Our political editor Tova O'Brien caught up with the opposition leader and asked whether he's trying to present a more statesmanlike Simon.

Simon Bridges: No, I wouldn’t say that’s consciously what we’re trying to do. I think, really, if you think about last year in conference, it was new team, new ideas, New Zealand. We, as a party, have gone through a lot of change. There is no John Key any more, at least as a member of Parliament. Steven Joyce, Bill English and so on – that was last year. This year, we’re trying to make the point very clearly – the focus is on you, on your family, on New Zealand. It’s not on a whole lot of other stuff. We clearly, in National, are about the economy. We believe New Zealanders believe us on that. They know we are strong in it, and we create a strong economy. But the economy is not some pie-in-the-sky thing. It’s about what it means for New Zealanders in terms of being able to buy a house, look after their families, and, actually, the services. You can’t have a good health system with cancer drugs, with cochlear implants, with things this government isn’t funding if you don’t have a strong economy at the heart of it. It’s you and your family. I’m showing New Zealanders, through how we deliver, that that’s where my resolute focus will be.

Tova O’Brien: We will talk a bit more about some of those policy ideas in a minute, but this video is quite different from the video we saw of you last year drumming. It’s different from the Simon Bridges we’ve seen screaming, ‘Slushies!’ in the house. Was that intentional?

Not from me. Look, people come together, and they put these ads together. What was intentional from me is, as I say, the message. We’re mid-term. We’re halfway through the game. I think our second half is going to be much stronger than our first half. I think we’re – if you want to put it this way – a fitter team, a more experienced team. We’ve got the talent, and we are going to go well.

Because your first half has been rubbish?

The first half has had its ups and downs. But the truth is, we’ve held it together. We have been unified, and we are strong. The video, the brochure we’re giving to members and will give to, I hope, thousands of New Zealanders – as I say, it’s about saying, ‘What you get with us, it’s about you.’

This week, you called Boris Johnson ‘buffoon-like’. Is your image a liability for your party?

No, I don’t think so. I think the reality is we are hugely supported.

Do you regret calling the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ‘buffoon-like’?

No. Look, I think there’s two qualities that I have talked about ad infinitum, and they were that one – that showmanship, that persona that he has traded on as a journalist and a politician – but also a very intelligent man, a really impressive intellect. And it’s those two things that is why he is now prime minister of the United Kingdom. And why I’ve said to others, and I am having to say to you, if I were a Tory MP in the United Kingdom, I would have voted for him.

I’ve heard from a very good source that you do quite a good Boris Johnson impression. Is that right? Give us a little hint.

You will never find out on air, Tova.

All right. Watch this space, watch this space. Let’s talk about policy. You say that National has a plan for all of the issues that you raise in that record and a track record for getting things done. What about cancer? Because you have talked about providing access to cancer drugs, but you haven’t committed to a cancer agency. You presented that petition this week. Are you trying to get the PR treats without doing the mahi?

No. Because, I think, the mahi for us, realistically, halfway through that game isn’t finished. I am not here today, or at this conference indeed, to announce all of our policies and prescriptions and positive plans for that.

So, this conference would be quite a good opportunity for you to announce a cancer plan, wouldn’t it?

Well, look, you will see over the course of this conference some new policy from National. I am not going to give you any clues right now.

About cancer?

Let me just say this – it is about you. It is about showing that we are the best on the economy but what that means for New Zealanders in terms of their lives, their families, but also health, education and infrastructure.

What about housing? You say that safe, dry houses are not too much to expect, but under National, median house prices went up by $200,000. How will you turn housing around?

It’s obviously not just this, but the major issue, it seems to me, is resource management and planning reform. And we have had this again, actually, a non-announcement from David Parker. He’s effectively just announced this week their 280th working group. And the reality of the situation is if he says he wants climate change at the heart of it – and we all accept how important that is – what he’s really saying is he wants to continue to see costs and compliance. We know the Greens have a diametrically opposed view, probably to Labour and certainly New Zealand First. They’re not going anywhere on this issue. We will. We’re doing the work right now to make sure we have that strong, bold reform that means more sections, more houses for New Zealanders.

Is your housing policy document ready?

Our next document will be on the economy. And that, Paul Goldsmith is leading that piece of work with Todd McClay.

Is there any truth to the fact that it was supposed to be housing at this conference, and then you pulled back on that, cancelled that? Is that about silencing Judith Collins?

No. Not at all. There is simply no truth in that whatsoever. As I say, we could have– And if there was an ordering of these things, we’ve got an economic discussion document ready to go, which I think, in fact, is more ready to go than the housing one.

So, is that Sunday?

No. We are not launching that this weekend.

Not this weekend. Okay. All right. Demoting Judith Collins from infrastructure – why did you do that?

It’s not a demotion. It just simply isn’t. The reality is Judith Collins is fourth in our lineup. Poor old Phil Twyford has had a hard go of it. They have, I was going to say, demoted him. Actually, he’s been promoted to run the economy now, which I think is a worry for all New Zealanders, and now Judith is up against, of course, Megan Woods. So there’s no demotion there. We are blessed with talent – whether it’s Goldie in Finance; whether it’s Judith in Housing doing a great job; and many others beside her.

