Katrina Shanks of Wellington is to be National's newest MP after Don Brash announced his resignation.

She is fulfilling a dream of her father, Graham Hislop, who stood for Parliament when he was 36 - the same age Mrs Shanks was during the election campaign last year.

"Bizarre as it is, he stood for Social Credit ... against [National leader Keith] Holyoake," Mrs Shanks said.

How did he do? "Terribly".

"The important thing is he had a passion and he believed in something and he tried to make a difference and I think that's the most important thing.

"Whatever you believe in, that's what you should do."

Mr Hislop died three years ago.

"I think he'd be very proud. He had unfinished business and now I get to finish some of it for us."

Did they have similar business to finish?

"I wouldn't so much call him left-wing as in more of wanting to help the underdogs get ahead. To make life easier for a lot of people.

"I very strongly believe in making it a much better place for all of us and making it easier. I think we do a lot of things the hard way and I think we could be a lot smarter as a country in where we're going and how we're [getting there]."

Mrs Shanks, who unsuccessfully contested Ohariu-Belmont for National last year, actually became an MP on election night returns as the 46th ranked person on the party list.

But special votes saw the Green Party claim an extra seat at National's expense and Mrs Shanks returned to chartered accountancy.

- NZPA