bounce back stronger in the next election. Despite these setbacks, Collins retained her electorate seat in Papakura by a final margin of 5,583 votes. In early February 2021, Collins confirmed that the National Party would be standing candidates in the Māori electorates, reversing the party's policy of not contesting those seats. As Leader of the Opposition, Collins has opposed alleged policies of "racist separatism" towards the Māori community including race-based affirmative action policies and the creation of separate Māori governance authorities including the Māori Health Authority and the introduction of Māori wards and constituencies in local government. Collins's stance on these issues drew accusations of racism from the Māori Party, which Collins rejected. In mid–June 2021, Collins supported the Labour Government's apology for the Dawn Raids of the 1970s and early 1980s, which disproportionately targeted the Pasifika communities. She stated that "this historic act of discrimination against our Pasifika communities caused anguish that reverberated across decades and it is right that we acknowledge this." In early September 2021, Collins drew controversy when she described immunologist and science communicator Siouxsie Wiles as a "big, fat hypocrite" during a virtual conversation with a Pasifika group aligned with the party. Collins's remarks came after right-wing blogger Cameron Slater posted a video of Wiles socialising with a friend at an Auckland beach during an Alert Level 4 lockdown in the Auckland Region in response to the August 2021 Delta variant community outbreak. Slater had alleged that Wiles and her friend flouted lockdown restrictions in his blog BFD. In response, Wiles clarified that her friend was part of the same bubble as her and that the pair had cycled 5 km from her house to the beach. In response to Collins's criticism of Wiles, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield defended Wiles from allegations that she breached lockdown restrictions. Collins was removed as leader of the National Party on 25 November 2021 following a caucus vote of no confidence, which took place the day after she sacked rival Simon Bridges over a crude comment he made to fellow MP Jacqui Dean five years prior. The incident had been quickly resolved, with no hard feelings afterwards from either party. Therefore, both National MPs and the media saw Collins's action as being to neutralise Bridges as an opponent by smearing him. Shane Reti was acting leader until the subsequent leadership election on 30 November, when Christopher Luxon was