The New Zealand National Party leadership election was an election for the National leadership position in 2001.

Background

In October 2001, after months of speculation, Jenny Shipley resigned as leader of the National Party after being told she no longer had the support of the party

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

. Bill English was elected as her replacement unopposed (with Roger Sowry as his deputy), and consequently became

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

. However, he did not openly organise against Shipley, and according to '' The Southland Times'' "there was almost an element of 'aw, shucks, I'll do it then' about Mr English's ascension". Aged 39 when he was elected, English became the second-youngest leader in the National Party's history, after Jim McLay (who was 38 when elected in 1984). He also became only the third Southlander to lead a major New Zealand political party, after Joseph Ward and Adam Hamilton.Graeme Hunt, "Death in the afternoon – how the might fall", ''National Business Review'', 12 October 2001. Retrieved from Factiva, 13 December 2016.

References

{{NZ National Party 2001 elections in New Zealand

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

October 2001 events in New Zealand New Zealand National Party leadership election