A one-on-one interview, by Claire Trevett, with new National leader Simon Bridges. Bridges covers his accent, dislike of slow drivers and what his dream car would be.
Over the next couple of years, newly appointed National leader Simon Bridges will be looking to prove he can win the 2020 election.
The Tauranga MP was selected as leader after the party's caucus voted yesterday.
Today he will answer your questions.
The Herald will livestream a question-and-answer session withBridges at 12.15pm today and we want your questions.
Our political team will put your questions to him in an exclusive interview this afternoon.
Bridges said yesterday he would work to "modernise" the National Party for 2020 but had ruled out a widescale reform of its policies, saying it had a strong track record on the economy.
Bridges said he would do a reshuffle in the next fortnight – and would not be drawn on who his finance spokesperson would be.
The fate of Steven Joyce could depend on that reshuffle - Joyce has been campaign manager since 2005, and replaced Bill English as Finance Minister in 2016, but his prospects under Bridges are uncertain.
"I am confident Steven will have a strong role, should he want that. We all know his strengths both in finance and the economy, but also of course in campaigning. There is a role for Steven after this. I think there is a strong one for the other candidates – Judith, Amy and Mark."
He said his front bench would be a mix of experience and new talent. "It's not about being radical. We can't go into the next election with the same plan we've had, we can't say to voters that nothing has changed. We need to continue to modernise and new talent will have to be part of that."
