National Party leadership: Simon Bridges fails to give definite answer on whether Judith Collins will make it into New Year

As the Government charts a course towards "Freedom Day" from lockdowns, National MPs appear to be mulling a Freedom Day of their own, by rolling leader Judith Collins.

Arriving in Wellington this morning former leader and assumed challenger for the leadership, Simon Bridges would not say whether he thought Judith Collins' leadership would last into 2022.

Asked twice whether he thought Collins would make it to the new year as leader, Bridges refused to give a definitive answer.

"I support Judith Collins as the leader," Bridges said, when asked the first time.

"Judith Collins is the leader of the National Party and I support her as leader," Bridges said, when asked the second time.

Many of National's Auckland-based MPs flew back to Wellington on Tuesday morning, taking advantage of new Parliament rules that made it far easier for Auckland MPs to commute to Wellington.

One of Collins' close allies, Simeon Brown, would not deny that he had been approached by other MPs to roll her.

Asked whether he had been approached by other MPs to swing his support behind another leader, Brown said, "look, what we're focused on is holding the Government to account for the decisions they've made in Auckland in the last 12 weeks".

Fellow MP, Chris Penk, however, said he had not been approached by other MPs sounding out a coup.

The pair arrived with fellow MP, Mark Mitchell. All three said they still had confidence in Collins as leader and they believed she had done a good job.

"100 per cent - absolutely," Mitchell said, when asked whether he had confidence in Collins.

When asked whether there would be a coup this week, Mitchell laughed and said "there's going to be a focus on holding the Government to account".

Bridges said that he had not been the person who had approached Brown.

"Certainly, I haven't approached anyone," Bridges said.

He said he was not aware that any of his supporters had approached Brown about a potential challenge.

"No - not to my knowledge, I mean it's not my intention to seek the leadership of the National Party," Bridges said.