Illustration / Rod Emmerson
OPINION:
Until recently, the most salient reason for taking much notice of National in the post-election Covid-19 environment has been simply as a point of contrast.
There was a phenomenal gap between the party's past relevancy and current pitiful state, and it was hard to imagine it changing.
But it has been making progress slowly and frontbencher Chris Bishop is playing a big role in it.
Aside from Judith Collins herself as leader, Bishop is the most visible member of the caucus.
Having made an impact in the Transport portfolio last term, Bishop was Collins' choice to shadow the Covid-19 Response Minister, Chris Hipkins.
Being Opposition spokesman for Covid-19 mean that for an issue that is almost all-consuming of the political agenda, Bishop is everywhere.
He has popped up, for example, to question Ashley Bloomfield on the health committee, to question MBIE about managed isolation on the economic development committee, and to question the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on the Covid-19 All-of-Government response unit.
Hipkins referred to him in the House this week as "the other Leader of the Opposition" and Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson paid Bishop the highest tribute of making him the butt of a mocking attack in the general debate.
It may be galling for National MPs who lay a share of the blame for the party's implosion last year with Bishop, as a strong backer of the Todd Muller coup against Simon Bridges.
But he is fast becoming Collins' most valued player.
Among the various match-ups against ministers, there isn't a more even contest than the one between the two Chris-es.
That much was evident on Tuesday when the first ministerial statement under new standing orders was held.
The exchanges between Bishop and Hipkins was the most edifying display of politics the Parliament has seen in a long while.
Hipkins made a statement about the latest Auckland outbreak and other parties were then able to respond through their own brief statements and follow-up questions in a free-flowing exchange.
It elicited information, including things the Government was not happy with, including low contact tracing figures for some groups, and allowed Opposition MPs to vent their own views without the intrusion of the Speaker who, to his credit, drove the changes to standing orders.
Bishop has been an MP since 2014 and is aged 37. He has pretty much excelled at every job he has been given since National went into Opposition in 2017. He started last term ranked at 36 out of 56 seats, and is now No 8 out of 33.
Bishop and Hipkins are not only matched on Covid-19, Bishop also shadows Hipkins in the latter's job as Leader of the House. Between them, they are responsible for an awful lot of the way Parliament is operating.
Bishop deliberately takes a more constructive approach that would normally be the case for an Opposition MP.
He does not oppose for the sake of it and clearly welcomes good moves, such as the continuous independent review of the Covid-19 response announced this week by Hipkins.
And for every criticism, there is usually an alternative idea put up, mindful of public sentiment that largely backs the Government's response.
His political best friend Nicola Willis is doing well in housing. And other National MPs are making an impact.
Immigration spokeswoman MP Erica Stanford was back on the case of the plight of many hundreds of nurses who arrived in New Zealand before Covid as critically needed workers, did the requisite course and got a job, and then were unable to bring in their families, as would ordinarily have been the case.
There are heart-breaking stories of separation of mothers and children in a twisted set of circumstances that now allows workers in the same category to bring their families but fails to address the anomaly.
The Government's response has been all sympathy but no action – it says that if they fix that problem, they will have to fix other similar problems for other groups similarly caught.
So what? Surely it is better to start somewhere.
It is clear where the Government is most vulnerable and where Bishop's firepower will be directed and that is in the vaccination roll-out.
It won't be in the first or second priority groups which should be relatively easy to organise.
The pressure will come for the public roll-out and in the myriad IT systems that apparently need to operate together which sound like chaos in waiting.
Hipkins himself evoked memories of the teacher salary Novopay debacle in the House this week – saying he was doing work to avoid a similar fate for the vaccination.
He will want to be very sure of that because unreasonable delays in the vaccination which result in unreasonable delays in opening up the country could be a turning point for the Government.
The public is not yet turning on the Government by any stretch, but it has reached a stage in the Covid pandemic where it will not necessarily give it the benefit of the doubt.
A competent opposition will take advantage of that.
Woman succummed to injuries on way to hospital, with police treating death as unexplained.