National MP Nuk Korako is standing down as National Party MP and plans to retire.
Korako entered Parliament in 2014 as a list MP, contesting Ruth Dyson in Port Hills, Christchurch.
Dyson announced her retirement in March and will leave at the next election after 27 years in parliament.
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- 'Emotional staffer' who deleted migration petition from National website claims Bridges lied to media
Korako's resignation comes at a time of unrest within the National Party caucus with several MPs unhappy at how Simon Bridges dealt with the issue of 'an emotional junior staffer'.
The National Party leader blamed the staffer for deleting a UN migration pact petition from the National Party website the night of the Christchurch massacre. The UN migration pact had become a rallying cry for the far right in Europe and was referenced on the killer's gun.
It was later revealed the staff member had worked for National for six years. He is now embroiled in an employment dispute.
Korako is the MP behind a Member's Bill that would give airports more flexibility over how they advertise lost property.
In early 2017, Korako was forced to apologise after he said a family member sent a series of tweets from his account attacking people who had criticised him. They include a tweet saying "was sitting on the wharepaku dropping the kind of stuff you and your mates put on twitter".
Bridges thanked Korako for his service to the National Party on Monday. He said the National MP was "instrumental as chair of the National Party Māori Caucus in developing Māori capability within the National Party".
Who is Paulo Garcia?
The next on National's list to be an MP is Paulo Garcia, who wants to be the party's first Filippino candidate.
A proud Catholic, Garcia does not believe in abortion and last year said his "traditional" values would help him win over people in west Auckland's New Lynn.
A lawyer by profession, Garcia became a member of the National Party in 2014 and has said education would be high on his agenda.
The father-of-four has said he believes sexual intercourse is about procreation and that same-sex couples would face difficulty in raising children.
He once worked as a consul general for the Filipino embassy.
In February last year, Garcia, along with a handful of list candidates next in line to join Parliament under National, was invited to the National Party's annual caucus retreat in Tauranga.
There, he joined Maureen Pugh who became a list MP a month later after former Prime Minister Bill English resigned from Parliament.
Newshub.
