| Election Name: | 1997 New Zealand National Party leadership election |
| Flag Image: | National logo 1990.jpg |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1986 New Zealand National Party leadership election |
| Previous Year: | 1986 |
| Next Election: | 2001 New Zealand National Party leadership election |
| Next Year: | 2001 |
| Election Date: | 8 December 1997 |
| Candidate1: | Jenny Shipley |
| Colour1: | 00529F |
| Popular Vote1: | elected unopposed |
| Leader | |
| Posttitle: | Leader after election |
| Before Election: | Jim Bolger |
| After Election: | Jenny Shipley |
The New Zealand National Party leadership election was an election for the National leadership position in 1997.
Senior cabinet minister Jenny Shipley grew increasingly frustrated and disillusioned with the cautious pace of National's leader, Jim Bolger, and with what she saw as the disproportionate influence of coalition partner New Zealand First. She began gathering support to replace Bolger in mid-1997. Later that year, while Bolger attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Shipley convinced a majority of her National Party colleagues to back her bid for the leadership. Upon returning to New Zealand, Bolger, seeing that he no longer had the support of his party, resigned, and Shipley replaced him.
As leader of the governing party, she became Prime Minister on 8 December 1997.[1]