For other uses, see Judith Collins (disambiguation).
The Honourable
Judith Collins
KCMP
Collins in 2023
34th Attorney-General of New Zealand
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2023
Prime Minister
Christopher Luxon
Preceded by
David Parker
43rd Minister of Defence
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2023
Prime Minister
Christopher Luxon
Preceded by
Andrew Little
Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2023
Prime Minister
Christopher Luxon
Preceded by
Andrew Little
Minister Responsible for the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2023
Prime Minister
Christopher Luxon
Preceded by
Andrew Little
3rd Minister for Digitising Government
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2023
Prime Minister
Christopher Luxon
Preceded by
Ginny Andersen
28th Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2023
Prime Minister
Christopher Luxon
Preceded by
Ayesha Verrall
1st Minister for Space
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2023
Prime Minister
Christopher Luxon
Preceded by
Office established
Offices held in Opposition 2020–2021
39th Leader of the Opposition
In office 14 July 2020 – 25 November 2021
Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern
Deputy
Gerry Brownlee
Shane Reti
Preceded by
Todd Muller
Succeeded by
Christopher Luxon
14th Leader of the National Party
In office 14 July 2020 – 25 November 2021
Deputy
Gerry Brownlee
Shane Reti
Preceded by
Todd Muller
Succeeded by
Christopher Luxon
Ministerial Offices 2008–2017
29th Minister of Revenue
In office 20 December 2016 – 26 October 2017
Prime Minister
Bill English
Preceded by
Michael Woodhouse
Succeeded by
Stuart Nash
16th Minister of Energy and Resources
In office 20 December 2016 – 26 October 2017
Prime Minister
Bill English
Preceded by
Simon Bridges
Succeeded by
Megan Woods
Minister for Ethnic Affairs
In office 20 December 2016 – 26 October 2017
Prime Minister
Bill English
Preceded by
Sam Lotu-Iiga
Succeeded by
Jenny Salesa
In office 14 December 2011 – 30 August 2014
Prime Minister
John Key
Preceded by
Hekia Parata
Succeeded by
Sam Lotu-Iiga
35th Minister of Police
In office 14 December 2015 – 20 December 2016
Prime Minister
John Key Bill English
Preceded by
Michael Woodhouse
Succeeded by
Paula Bennett
In office 19 November 2008 – 12 December 2011
Prime Minister
John Key
Preceded by
Annette King
Succeeded by
Anne Tolley
9th Minister of Corrections
In office 14 December 2015 – 20 December 2016
Prime Minister
John Key Bill English
Preceded by
Sam Lotu-Iiga
Succeeded by
Louise Upston
In office 19 November 2008 – 12 December 2011
Prime Minister
John Key
Preceded by
Phil Goff
Succeeded by
Anne Tolley
47th Minister of Justice
In office 12 December 2011 – 30 August 2014
Prime Minister
John Key
Preceded by
Simon Power
Succeeded by
Amy Adams
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Papakura
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 November 2008
Preceded by
John Robertson (1996)
Majority
13,519
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Clevedon
In office 27 July 2002 – 8 November 2008
Preceded by
Warren Kyd (1996)
Succeeded by
Constituency abolished
Majority
12,871 (34.9%)
Personal details
Born
Judith Anne Collins
(1959-02-24) 24 February 1959 (age 65) Hamilton, New Zealand
Political party
National Party (1999–present)
Spouse
David Wong-Tung
Children
1
Alma mater
University of Canterbury (LLB)
University of Auckland
(LLM) (MTaxS)
Signature
Judith Anne CollinsKC MP (born 24 February 1959) is a New Zealand politician who has served as the attorney-general and minister of defence since 27 November 2023. She previously served as the leader of the Opposition and leader of the New Zealand National Party from 14 July 2020 to 25 November 2021.[1] Collins has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Papakura since 2008 and was MP for Clevedon from 2002 to 2008.[2]
Born in Hamilton, Collins studied at Matamata College, the University of Canterbury and University of Auckland. Before entering politics, Collins worked as a commercial lawyer and was President of the Auckland District Law Society and Vice-President of the New Zealand Law Society. She was a solicitor for four different firms from 1981 and 1990, before running her own practice for a decade. She was a director of Housing New Zealand from 1999 to 2001 and worked as special counsel for Minter Ellison Rudd Watts from 2000 to 2002 before she entered Parliament at the 2002 election.
Collins was appointed to the Cabinet by Prime Minister John Key when the National Party entered government at the 2008 election. She was ranked fifth in the Cabinet and the highest-ranked woman. Collins served as minister of police and minister of corrections from 2008 to 2011 and 2015 to 2016. After the 2011 election, she was appointed minister of justice and minister for the ACC. In August 2014 Collins was compelled to resign following email leaks alleging she had undermined the head of the Serious Fraud Office whilst she was police minister. While she was not cleared of wrongdoing related to that incident, she returned to the Cabinet in 2015.[3]
Collins served under Prime Minister Bill English as minister of revenue and minister of energy and resources from 2016 to 2017.
