National's longest-serving MP Lockwood Smith is set to become Parliament's next Speaker.
Incoming Prime Minister John Key on Monday announced that Dr Smith will be the party's nomination for the role.
The plum role rewards Smith for his years of hard work for the party.
He may have expected a ministerial position but a few recent gaffes saw fresher faces move past him on the pecking order.
Smith's knowledge of parliamentary procedure well qualify him for the prestigious new position.
During the 1990s, he served as a senior minister in the various National-led governments.
As Minister of Education he led a re-design of the school curriculum and developed the qualifications framework.
His other ministerial roles included agriculture, deputy finance, forestry, tourism and trade - in which portfolio he helped initiate the free trade agreement with Singapore.
He was the minister responsible for Contact Energy, Education Review Office and the National Library.
In Opposition, he hounded ministers in the House.
As National's immigration spokesman he asked hundreds of questions of ministers over the Taito Phillip Field and Mary Anne Thompson affairs.
He was among the National MPs caught on secret recordings earlier this year, though his comment was not too damaging.
He said talk the party would have to swallow dead fish to make the public happy did not mean it has any secret agenda.
"There's some bloody dead fish you have to swallow ... to get into government to do the kinds of things you want to do," he said.
When National was led by Don Brash, Smith attended a meeting with US senators in January 2004 where Brash allegedly said anti-nuclear legislation would be gone by lunchtime.
At the same meeting Smith is alleged to have asked visiting American senators for help to persuade New Zealanders to change their minds about anti-nuclear legislation.
Smith entered Parliament in 1984.
National's website details his prior career. He was the Dairy Board's marketing manager for Central and South East Asia, a university lecturer and also hosted educational children's television shows in Australia and New Zealand.
Smith was born in November 1948 and educated at Matakohe Primary School, Ruawai District High School, Auckland Grammar School and Massey University.
A Commonwealth Scholar, he graduated from Adelaide University with a PhD in Animal Science in 1980.
He represented Adelaide University and South Australia in rowing. He served as captain of the Adelaide University Boat Club and chairman of the Lyall Bay Surf Lifesaving Club in Wellington.
