National's new deputy Shane Reti says Judith Collins is his "dream leader" and describes himself as the "engine" behind her and the caucus.
Dr Reti was selected as the party's new deputy by the caucus on Tuesday after Gerry Brownlee stepped down from the role last week. Collins was reconfirmed as leader by the caucus and neither she nor Dr Reti's positions were opposed.
"I'm just very proud today to have the support of caucus and to have the support of the leader and to be able to work with Judith to lead us forward," Dr Reti told reporters in Parliament after his promotion was announced.
"Hopefully I am complementary to what Gerry brought to the table. The caucus has seen me as a safe pair of hands, a trusted pair of hands and a hardworking pair of hands - all attributes that Gerry has of course as well, but caucus have asked me to step forward into this role today."
Dr Reti, who before entering politics in 2014 practiced family medicine and dermatology in Whangārei for 16 years, heaped praised on Collins who already promoted him back in July to the health spokesperson role.
"She is my dream leader. She is the leader who I work behind at the moment and she has my complete support," Dr Reti said.
"I've known Judith for a while now. I've seen her skills - she's got compassion, she's got all the attributes any New Zealander would want in a Prime Minister. She will be successful."
Collins also had kind words for Dr Reti and said she doesn't mind that he has leadership ambitions.
"Absolutely not. Everybody in the National Party should be welcome to have views on leadership and obviously their own as well. I'm sure at some stage Dr Shane will be an excellent leader of the National Party," Collins said.
"Whoever the deputy was I would always work with that person. But I thought Dr Shane did an excellent job when he was handed the health portfolio... I'm really pleased he got the job and I just think we're so lucky to have people like Dr Shane."
Dr Reti said he's more suited to the deputy role anyway.
"I'm a person who is probably more moulded to the deputy's role on the lines of Bill English - more akin to being sort of say less and do more. I'm an engine room behind the leader; I'm an engine room beside all of my caucus colleagues - that's how I conduct myself."
He said he was approached by caucus colleagues a few weeks ago to consider putting his name forward for the position. It's customary for the National Party caucus to vote on their leadership team after an election.
"Several weeks ago some of my colleagues had come to me and said, 'Shane, would you consider putting yourself forward?' I reflected on that and had discussions with my mentors and trusted people in my family and tested the waters and there seemed to be an appetite for that. I then made my way amongst my colleagues to see if I would have their support," Dr Reti said.
Collins said it was "a great start" to have the caucus back her as leader and Dr Reti as deputy unopposed.
"Obviously we've gone through a gruelling and difficult campaign and Dr Shane was with me for much of that, particularly when we were in lockdown here in Wellington," she said.
"We worked very well together but I think too caucus has decided that it is really important that everyone be working together and everybody will have their role to play. Some of them would like to see it slightly differently and all that, but the best way to get forward is just to focus on what we need to do."
Dr Reti added, "It's an absolute privilege to have the mandate of caucus and to work with Judith and to advance us towards 2023."
Dr Reti served as MP for Whangārei from 2014 and looked to have secured it again on the preliminary election results. But he lost the seat to Labour's Emily Henderson on the final results announced on Friday.
National's seats in Parliament shrunk from 35 to 33 after the final election results. Dr Reti's electorate was among three seats - Whangārei, Maungakiekie and Northland - lost to Labour on Friday. It had already lost 14 seats to Labour, and one - Auckland Central - to the Greens.
Dr Reti is high on National's party list so he made it back into Parliament as a list MP. But the other two National MPs who lost their electorates after the final results - Denise Lee in Maungakiekie and Matt King in Northland - weren't high enough on the list to get back in.
"I've acknowledged the winner and congratulated her," Dr Reti said. "I think the composure we have in defeat both locally for myself and for us as a party will be the composure that gets us over the line in 2023. I have an intense determination to win that seat back - and we will."
Collins confirmed Dr Reti will remain the health spokesperson. She is expected to announce her shadow cabinet on Wednesday.
