It’s been quite a year for the National Party, from leadership changes galore to a disastrous election result.
But, it wasn’t all downhill all year.
National started off the year almost tasting victory, with then-leader Simon Bridges already ruling out New Zealand First and its leader Winston Peters as a coalition partner after the election.
The party had every reason to be confident; the first 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll placed them at a steady 46 per cent of party support.
But then the Covid-19 lockdown happened.
Bridges was left hosting the Epidemic Response Committee over Zoom while millions tuned in to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s daily 1pm briefings.
The polls went downhill from there. Soon enough, the relatively unknown Todd Muller was leader — for 53 days.
Mr Muller shocked colleagues by announcing he was standing down as National’s leader, having rolled Simon Bridges in May.
MP Hamish Walker and former National Party president Michelle Boag leaked the private information of Covid-19 cases to the media.
Judith Collins then took on the reins as leader.
Numerous resignations followed, including veterans Paula Bennett, Amy Adams and Nikki Kaye.
Then Andrew Falloon sent sexual images to a 19-year-old woman. Collins sent him packing.
As National entered the election, Paul Goldsmith made an “irritating mistake” that left a $4 billion error in National’s fiscal election plan. After the election, he took on the education and workforce portfolio, with the finance role now split between Andrew Bayly and Michael Woodhouse.
The party had based their projected debt target on older figures - a mistake which Labour's Grant Robertson pointed out.
Things went pear-shaped on Auckland's Ponsonby Rd soon after, with National setting up its supporters to pose as members of the public.
On election night the chickens came home to roost.
National’s 2020 culminated in 26 per cent of the party vote, cutting many political careers short.
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