The party was the biggest beneficiary of New Zealand's switch to mixed member proportional representation.
The five Māori electorate MPs soon became known as the "Tight Five," named after the five rugby forwards who do most of the pushing in a scrum.
Largely because of their huge electoral upset, they gained a very high profile in both New Zealand First and nationwide.
Morgan, in particular, faced criticism for reportedly misappropriating funds from a television network where he worked before entering Parliament.
[1] In December 1997, National's Jim Bolger was ousted as Prime Minister in a party room coup by Jenny Shipley.
Henare is the only one who returned to parliament, joining the National Party and serving as a list MP from 2005 to 2014.