UPDATED 12.10PM The first major casualty of the National Party's leadership change is Local Government Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga.

With a cabinet reshuffle pending he had been seen as a minister likely to be demoted or removed from the executive.

Now he has announced he won't be standing for the party at next year's election.

Mr Lotu-Iiga said there are "a variety of reasons" for his decision including; exploring new opportunities and spending more time with his family.

“It’s been an absolute honour and a privilege to serve the people of Maungakiekie and to be part of the John Key and National-led Government," he said in a statement.

“I am in my 10th year of politics, both local and national and have enjoyed it immensely.

“However, I have decided, for a variety of reasons that I should step down from politics at the next election. I will be exploring new opportunities and I am also looking forward to spending more time with my wife and my young children.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a few months now and made the decision not to seek re-election earlier this month."



He said he had "always intended" to inform his party of his decision this week, even before John Key announced plans to quit last week.

Lotu-Iiga said he would stay on as the MP for Maungakiekie until the general election, but he will give up his ministerial portfolios - local government, associate health, ethnic affairs and Pacific Peoples - when a new Cabinet was sworn in.

He was previously the Minister for Corrections, but lost that portfolio last year to Judith Collins, partly because of his management of the "fight clubs" scandal at the Serco-run Mt Eden Corrections Facility.

Lotu-Iiga entered Parliament in 2008, and was previously a councillor in the old Auckland City Council.​

Prime Minister Bill English is expected to announce a reshuffle of the National caucus this week.