National's base sound familiar note on jobs and economic recovery

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The National Party faithful have been severely tested by dysfunction, disunity and a rolling maul of leaders in recent years. Can Judith Collins woo them back? The home of the New Zealand SAS lies on one edge of the sprawling south Auckland electorate that new National Party leader Judith Collins has ruled over since 2002 . And she appears to have adopted the special forces units who dares wins motto as a personal rallying cry since taking over the leadership just weeks out from a general election . After a chaotic week in which Todd Muller resigned seven weeks into the job, there was an exodus of senior MPs including Amy Adams and former deputy leader Nikki Kaye, and amid the lingering stench of Covid-19 patient data leaks, Collins has appeared poised and almost jovial in her steady stream of media appearances . READ MORE: * National MP Nikki Kaye to quit politics at the election * It's back to the past with Collins and Brownlee * The Detail: Who is new National leader Judith Collins? Stuff spoke with two dozen voters in Collins south Auckland powerbase, the rural Waikato town where she grew up, and traditional National-supporting areas in the South Island to gauge voter enthusiasm for a party that has appeared in disarray . While the poll was entirely unscientific, we found Kiwis in blue-leaning areas beyond the Wellington beltway-social media feedback loop are heartened by Collins ascension to the throne she has long coveted. They enjoy that Thatcheresque steel hand in a velvet glove style. And even the shock of three leaders in two months has done little to shake their support, with many expressing a belief that National will be better for jobs and economic recovery. But there are also those who remain wary of Collins history of dabbling in the dark arts . Stretching from the pastures of Clevedon past Ardmore Airport, over the working-class neighbourhoods that hug State Highway 1 as it dips south and on to the well-heeled home of the New Zealand bloodstock industry at Karaka, the Papakura electorate is one of the more demographically diverse in New Zealand. A quarter of voters are Maori, around double the rate across Tamaki Makaurau; an average three-bedroom house will set you back around $640,000, and one in ten households earns more than $150,000 per year . Mary Spencer-Inight has lived in the area for decades and volunteers at the Pick & Choose secondhand store in the Papakura town centre. She met Collins through the local Coastguard and recalls the time that the then-Minister of ACC turned up at an event at the local wharf in high heels, traipsing gingerly along the slippery surface. Id better not slip, had I? Collins said with her trademark mischievous glint. Spencer-Inight had always voted two ticks for National and Collins. But during the brief, tumultuous reign of Todd Muller , she planned to switch to the ACT party, saying she enjoyed David Seymours candour and ideas. However, with Collins in charge, shes firmly back in the National camp. You can tell she will stand no nonsense, says Spencer-Inight. Its unfortunate that they rolled Simon. Muller, I felt sorry for him. He gave me the impression he was very insecure. Why he wanted to be in that position, God will only know. Whereas Judith has got a bit of mongrel. Jacinda has represented us very well on the international stage. But she will have her work cut out for her to keep Judith under control. Amrita Naicker says the political drama of the past few weeks hasnt shaken her support for National. She has run the Halal Island Butcher & Veges shop a few doors down from Collins electorate office for the past year. I just think right now, as a small business owner theres more going for us from National. Naickers husband runs a civil construction firm, and they sponsor a team in the local junior football league. Naicker, who moved to New Zealand 30 years ago, does take issue with Collins over diversity (Collins has said she doesnt think its important to have a racially diverse front bench, but did promote Dr Shane Reti to number 5 on her party list). I think it is important to have a racially diverse leadership team. Everyone has different opinions and comes from different backgrounds. In Collins hometown of Walton in the Waikato, farmers George and Sue Bruce were buzzing at the news. George went to Walton School with Collins and lives just down the road from the family's creamery. We always have voted for National, but she'll definitely get our support, George said. Sue said the change in leadership hadn't been ideal for the party, but she believes Collins was the best person to put the party back in the right direction. We are happy she got the job and we know she will create some form of cohesion in the National Party, something they really need," Sue said. But she won't deal with any nonsense and she will stand up to Jacinda. We like her directness. Somebody strong had to do it." But another Walton resident, Denise Sutherland, has turned her back on National since the leadership change. I was going to go National this year, but I'm not now that Judith's there, said Sutherland, who has lived in Walton for 25 years. I remember she told lots of lies a few years ago. Some people just behave really badly in power, and she's one of those. I was in a bit of doubt with Todd as well, but I thought anyone is better because I'm just not happy with Jacinda any more. Sutherland, who recently lost her job at Inghams Chicken, believes Labour is running the country broke. I'm lost with who to vote for now." Deborah Robinson, from Matamata, said Collins was the best of a bad bunch". I think all the mucking around with leaders is going to make it difficult for them, they've only got about 10 weeks until the elections, so I think it's going to be hard for them to build up again. She is normally a National supporter, but is on the fence this election. "A lot of people are swinging towards Labour at the moment, because of how Jacinda dealt with Covid-19, and National just didn't seem to have a plan. "But now that Collins is in, hopefully something will come out. "She will hold people accountable, and will ask the right questions and put them on the spot. She said she didn't like that National were trying to open the border, and hoped Collins had a different perspective. "Collins is as tough as old boots. Plus she's weathered a few hiccups along the way. Matamata resident Liz Stewart said the new National lineup, with party stalwart Gerry Brownlee as deputy, represented stability and fresh ideas. "We just need someone to move forward, draw a line and get everything going again. "I think Jacinda Ardern has been excellent with the Covid pandemic, having said that I don't think National could have done any worse really, but I don't know if she is the person, or if Labour is the right party to get the country out of the economic hole. In the