the last three years and as the MP for the Bay of Plenty I continue on with that with my office being in the community, listening to peoples perspectives and working hard on their behalf down in Wellington.

'I'll continue to do that obviously from a positon of opposition, but I'm disappointed, certainly disappointed personally and very much so for Bill and Mary.

'When you get 55 per cent of the party vote for your party and the next one down Labour is mid 20s or early 20s I mean that talks to a community who is or was pretty comfortable with the direction of where the country's heading and the National Party being a key part of that.

'Now that hasn't happened. That's the vagaries of MMP. Now my job is to accept that reality, acknowledge it, and continue to work hard for the next three years for the people of the Bay.

'Because that's been such a big part of what I was doing for the last three years, that doesn't change. Of course I'm no longer part of the government, no longer chairman of a select committee, but I will still be on a select committee still contributing and still doing the best I can down here. And most importantly the best I can up in the Bay.”

It is the first time first time in New Zealand history that the party with the most votes and the most votes by quite some way, isn't the government, says Todd.

'MMP allows for it, and three parties who have not had a history of working together, ever, particularly with the Greens in the mix - and I make that point, and now they are going to.

'And my job as part of our 56 member opposition, the largest I think in New Zealand history. Our job is to hold them to account fairly robustly and vigorously. That's part of the learning I will be doing over the next three years, how to do that efficiently.

'We have to hold this new three way coalition of account and we will. It's important that we do actually. And the country would expect us to.”

You may also like....

2 comments

I do not

Posted on 20-10-2017 12:49 | By Merlin

I do not think Bill will have another go to try for a third time to win an election.It is going to be interesting to see who want's to lead the National Party.Watch out for Crusher Collins.


Well said Todd

Posted on 20-10-2017 18:39 | By carpedeum

Like most people of this Electorate and Region I am disappointed in the change of Government.Really thought the majority of people in NZ would see through the populous facade. However-I will watch with interest to see just how this Coalition of the Losers perform- and also manage to find all the $s required to fund all their Election "Handout Promises"


Leave a Comment


You must be logged in to make a comment.