PHOTO
The Prime Minister is confident nobody other than Chris Penk was involved in a leadership challenge against him, and insists he took "decisive action" to deal with the matter.
Christopher Luxon removed Penk from all of his ministerial portfolios and from Cabinet on Wednesday following a confidence vote in his leadership.
Penk subsequently announced he would not contest his Kaipara ki Mahurangi seat at the election, bringing an end to his nine years in Parliament.
Luxon remains National leader and Prime Minister and on Thursday repeated he has the full support of his caucus.
"I dealt with it very quickly. We had a challenge emerge very quickly, we called a meeting, we dealt with it in-house and we're moving on.
"When a Cabinet minister challenges a leader, then they need to go - and that's what happened."
The result of Wednesday's vote will remain a secret. Luxon said the result was only known by two people, and he was not one of them.
Asked what message the leadership vote sent to the public, Luxon said they would see the party acted quickly.
"I think voters will see we took decisive action. We dealt with it very quickly, and we came out of that meeting very united, very determined to actually make sure and do everything we can to present a very clear set of choices to the New Zealand people."
He had "total confidence" that nobody else was involved in the leadership challenge, but avoided questions on whether he was surprised at Penk's actions, or whether he would face further challenges.
"Guys, I addressed it all yesterday, I'm not going into it."
Two names that had been tipped as challengers ahead of Wednesday's vote have also denied their involvement in any challenge.
Stanford gives full backing to PM
The National MP tipped as a leadership challenger, Erica Stanford, has finally given her full backing to Luxon, having earlier refused to answer the question.
In a statement to RNZ, Stanford on Thursday that Luxon continued to have her full support - "as he always has".
"The caucus is 100% united behind the Prime Minister. As a party we are focused on fixing the basics and building the future for New Zealand."
On Tuesday evening, Stanford met reporters with stony silence at Wellington Airport, as they repeatedly asked her whether she had confidence in Luxon.
Former Cabinet minister Penk has been publicly blamed and punished for the failed coup, but National sources have also connected Stanford to the attempt.
Bishop rejects Penk claim
National MP Chris Bishop has rejected any suggestion Penk was working for him.
"I'm pretty annoyed at some of the rumours going around around that, it is completely unfounded. Chris Penk was acting on his own own cognisance, and you know, it is what it is," he said on Thursday morning.
"Chris Penk launched a leadership challenge that failed. We had a confidence vote in the prime minister's leadership, which he won, I believe, decisively, and we're unified behind him."
Bishop said after "two goes at this" in April and August, the matter had been put to bed, and the caucus was unified behind Luxon.
Earlier on Thursday, political commentator Janet Wilson told RNZ’s Morning Report programme Penk was the "fall guy" and there were senior ministers involved in the challenge.
"I hear [Chris] Bishop is somewhere in there trying to manoeuvre," she said. "When you get that kind of manoeuvring, it's deeply divisive."
Senior minister Mark Mitchell, who has been an effusive backer of Luxon, said whoever had put the numbers out on the result of April's confidence vote "doesn't have a clue what's going on."
April vote
It has been widely reported the result in April was 27-22 in favour of Luxon.
Mitchell said only two people know the result, and in both of their cases he would never question their integrity.
"I don't know what the numbers are, the Prime Minister doesn't know what the numbers are, so these mysterious sources that suddenly know what the numbers are, I would challenge them, in fact, bring the source forward so we can actually have a look at it."
The National Party is now working to find a candidate to replace Penk in the contest for Kaipara ki Mahurangi.
In a one-line statement, the party acknowledged Penk's resignation and the "enormous contribution" he made over the last nine years.
It said a new candidate would be selected in line with the party's rules and constitution.
Chance for Labour?
Labour's candidate, who has only just been selected in the seat, believed he was in with a shout.
Jo Swinburn, who was parachuted into the candidacy in the past three weeks after Labour's previous candidate Tracey-Lee Repia stood down, said Penk's resignation had changed the calculus.
"I am optimistic now - much more so given that Minister Penk has decided not to contest the seat, although, in saying that it is a very blue seat, so there is a lot of work to do," he told RNZ.
