New Zealand First MP Andrew Williams has been left off the party list for this year's election and has quit the party.
Asenati Lole-Taylor has also dropped down the list, and Carterton Mayor and former MP Ron Mark placed at ninth.
Williams, who was third on the party's 2011 list, no longer features on the 25-strong candidate list released today.
Controversial Lole-Taylor, who had been eighth on the list, is now at 16 and unlikely to make it back into Parliament based on current polling.
She told NZ Newswire she had expected to be even lower.
"I guess maybe I should consider it a promotion," she said.
"It's disappointing but that's life in politics - it's hardly ever nice."
Party president Anne Martin says the reshuffle is a "balance of experience, youth, skill and ability".
3 News understands Williams, a former North Shore mayor, had been dropped from third to 13th.
He has resigned, but it is unclear whether it is because he was dropped from the list or vice versa.
Williams was not in his electorate office this afternoon, and his secretary did not know he had quit. He has not returned calls for comment.
He has previously said his clashes with Tracey Martin, who was given the position of deputy head of the party ahead of him, could be blamed for his drop on the list.
Meanwhile, Richard Prosser has moved up one spot to third, with a number of new names in the top 10, including Clayton Mitchell, Pita Paraone, Darroch Ball.
NZ First list:
1 Rt. Hon. Winston Peters
2 Tracey Martin
3 Richard Prosser
4 Fletcher Tabuteau
5 Barbara Stewart
6 Clayton Mitchell
7 Denis O’Rourke
8 Pita Paraone
9 Ron Mark
10 Darroch Ball
11 Mahesh Bindra
12 Ria Bond
13 Mataroa Paroro
14 Romuald Rudzki
15 Jon Reeves
16 Asenati Lole- Taylor
17 Brent Catchpole
18 George Abraham
19 Ray Dolman
20 Hugh Barr
21 Anne Degia Pala
22 Steve Campbell
23 Edwin Perry
24 Bill Gudgeon
25 Brent Pierson
3 News
source: newshub archive
