National Party MP Paula Bennett will bow out of politics at the election and venture into the "business world". Her decision follows last month's leadership change in the National Party after Todd Muller and Nikki Kaye rolled Simon Bridges and Bennett. Bennett summed up her rise in politics, from "a 17-year-old solo mum who dropped out of school ended up being Deputy Prime Minister of this country". She was "open to opportunities" in the business world and did not have anything specific lined up at this stage. She was not the stereotypical National Party MP – her own background was a solo mum on a benefit.

Source: Otago Daily Times June 28, 2020 23:26 UTC