After the National Party left government in the 2017 election, Collins served in several shadow portfolios. She was elected to succeed Todd Muller as National Party leader by the parliamentary caucus on 14 July 2020, becoming leader of the Opposition. She was the second female leader of the National Party, after Jenny Shipley. She led the party to its second-worst defeat in the party's history at the 2020 election, losing 23 seats. Collins was removed as leader of the National Party by its caucus on 25 November 2021,[4] the day after she suddenly demoted Simon Bridges, a political rival, for allegations of making a since-resolved inappropriate comment in 2017.[5] Following National's victory in the 2023 election, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon appointed Collins to Cabinet; she holds seven ministerial posts.
As the current longest continuously serving female MP, Collins is considered the Mother of the House.[6]
^"Live: Judith Collins ousted from National leadership after 499 days". 25 November 2021.
^"Hon Judith Collins MP for Papakura". National. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
^Hager, Nicky (14 July 2020). "Press advisory on Judith Collins and the book Dirty Politics | Scoop News". Scoop.co.nz. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
^Cooke, Henry (25 November 2021). "Judith Collins ousted from National leadership, vote to replace her next week". Stuff. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
^Cooke, Henry (24 November 2021). "Simon Bridges demoted by Judith Collins over alleged historical comments to a female colleague". Stuff. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
^"Members of Parliament – Longest, shortest, oldest, youngest". New Zealand Parliamentary Service. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
Judith Anne Collins KC MP (born 24 February 1959) is a New Zealand politician who has served as the attorney-general and minister of defence since 27...
Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning seven decades. An Academy Award-nominated...
On 24 November 2021, Bridges was sacked from the shadow cabinet of JudithCollins, who cited a crude comment he made to fellow MP Jacqui Dean in 2016...
November 2021, after a party crisis caused the removal of previous leader JudithCollins. He led his party to a plurality of seats at the 2023 general election...
represented in Parliament in New Zealand's history, being replaced by JudithCollins. Bishop was promoted to the front bench as 7th in caucus, retaining...
leader – and the prospect of JudithCollins also lurks in the background. Sadler, Rachel (14 July 2020). "JudithCollins announced as new National Party...
of Justice, JudithCollins, on advice from the police, the Solicitor-General and High Court Judge Robert Fisher. Following JudithCollins' resignation...
advanced aviation in New Zealand. The current Minister for Space is JudithCollins of the National Party. In October 2023, National party leader Christopher...
community. On 12 January, Foreign Minister Peters and Defence Minister JudithCollins expressed New Zealand's support for Anglo-American airstrikes against...
role as matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (and ancestors Naomi Collins, JudithCollins, Flora Collins, and Flora Collins PT) in the gothic 1960s soap...
her to the portfolio of Ethnic Affairs, given the heavy workload of JudithCollins as the newly appointed Minister of Justice. In January 2014, Lee was...
lengthy history of correspondence between Slater and Justice Minister JudithCollins that eventually contributed to her resignation as a Minister. In response...
Zealand Labour Party as a "woke guilt industry". Then–opposition leader JudithCollins also referred to Ardern as "woke". At the 2024 Queensland local government...
election was held on 30 November 2021 following the removal of leader JudithCollins in a vote of no confidence on 25 November 2021. Deputy leader Shane...
Karlen), and older sister JudithCollins (Joan Bennett). He was the grandson of the matriarch of Collinwood, Edith Collins (Isabella Hoopes). He had loved...
15 August 2022. "National reshuffle: Luxon promotes former leaders JudithCollins, Todd Muller". The New Zealand Herald. 19 January 2023. Archived from...
vote. In the November 2020 caucus reshuffle, led by National's leader JudithCollins, Brown was admitted to the Shadow Cabinet, ranking 20 on the National...
replacement JudithCollins left Willis at the same ranking, but with Muller's departure she automatially joined the front bench as 13th in caucus. Collins also...
anonymity, described Muller in contrast to Bridges as a "pale, stale male". JudithCollins, a Bridges rival, and senior MP Gerry Brownlee joined Muller at his...
he can f**k a whole country at once". JudithCollins said her office asked Penk to take down the tweet. Collins said "It's just simply inappropriate,...
led to her ranking being promoted from 25 under the Shadow Cabinet of JudithCollins to 7 under the Shadow Cabinet of Christopher Luxon. During the 2023...
" — Anna Lorck "Hey Judith, it's not that bad. Raise an eyebrow, to show you're glad." — Jono and Ben (in a song to JudithCollins) "No, it's a f***ing...
election in a landslide victory against the National Party, led by JudithCollins. Labour won 65 seats, enough for a majority government. It is the first...
including a period of five days as interim leader following the ousting of JudithCollins. Born in Hamilton in 1963, Reti is of Māori descent, and has tribal...
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and Police and Corrections Minister JudithCollins also announced their intention to seek the leadership, but dropped out...
Global Information
