An election for the parliamentary leadership of the New Zealand National Party took place in the National Party parliamentary caucus on 22 May 2020. Todd Muller and Nikki Kaye stood against the existing leader Simon Bridges and his deputy leader Paula Bennett following poor polling results. Muller and Kaye won the votes and became the new leader and deputy leader respectively.
Background
After the National Party lost the 2017 election, its leader Bill English resigned and Simon Bridges won the leadership election in February 2018. Bridges had promised a "generational refresh" of a National Party in Opposition for the first time in almost a decade. Under Bridges' leadership, National continued to poll between 40% and 45% and on some polls was projected to be able to form a government with the support of ACT New Zealand. However, Bridges' personal popularity remained well below that of Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern. Despite this, he saw off an apparent challenge for the leadership made by Judith Collins in April 2019, although a leadership election was never called (Collins would later go on to win the leadership after Todd Muller). In September 2020, the National-supporting political commentator Matthew Hooton alleged that at this time Collins had formed a leadership ticket with Todd Muller, but they had been unable to gather sufficient support to remove Bridges.
Bridges' judgement was questioned throughout his leadership. Among other incidents, he received criticism for describing National MP Jami-Lee Ross as having "embarrassing" personal health problems ahead of Ross quitting to become an independent MP and for describing a National Party staffer as "junior" and "emotional" when he deleted, in the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings, an anti-migration petition that was hosted on the Party's website. In April 2020, during New Zealand's COVID-19 pandemic, Bridges published a long Facebook post criticising the Government's response to COVID-19. The post attracted more than 25,000 comments, most of them negative. Opinion polling would show that most New Zealanders supported the Government's decision to implement a nationwide stay-at-home order and the Government's economic response. Bridges also received some criticism for choosing to drive weekly between his home in Tauranga and Parliament to chair the Epidemic Response Committee, which was meeting virtually over Zoom.
On 18 May 2020, four months before the next general election, a poll was released in which 56.5% of those surveyed would vote for Labour, compared with 30.6% for National. The same poll reported that 59.5% of those surveyed preferred Labour's leader Jacinda Ardern for prime minister, whereas Simon Bridges was preferred by only 4.5%. This was the first public poll since the COVID-19 pandemic reached New Zealand, and Labour had seen widespread support for its actions in the pandemic including from National supporters.
By 19 May, media were reporting on a challenge to Bridges' leadership, citing comments from anonymous National MPs. The same day, Muller said he had no leadership ambitions and wasn't interested in the job. However, on 20 May Muller confirmed in an email to National MPs that he would mount a challenge for the National Party leadership. Later that day the party announced that the vote would be held on 22 May.
Former National Party president Michelle Boag said that the poll was not the only reason for the leadership challenge, describing it as the "catalyst" but saying that there had been "months and months, and sometimes years, of [National] MPs having negative feedback about their leader, not only from party members but from constituents." Some National MPs told reporters that a leadership challenge by Muller had been "brewing for a while."
Muller arrived in Wellington on 21 May in order to talk with National MPs one-on-one. When asked whether Nikki Kaye was his running mate for the deputy position, he refused to comment, saying "all conversations about leadership should stay within caucus". Kaye also refused to confirm she was Muller's running mate. That night, another poll was released which had Labour at 59% and National at 29%. In this poll, which was conducted from 16 to 20 May, Bridges received 5% support as preferred prime minister, while Muller received 0.2%.
National MPs arrived at Parliament on the morning of 22 May for an emergency caucus meeting to be held at midday, many having flown into Wellington that morning. Very few would indicate which way they intended to vote, and the vote was a secret ballot.