After gaining the leadership, Collins stated that she would formally announce portfolio assignations and the caucus rankings on 16 July. However, she indicated in her first press conference on 14 July that Paul Goldsmith would likely retain the Finance portfolio, suggested in a television interview that ousted deputy leader Nikki Kaye would likely keep the Education portfolio, and stated in her second press conference on 15 July that Shane Reti would replace Michael Woodhouse as Health spokesperson and join the front bench. Ahead of Collins' announcement, Kaye and Amy Adams, who had ranked third and been a key part of the leadership "triangle", announced they would retire at the general election. Adams' retirement was apparently linked to the loss of her COVID-19 recovery portfolio. The full list of party spokespersons was announced on 16 July. Commentators noticed that the departures of senior MPs Kaye and Adams meant that the "minor" reshuffle Collins had foreshadowed was "more substantial" as a result. National's former leaders were ranked highly: Simon Bridges at four, the same rank he had given Collins when he was leader, and Muller at eight. Woodhouse, the former Health spokesperson, was demoted and given the Pike River recovery and regional economic development portfolios. Mark Mitchell, who had contested the leadership against Collins, was also demoted, from ninth to 15th, and lost the Justice portfolio to Bridges. Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis, who are regarded as members of the "liberal wing" of the National Party and were key players in Muller's coup two months earlier, were both promoted and received new roles. Bishop became Shadow Leader of the House; Willis picked up the Education role. These promotions were regarded as replacing the more liberal but departing Kaye and Adams. Another significant promotion was that of first-term MP Harete Hipango who was moved up 21 places and made Shadow Attorney-General. Deputy leaderGerry Brownlee took a new portfolio for COVID-19 Border Response. Adams' drug reform role went to the conservative MP Nick Smith who, other than Collins and Brownlee, is the last remaining member of former Prime Minister John Key's 2008 Cabinet. As in previous National Party portfolio allocations, only MPs contesting the next election are assigned portfolios. The press release issued with most of the changes appears to have been incomplete; the National Party website shows Paulo Garcia holding the Land Information portfolio, Agnes Loheni in an Associate Health role, and Jian Yang in the list of retiring MPs.
Subsequent changes
Under pressure from Collins, the first-term MP for Rangitata, Andrew Falloon, resigned from Parliament on 21 July 2020 after sending sexually explicit text messages to young women. Falloon had been ranked at 35 and was spokesperson for biosecurity, and an associate spokesperson for agriculture, economic development and transport. The National Party website was updated to show that senior whip Barbara Kuriger was allocated Falloon's agriculture role and third whip Tim van de Molen had picked up Falloon's biosecurity and transport responsibilities; the associate economic development portfolio was not reassigned.
