Senior National MPs who might have been nervous about the party's polling have been ranked highly to give them the best shot of returning to Parliament next term.

The party released its full line-up of election candidates on Saturday afternoon, largely preserving the existing hierarchy.

Chris Bishop retained third place on National's list, a fairly safe spot, even if he lost his hold on the marginal Hutt South electorate.

Similarly, Paul Goldsmith, who's unlikely to win Epsom from ACT leader David Seymour, retained his current sixth position in caucus.

Speaker Gerry Brownlee, who's running as a list-only candidate, was boosted to the ninth spot, up from 14th in 2023.

The move stops short of the traditional third ranking sometimes given to Speakers, but makes Brownlee's return likely if National performs near its current polling.

Recent polls put National on about 31 percent, which would secure them about 39 or 40 seats. Political analysts have noted that a strong performance across electorates, however, could leave the party with very few list MPs.

But for Bishop, Goldsmith and Brownlee, the election rankings should provide a degree of protection and comfort.

In line with the party's constitution, leader Christopher Luxon and deputy Nicola Willis took the top two positions. Willis is also reliant on her list spot to return.

The list ranked Simeon Brown fourth, Erica Stanford fifth, Louise Upston seventh and Mark Mitchell eighth. All four of them are expected to win their electorates.

Tama Potaka shot to 11th on the list, up from from 24th in 2023. In contrast, former broadcasting minister Melissa Lee dropped from 13th to 30th.

New faces who have been awarded high rankings include Dale Stephens in Christchurch Central (23), Mahesh Muralidhar in Tamaki (24), Katie Milne in West Coast-Tasman (25) and Angee Nicholas in Henderson (26).

The party highlighted all four candidates in its promotional material, noting Milne's history as a former Federated Farmers president and Stephens' executive experience.

Luxon: 'It's a week in politics for me'

Addressing reporters at Wellington Airport, Luxon said National was "ruthlessly focused" on maximising its party vote.

He said Brownlee's ranking reflected that he was considered a great "kaumātua" or elder in the party.

"He's been in Parliament now for 30 years. We really value Gerry. We think very highly of him."

National's list announcement comes at a difficult point for the governing party, with its support having fallen significantly from the 2023 election.

It also follows a difficult period for Luxon who began the week apologising to small businesses in Rotorua.

He's also been criticised for his inability to discipline his foreign minister Winston Peters, his impromptu call for a referendum on MMP, and his use of Defence Force planes.

Luxon did win some reprieve, with the latest Taxpayers' Union Curia poll predicting the coalition's return to power - and showing a significant drop in support for the current opposition parties.

He batted away questions from reporters about his performance over the past week, saying he was "moving forward" and focused on the campaign ahead.

"It's a week in politics for me," he said.

"I have some good weeks and some challenging weeks."

Luxon played down his impromptu campaign promise for an MMP referendum, saying it was his job as party leader to make decisions in the moment.

"I'm asked to form a judgement on things. I want to be as definitive and clear as I possibly can."

National president Sylvia Wood also defended Luxon's decision to make a policy decision on the fly: "I'm 100 percent fine with that."

Asked whether the board retained confidence in Luxon, Wood replied: "Absolutely."

The full list

1. Christopher Luxon - Botany

2. Nicola Willis - List

3. Chris Bishop - Hutt South

4. Simeon Brown - Pakuranga

5. Erica Stanford - East Coast Bays

6. Paul Goldsmith - Epsom

7. Louise Upston - Taupō

8. Mark Mitchell - Whangaparāoa

9. Gerry Brownlee - List

10. Todd McClay - Rotorua

11. Tama Potaka - Hamilton West

12. Matt Doocey - Waimakariri

13. Simon Watts - North Shore

14. Chris Penk - Kaipara-ki-Mahurangi

15. Penny Simmonds - Invercargill

16. Nancy Lu - List

17. Nicola Grigg - Selwyn

18. James Meager - Rangitata

19. Scott Simpson - Coromandel

20. Cameron Brewer - Upper Harbour

21. Mike Butterick - Wairarapa

22. Stuart Smith - Kaikōura

23. Dale Stephens - Christchurch Central

24. Mahesh Muralidhar - Tāmaki

25. Katie Milne - West Coast-Tasman

26. Angee Nicholas - Henderson

27. Katie Nimon - Napier

28. Tom Rutherford - Bay of Plenty

29. Carl Bates - Whanganui

30. Melissa Lee - Mt Albert

31. Dan Bidois - Northcote

32. Suze Redmayne - Rangitīkei

33. Dana Kirkpatrick - East Cape

34. Carlos Cheung - Mt Roskill

35. Grant McCallum - Northland

36. Ryan Hamilton - Hamilton East

37. Catherine Wedd - Tukituki

38. Tim Costley - Kāpiti

39. Vanessa Weenink - Banks Peninsula

40. Rosemary Bourke - Māngere

41. Blair Cameron - Nelson

42. Kristine Asuncion - Dunedin

43. Barbara Kuriger - Taranaki-King Country

44. Greg Fleming - Maungakiekie

45. Rima Nakhle - Takanini

46. David MacLeod - New Plymouth

47. Miles Anderson - Waitaki

48. Hamish Campbell - Ilam

49. Tim van de Molen - Waikato

50. Joseph Mooney - Southland

51. Sam Uffindell - Tauranga

52. Emma Chatterton - Papakura

53. Ankit Bansal - Palmerston North

54. Matthew French - Taieri

55. Candace Kinser - Auckland Central

56. Coral Raukawa - Te Tai Hauāuru

57. Tracy Summerfield - Wigram

58. Agnes Loheni - Waitakere

59. Lalit Arya - Ōtāhuhu

60. Matthew Evetts - Kenepuru

61. Lloyd Budd - Whangārei

62. Matthew Paul - Port Waikato

63. Sunil Kumar - Glendene

64. Karuna Muthu - Wellington Bays

65. Alexandra Davids - Christchurch East

66. Ghouse Majeed - Manurewa

67. Jonathan Pitts - Wellington North

68. Zabeen Lateef - Remutaka

69. Troy Elliott - List

70. Robin Atwall - List

71. Ash Nayyar - List

72. Maria Sanson - List