Dirty Politics author doubts Judith Collins will 'change her spots' as she steps up to lead National

July 15, 2020

The new leader has worn a wide range of ministerial hats but she's also been caught up in numerous scandals.

Dirty Politics author Nicky Hager doubts Judith Collins will “change her spots” as she steps up to become National leader after a long career in politics. 

The National Party stalwart and Papakura MP has been in Parliament since 2002 and has been caught up in numerous scandals. 

She was a key player in the 2014 dirty politics saga.

It was alleged at the time she was involved in a smear campaign against former Serious Fraud boss Adam Feeley after an email emerged which appeared to show a link to her. 

“What she was doing was feeding leaks and gossip to Cameron Slater and it was being used to attack her opponents,” Mr Hager said.

“The most nasty things were against her opponents inside the National Party.

“I very much doubt she's going to change her spots."

Also in 2014, she was accused of a conflict of interest over undeclared meetings with Oravida bosses and a Chinese border official on a taxpayer-funded trip.

Speaking about Oravida on TVNZ1’s Q+A last month, Ms Collins said the situation didn’t end up being about Oravida’s business, but about meat exports “that had been messed up by, basically, officials”. 

The meetings occurred after there were difficulties exporting milk to China in the wake of the Fonterra botulism food poisoning false alarm.

At the time, Ms Collins said she regretted the Oravida visit but denied she had helped the company with its exporting issues and said she didn’t know about it.

Ms Collins came into Parliament in 2002 with crime on her mind

The new National leader spoke about having been the focus of Nicky Hager's Dirty Politics book six years ago.

“Sort out the criminal gangs, the gangs that manufacture the meth, the gangs, the youth street gangs, the gangs,” Ms Collins said at the time.

She gained her famous moniker “Crusher” after targeting boy racers’ cars.

“Every new offence will now bring them closer to the crusher,” she said in 2009.

She’s worn numerous ministerial hats, including police, corrections and ACC.

Fast-forward to 2020, after numerous runs at leadership, the party’s given her the reins.

And Ms Collins isn’t dwelling on the past either, telling TVNZ1’s Breakfast this morning her memoir was a “much more positive book” than Mr Hager’s Dirty Politics. 

Yesterday, she reflected on her "remarkable" journey from a Labour voter to leader of the opposition.

Ms Collins was tonight elected to replace Todd Muller in charge of National.

In the lead up to this year’s election, Ms Collins said the difference between her and New Zealand's current Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was her own "experience, toughness and ability to make decisions".

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