The New Zealand National Party's Senior Whip administers the "whipping in" system that tries to ensure that party MPs attend and vote according to the party leadership's wishes. The position is elected by the National caucus members. The Senior Whip also acts as an intermediary between the backbenchers and the party leadership. Whenever National is in government the senior whip serves as the Chief Government Whip and when out of government serves as Chief Opposition Whip.
All National whips have been members of the House of Representatives, with none coming from the Legislative Council before its abolition in 1950.
The current whips are Stuart Smith (MP for Kaikōura—senior whip), appointed 4 March 2025, and Suze Redmayne (MP for Rangitīkei—junior whip) and Dana Kirkpatrick (MP for East Coast—third whip), appointed 5 December 2023.
List The following is a list of all senior whips of the National Party:
No.NamePortraitElectorateTerm of office 1 Bert Kyle 14 May 1936 12 March 1941 2 Walter Broadfoot 12 March 1941 13 December 1949 3 Andy Sutherland Hauraki 2 March 1950 4 October 1954 4 Geoff Gerard 24 November 1954 8 February 1957 5 Ernest Aderman 8 February 1957 21 January 1958 (4) Geoff Gerard 21 January 1958 12 December 1960 6 Jack Scott 16 February 1961 20 December 1963 7 Jack George 10 June 1964 11 February 1967 8 Alfred E. Allen 11 February 1967 5 February 1970 9 Harry Lapwood 5 February 1970 11 July 1974 10 Richard Harrison 11 July 1974 22 January 1976 11 Bill Birch 22 January 1976 1 February 1979 12 Tony Friedlander 1 February 1979 2 February 1982 13 Don McKinnon 2 February 1982 29 July 1987 14 Robin Gray 16 September 1987 6 September 1990 15 Jeff Grant 28 November 1990 23 September 1993 16 John Carter 30 November 1993 3 April 1995 17 Roger Sowry 3 April 1995 12 October 1996 (16) John Carter 19 December 1996 9 August 2004 18 Simon Power 9 August 2004 17 September 2005 19 Lindsay Tisch 11 October 2005 5 December 2006 20 Anne Tolley 5 December 2006 13 February 2008 21 Nathan Guy 13 February 2008 15 June 2009 22 Chris Tremain 16 June 2009 13 December 2011 23 Michael Woodhouse List MP 20 December 2011 28 January 2013 24 Louise Upston 29 January 2013 7 October 2014 25 Tim Macindoe 20 October 2014 2 May 2017 26 Jami-Lee Ross 2 May 2017 20 March 2018 27 Barbara Kuriger 20 March 2018 10 November 202028Matt DooceyWaimakariri10 November 20207 December 202129Chris PenkKaipara ki Mahurangi7 December 20215 December 202330Scott SimpsonCoromandel5 December 20234 March 202531Stuart SmithKaikōura4 March 2025Incumbent
See also Senior Whip of the Labour Party Senior Whip of the Liberal Party
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