Backroom new broom sweeps in as National party president

By VERNON SMALL deputy political editor

National has swapped high-profile public relations manager Michelle Boag for a self-confessed backroom player as its new president.

Judy Kirk, 49, was elected by the party's management board on Saturday and will hold the post until the annual conference next year.

Ms Boag announced her resignation on Friday, shortly before an internal review of the disastrous general election result was presented to the party.

She said she had decided to resign whatever was in the report. She had not seen it.

Her replacement said yesterday that her priority was to build a strong platform for the next election campaign.

"I am very much an organisational person. I'll be looking to go into the backroom if you like, down into the engine room."

Judy Kirk would not comment on the election review, which is being kept closely guarded. National director-general Allan Johnston said the board would be "communicating with the party" before making any comment.

National gleaned just 20.93 per cent of the party vote at the election, giving it 27 MPs in the new Parliament - 12 fewer than in 1999.

Key elements of the review are expected to be an analysis of the failure to push for the crucial party vote, policy and the weak television advertising campaign.

Sources said there was a perception the party had "failed MMP 101" by allowing candidates, who often had no chance of winning an electorate, to press only for the personal vote on their billboards.

But one National source said "party vote National" stickers were prepared for the final weeks of the campaign but "in many cases they weren't put up on billboards".

Judy Kirk spent election night in the Coromandel seat, where Sandra Goudie's victory over Green co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons was a rare bright spot on a bleak night for National.

Judy Kirk said Coromandel was "a really good module, because everything went right there.

"We have put together a document on how we did that. I am going to be working hard with the electorates on those things that we need to put in place now, and I mean straightaway. Of course the party vote campaign is crucial."

She would meet leader Bill English and Mr Johnston today and attend caucus tomorrow before a round of talks with regional party groups.

Yesterday she had not made up her mind whether to seek re-election next year.



A member of National for 22 years, Judy Kirk has chaired the Central North Island region of the party for two and a half years and been an electorate secretary for 18 years.

For the first 12 of those she worked for National MP Roger McClay, who is now the Commissioner for Children. For the last six years she has worked for MP Georgina te Heuheu.

Brought up in Wairoa, she went to secondary school at Iona College in Havelock North.

From there she went nursing in Hastings before getting married and having children.

She remarried 12 years ago, to Roger Kirk, a Taupo building contractor.

They live on a lifestyle block north of Taupo.

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