Phil Heatley to retire from politics next year

National MP for Whangarei and former Cabinet Minister Phil Heatley. Photo / Michael Cunningham

National MP for Whangarei and former Cabinet Minister Phil Heatley says he will retire from politics at next year's election.

Mr Heatley replaced John Banks as the National Party's MP for Whangarei in 1999 and has been re-elected with healthy majorities in the four general elections since.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of being an MP and a Cabinet Minister. It has been an honour to serve the people of Whangarei, the place of my birth, since 1999," he said in a statement.

"As an MP and Cabinet Minister I've achieved much locally and nationally. At 46, it's now time to move on to fresh challenges and opportunities in the private sector."

Mr Heatley became a Cabinet Minister in 2008 with the housing and fisheries portfolios, but stood down from his ministerial posts in 2010 before returning 34 days later after being cleared of any intentional wrongdoing over the misuse of his ministerial credit card.

He had signed an expense claim for a dinner when, in fact, the $70 charge was for bottles of wine at a National Party function.

In January Mr Heatley was stripped of his Energy and Resources and Housing ministerial portfolios in a Cabinet reshuffle.