Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Rangitīkei MP Ian McKelvie undecided on National Party preferred leader

Laurel Stowell
By Laurel Stowell
Reporter·Whanganui Chronicle·
21 May, 2020 05:03 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Whanganui MP Harete Hipango and Rangitīkei MP Ian McKelvie will help decide the National Party leadership today. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui MP Harete Hipango and Rangitīkei MP Ian McKelvie will help decide the National Party leadership today. Photo / Bevan Conley

When the National Party meets today to vote on its leadership, Rangitīkei MP Ian McKelvie says he will arrive with an open mind.

McKelvie said a leadership struggle was "unusual" and "unfortunate" and not the fun part of politics.

The race to be leader of the Opposition appears to be between incumbent Simon Bridges and MP for Bay of Plenty Todd Muller.

McKelvie said he was not yet sure who he'd vote for and said both were "pretty amazing people".

"I have no idea how it will go. I don't think it's clear cut at all," McKelvie said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We've got to come out of it united, with a strong focus on what we can do for New Zealand."

McKelvie said MPs had not met face to face for a while but there had been a lot of phonecalls going around the caucus, in the lead-up to the leadership challenge.

Muller is in his second term in Parliament and is National's agriculture spokesman.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Bridges is the MP for Tauranga and in his fourth term in Parliament. He became National's leader after Bill English stepped down in February 2018.

McKelvie said Bridges had had a tough eight weeks with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern "very prominently out there" during the Covid-19 response.

Discover more

Environment

Ian McKelvie: Let's celebrate our farmers, not condemn them

21 Aug 05:00 PM

National leader Simon Bridges talks Velodrome, the port and infrastructure

24 Jan 04:00 PM

Ian McKelvie: The Racing Industry Reform Bill

11 Feb 04:00 PM

Whanganui MP tested for Covid-19

13 Apr 05:01 PM

"It's very difficult for someone leading a political party in opposition anywhere in the world," he said.

For Whanganui MP Chester Borrows said there were no rules for how a leadership struggle is conducted - except that the challenger had to nominate themselves.

After that someone will make phonecalls and "do the numbers" - get the names of their supporters. People who are undecided may get calls from all the parties in contention.

Borrows is guessing that Bridges will not step aside.

"Simon Bridges is a bit of a scrapper, and I doubt if he is going to make too many concessions," Borrows said. "I'm assuming it will probably come down to a vote."

Loyalties on the day are remembered, Borrows said, and those who vote against the leader may be "cast into the outer darkness" for some time.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

What's intriguing Borrows about this contest is that Judith Collins, the National Party "elder statesman" most often mentioned in preferred prime minister polls, is not taking part.

"She always plays a very close game."

He's guessing Collins thinks she will have a better chance at leadership next election.

Current Whanganui MP Harete Hipango was contacted for comment.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

04 Jul 06:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Work begins on key phase of port project

04 Jul 06:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Pop star to speak on new book at Whanganui Literary Fest

04 Jul 04:57 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

04 Jul 06:00 PM

'We want to take a very detailed specific look at what Whanganui needs' – Chris Bishop.

Work begins on key phase of port project

Work begins on key phase of port project

04 Jul 06:00 PM
Pop star to speak on new book at Whanganui Literary Fest

Pop star to speak on new book at Whanganui Literary Fest

04 Jul 04:57 PM
Premium
Gardening: Pruning deciduous fruit trees and roses

Gardening: Pruning deciduous fruit trees and roses

04 Jul 04:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP