Senior National Party MP Chris Bishop says losing his beloved role of the party’s campaign chair is “fine”, and believes Christopher Luxon is “doing what needs to be done” in his latest reshuffle.
Bishop, who also lost his roles as Associate Sport Minister and Leader of the House but picked up Attorney-General, is dismissing suggestions his fate was informed after a rumoured coup attempt last year and claims he still has “plenty of things to do” in his five other ministerial roles.
The reshuffle, unveiled by Luxon on Thursday morning, included a widely-tipped promotion into Cabinet for Chris Penk, who will become the Minister of Defence, the spy agencies and Space. Also welcomed into Cabinet was South Island MP Penny Simmonds, who had held portfolios outside of Cabinet this term.
Prompted by the resignations of ministers Judith Collins and Shane Reti, the reshuffle didn’t feature promotions for minister outside Cabinet James Meager, nor Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd, who both had been highlighted by commentators as two with rising influence.
Other significant shifts included Simeon Brown taking the energy portfolio from Simon Watts; Luxon saying he wanted a senior minister handling energy given its current prominence. Watts, the North Shore MP, received Brown’s Auckland portfolio.
Luxon elevated two new MPs to ministerial roles, giving Upper Harbour MP Cameron Brewer Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and Small Business. He also made Wairarapa MP Mike Butterick the Minister for Land Information and an Associate Agriculture Minister.
The reshuffle concludes what has been a tumultuous week for Luxon and National after reports of Sunday meetings involving Luxon and senior ministers triggered leadership speculation.
Ahead of Luxon’s announcement, the Herald reported Beehive sources who said Bishop was unhappy with the outcome of the reshuffle.
Luxon, speaking to reporters from Parliament, said he’d had a “positive conversation” with Bishop about his roles on Wednesday night, claiming the changes were to manage Bishop’s “massive workload”.
Confronted by reporters afterwards, Bishop stood by Luxon’s decision.
“I see it as the Prime Minister doing what needs to be done in relation to the changes that are made.
“I love being the campaign chair and it is a role I enjoyed doing. But it is fine. I have plenty of things to do.”
He said the campaign planning was a “wee way along”, but it was only April and the campaign “isn’t until September, October, November”.
Bishop did welcome taking over Collins’ role as Attorney-General, which he confessed had been on his “wish list” for his time in politics.
Brown, the Pakuranga MP and one of the party’s more conservative voices, would become National’s new campaign chair, which is a central role in the party’s election campaign planning.
Brown wouldn’t say if he had requested the role, stating he had accepted Luxon’s offer.
He wouldn’t divulge whether he attended a meeting at Luxon’s house on Sunday or the nature of the meeting, refusing to answer if anyone had told Luxon he was losing support but said he had “never been part of a conversation where that has been said to our Prime Minister”.
Simmonds’ elevation to Cabinet hadn’t been picked by many, particularly given she was stripped of the disability issues portfolio over her handling of disability funding changes. She had remained a minister outside of Cabinet holding the environment and tertiary education portfolios.
Asked how she had achieved her promotion, Simmonds responded: “Well, have you not been looking at what’s been happening in the vocational education sector?
“All the polytechnics are back and being stood up again, the industry skills board so we’ve done a lot.”
Brewer and Butterick were the only two National MPs from the 2023 intake to be given ministerial portfolios.
Asked what set him and Butterick apart from his backbench colleagues, Brewer initially said he didn’t know before expanding on his engagement with business.
“With me, I’ve had experience in business advocacy in Auckland, I’ve got some good contacts there and some good networks.
“I want to get out on the shop floor, so to speak, over the next six months and really ensure that business, their wants and needs, are reflected here in Wellington.”
Asked a similar question, Butterick referenced the caucus’ “diversity of lived experience” before saying: “We’re very much part of a team and it’s the team ultimately that matters.”
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson described Luxon’s reshuffle as “shifting deck chairs around on a sinking Titanic”.
“So, you know, a bit of a shallow takings and pickings there, we’re more interested in reshuffling the entire Government out.”
Jamie Ensor is the NZ Herald’s chief political reporter, based in the press gallery at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. He was a finalist in 2025 for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.