KEY POINTS:
The story of Katherine Rich's political career is one of huge promise only partly fulfilled. It will forever be a tale of what might have been.
The Dunedin-based list MP has been a shining star on the National benches. Having spent all of her eight or so years
in Parliament in Opposition, she is quitting just as the glittering prize of a Cabinet post is very much in grasp.
Sharp of mind, hard-working, politically smart and aligned far more to the centre than the right, Rich proved that women did not have to fit the ideological stereotype of a Ruth Richardson or a Jenny Shipley to rise up National's ranks and make it on to the front-bench.
Yet, Rich has also been as principled as those two luminaries, most notably standing up to Don Brash over welfare policy and, more recently, refusing to pull her vote for Sue Bradford's anti-smacking bill despite being the only National MP backing the measure.
Rich's decision to put parenting before politics and stand down from Parliament at this year's election is therefore a big loss for National, although, with John Key in charge, not as big a one as would have been the case if Don Brash was still leader.
Rich's more moderate, more youthful image was a valuable antidote to Brash's flintier persona which was a turn-off for female voters.
Labour was quick yesterday to predict her immediate exit from the shadow education portfolio would result in National swinging to the right on schools policy.
However, with Key branding National as a kinder, more compassionate animal, Rich's presence is less essential as a figure of moderation. What is hard to comprehend is why she is going now. With two young children, she feels she cannot do justice to a Cabinet job without cost to them.
Even so, voluntarily making herself surplus to requirements must have been one of the toughest decisions she has faced.
There may have been other factors, such as the wearying two flights' commute from Dunedin to Wellington. There have been persistent rumours of health problems. She skirted questions about that yesterday, saying health had played no part in her decision.
What appears to have been paramount is her unwillingness to compromise the high standards by which she measures her performance. Juggling the demanding job of education minister and parenting would have meant inevitably, her family would have come second.
Rich says she thought things over during the summer holidays. But her predicament had been clearly preying on her mind long before that and intensified as the prospect of a Cabinet post loomed ever closer.
Watching her last year, something seemed amiss. Before Brash sacked her, she had been a stellar performer as National's welfare spokeswoman, producing a top-quality discussion document on welfare reform and exposing the infamous taxpayer-funded $26,000 worldwide hip-hop study tour.
Promoted by Key into the shadow education role, her performance was patchy. While she scored hits on Labour, she had periods when she was invisible. Rich's contribution to the front-bench forum at last year's National Party conference displayed a worrying lack of fresh policy direction.
No-one put the hard word on her to lift her game, however. She has too much respect in the National caucus for that to happen. Instead she put the hard word on herself.
Her decision is clearly the correct one - both for her and her party.
It is understood Key and his deputy, Bill English, made efforts to talk her out of leaving, but without much expectation of success.
Her walking away is the ultimate act of loyalty - one that guarantees Rich the lasting affection of the party she has so faithfully served.
