National's Anne Tolley has been elected as Deputy Speaker as Trevor Mallard got his first taste of dealing with a testy National Party in Parliament.
Tolley was elected under a deal with National in which National had agreed to support Mallard as Speaker in return for Tolley securing the deputy role.
However, there was drama yesterday when National realised the Government was five votes short and forced Labour into agreeing to increase the number of select committee places in return for National's support for Mallard.
National put Speaker Trevor Mallard's patience to a further test today by challenging whether Labour MP Poto Williams could be elected as assistant Speaker when she had not yet been sworn in.
Mallard ruled that she could but that was challenged by National. Mallard clarified that Williams would not be able to speak or take the chair until she was sworn in, but could be elected as an officer.
When Bridges also stood to question Labour MP Adrian Rurawhe's nomination as a further assistant Speaker, Mallard cut him off immediately.
Both Williams and Rurawhe were elected to the positions.
Tolley was a minister in the previous National Government, including stints as Social Development, Education, Police and Corrections.
Gerry Brownlee was more conciliatory than Bridges when he rose to speak for the first time, telling Mallard he did respect his experience in Parliament.
"That's not meant to be in any way derisory, it is a compliment and I'm sure you will, as you have at the start of today to put your mark on the way the House operates. And I wish you well in that."
When the Government put up a motion to cover the legislation it planned to carry over from the past Parliamentary term, Bridges sought to have some of the former National Government's legislation re-instated - including the Pay Equity Bill which Labour proposes to replace with its own version and the Regulation Standards Bill - an Act Party initiative.
Act leader David Seymour said the latter had taken him by surprise given it had languished on the Order Paper for the past six years yet suddenly National was enthusiastic about it.