Judith Collins says Saturday's massive election defeat is a good opportunity for The National Party to show its character.
Speaking to The AM Show on Monday, Collins said she hadn't "at all" considered resigning as the party's leader following its landslide loss to Labour.
National registered just 26.8 percent of the vote compared to Labour's 49.
"Adversity is a good opportunity to show character and I think The National Party's just picking itself up, dusting ourselves off and off we go," the National leader said.
According to Collins, The National Party needs stability following the loss and she doesn't believe she will be replaced as leader.
Collins described being Opposition leader as "not the prized job in Parliament" and being asked to take on the role late in the piece - following Todd Muller's shock resignation in July.
She revealed that when she took over as leader, she believed the party was "down the bottom of the 20s" in polling.
That lifted to 31.1 percent in a Newshub-Reid Research Poll released on Friday - the day before the election - but dropped back to the mid-20s in the actual result.
"We were doing really well when the second COVID lockdown came - all of a sudden, people are just thinking about COVID," Collins said.
She said she knew being an Opposition leader would be the "job from hell" when she accepted the role but felt she "owed it to the party".
"If I didn't take up the mantle at that stage then I didn't ever deserve to have ever put my hand up."
As a result of the election, 12 National MPs have lost their jobs. The party will now undertake a review as it looks to rebuild.