South Island, the Rangitata electorate, which stretches from Geraldine to Timaru, has been held by National ever since it was established in 2008. With lush green farmland rolling on and on until the foothills of the snowy Southern Alps, the area around Ashburton is true blue country. While Arderns handling of last years mosque attacks and the coronavirus crisis has cut through party lines to cement her popularity, Collins arrival has given mid-Canterburys right-leaning voters cause to sit up and take notice. Im probably a swinging voter but Ill probably vote blue, says Jim Lischner, 69, a retired bank finance manager from Ashburton. The decisions been made for me with Collins going in as leader, Ill certainly be voting for National now with her being leader. And I like Gerry Brownlee. Theyve brought in a group of two people that have actually got experience, and theyll know how the system works, so I like it. She should have been leader before Simon Bridges. Lischner, a father of four originally from Tapanui in Otago, could perhaps be described as something of a Collins fan. I think shes incredibly good, in fact Ive just finished reading her book. Despite the ructions of the last week, Lischner is unchanged in his view of National. I think its actually strengthened, especially with Collins going in. Just off Ashburtons main street, things were quiet in the travel agent where friends Lucy Gilbert and Lauren Stickings work. With international tourism all but extinct, work has been quiet of late, leaving them plenty of time to natter about politics. Like Lischner, the two women their dads are best mates from back home in Darfield have nothing but praise for the way Ardern has handled the crises that have defined her premiership. But that leadership has not been enough to sway them, both intending to tick the box for National though Gilbert backed The Opportunities Party last time. My husband is a dairy farmer, so you can probably see which way my vote is going to go, said Gilbert, 30, who is expecting her first child. It kind of has to, doesnt it. Jethro Palmer, a doctor at Timaru Hospital, was first introduced to National as a young adult growing up in the rural, primary industry-based community of nearby Geraldine, and has been a supporter ever since. His vote is currently undecided for 2020 because of the ever-changing flux of Covid-19 and the need to hear what the parties are promising in response. He feels that the multiple changes in leadership reflect a struggle for unity in the National Party since the retirement of John Key. He said it will be refreshing, and perhaps overdue" to have a woman leading the party and thinks Collins will be a strong voice in opposition to Ardern in the upcoming debates. Timaru business owner Gordon Handy said that although he would normally vote National, after recent events he is unsure who will get his vote this election. I'm pleased to see that there are two women in the running, I think that's good and will make for a clean playing field." He said he didn't think the recent changes in leadership, so close to the election, would concern voters as long as the party comes up with decisive policies reasonably soon. "They need to show leadership, he said. He is "very anti-centralisation" something he has seen quite a push towards in recent times. "I believe the regions need the power to act and the authority to run a region otherwise we'll never get regions right," he said. He said centralisation could mean that discretionary spending is spent in larger urban areas that "make the most noise" and that would be damaging for the community and the economy. "How can the regions grow if they don't get their fair share?" he said. "We need growth, we need businesses, we need the DB Breweries, we need the McCains, we need all these people in the regions. National's position in Timaru is hard to ignore with a looming blue billboard, emblazoned with the face of National MP Andrew Falloon, overlooking the CBD. Footfall in the town, which economists have predicted will emerge strongly from Covid-19, has rapidly picked up in pace since the country entered alert level one. One sunny afternoon this week, Stafford St was full of shoppers and errand-runners chatting with familiar faces, a luxury not afforded just a couple of months ago. Economic recovery and growth are common concerns for those looking ahead to the election in September. One shopper, Mark Herbert, told Stuff he always votes for National, but things were not looking good for the party right now. They're a bit of a broken party, he said. It will really depend on how they perform over the next month." He said of particular importance would be their proposed response to the difficult economic climate caused by the pandemic, border closures, and weeks of business closures. "They need to be strong on manufacturing and growth, growing the economy." He said getting housing right was also going to be really important. Another visitor to the CBD, Brad McLeay, said he'd followed Judith Collins through her 18 years of politics and since she's always said she'd go for leader, he wasn't surprised by this week's announcement. He thought her appointment was positive, but he still hasn't decided which party will get his vote this election. I'm just sitting back and watching the entertainment, he said. Merivale sits on the edge of Christchurchs safest blue seat, Ilam stronghold for the last 24 years of Nationals newly-minted deputy leader, Gerry Brownlee. On Wednesday Georgi Waddy, 57, had nipped into the local mall to run a few errands; a freelance writer and Airbnb host from rural North Canterbury, she has been back in New Zealand for a decade after spending 23 years abroad, now splitting her time between here and Australia. Shes happy to see Collins in the hot seat. It sets the competition, it means theres a horse in the running theres someone to compete against. I think Im more optimistic today than I was yesterday. While her politics lie in the middle of the spectrum, Waddy has voted National since being back and will see how the horses go in the next couple of months before deciding this time around. She is unequivocal in her praise of Arderns leadership amazing empathy, amazing understanding of people but sees the country as being at a turning point. Were in a situation where were unique to the rest of the world, weve got a healthy country, but we need to have a business plan, so really it comes down to who can turn the machine around and get it going again. And while she is yet to decide who that might be, the tumult of the last week has not rocked her. I think its probably been quite a good thing because youre ending up with a stronger group of people with a more centralised idea of where we are going forward. They cant stuff up again, they have to get on with it now. With National trailing badly in the polls it may seem like a mission impossible, but party faithful are ready to follow Collins into battle come September 19.