On the environment – last week, your spokesperson for climate change, Todd Muller, contradicted you and the party, saying he was broadly supportive of the government’s electric car policy. What is the National Party position?

Well, he’s broadly supportive of electric vehicles. I am; I’ve had two of them. I believe in it. Our position’s pretty simple; we believe in climate change. We think it’s a very serious issue. We believe we’ve got to work our way through those issues and do a lot. But what I don’t like, and what, to a member – Todd Muller, Judith Collins, Paula Bennett, Andrew Falloon – what our caucus believes is we shouldn’t just be going, as the Labour Party is in government, to the easy stuff. “Let’s reach in the drawer and pull out a tax.” I actually don’t think that sort of disincentive works, necessarily. I mean, if you take the car tax, you’ve got a situation where mums and dads with kids, they can’t just get in a Suzuki Swift or move to an electric vehicle. It’s not practical for their life. Neither can tradies or farmers. So it simply is – as I’ve said before and I’ll say again – a sneaky tax grab. Ditto if we talk farming. How about we do the hard work when it comes to climate change and biotechnology?

Does your attack ad on the government’s clean car policy show that the National Party isn’t committed to combating climate change?

No, not at all. That’s not the message. The message is we can’t afford this Labour-led government. You know, it seems to just reach in the drawer and pile on tax, on cost and debt on ordinary, everyday New Zealanders. And I think that reality is why, at the moment, the government is in that hot mess I talked about, that frenzy, to be trying to jump around and do this. They feel the pressure, because they know Kiwis aren’t seeing the focus on their lives and their costs and the living standards that they should and they deserve to have.

Will you support the Net Zero Carbon Bill?

We want to. I mean, 90-some per cent of it, in terms of its design and structure, I would argue, is what we’ve asked for. There’s some very serious parts we don’t like, though, and that’s around methane tax. And the reality is we do want to see change there, because, again, it’s just that cost on what is still half or a little over half of New Zealand’s exports. And we do have to pay our way in the world if New Zealanders want the healthcare, the cancer drugs, the cochlear implants; if they want that higher education that we all aspire to; if they want good roads.

On to polling now – your favourite topic.

It’s your favourite topic, I think.

I love a good poll, you’re right. You dragged National down to 37.4 per cent on our latest Newshub Reid Research poll. We were leaked the Labour internal polling; I know you take that with a grain of salt. But that roughly aligns with the Newshub Reid Research poll. And no matter which poll you look at, your personal poll ratings are going down. How do you turn that bad polling around?

It’s just not what we see. And I come back to it – is the Labour Party looking like a party that’s confidence-polling in the frenzy that they are? They just simply aren’t. Look, the reality is— I appreciate there’s been different polls and there’s been confusion about these things. I believe the National Party is the most popular supported party in New Zealand. But I would say this to you, Tova—

It’s gone down under your leadership.

I simply don’t believe that. And I would say this to you—

It’s a fact.

Well, you know, you’re referring to some leaks, whatever it is UMR polls – which, by the way—

I look to our poll, the Newshub Reid Research poll, which was the most accurate poll at the last election. That had National on 37.4 per cent under your leadership.

And I’ve got to say that there was another public poll at that time, and there’s our private polling which shows a very different picture. But let me give you this – I don’t believe leadership is just some crass popularity contest. I believe it is much more important than that. It is about the vision and the values and securing victory for National in 2020. And in that rugby game we’re talking about, in the second half, we are very strong. I think we’ve got our best plays to come. I believe we are the best campaigners in New Zealand. And unlike the Labour Party, we’re focused on you and your issues, not on talkfests in Melbourne, not on a bunch of other stuff. And I think everyday New Zealanders are waking up to that. That’s why the government’s under pressure and on the ropes.

I’m going to come back to those couple of digs you just had at the PM in there – thinly veiled – but this time last year—

Not that thinly. The truth is this – Prime Minister Ardern is our prime minister, and my constitutional duty is to hold her and her government to account – not in a personal way, not with those Green-style attack ads or other such things, but on her policies and so on, and they are failing to deliver for New Zealanders.

Let’s talk about the protests at Ihumatao. The government has said that they side with the local iwi, not the protesters. What do you think? Where do you stand on that?

I understand, at a level, the complexities of the history and the culture and of the site. I think what swings it for me, though, is a couple of things. First and foremost, actually, the developers are going to do a very respectful job. They understand some of the sites of interest. What’s also clear – and we’ve talked about it already in this interview – is New Zealanders need housing, and they need it today. And that’s 450-some, as I understand it, good houses for New Zealanders. I think, given that the local iwi—

So push on with the development?

Given that the local iwi are—

Clear out the protesters?

Well, given that it’s going to be done sensitively, I support the development.

It’s been a tough year for you, the last year to date – Jami-Lee Ross saga, the continued low polling results – we’ll debate that until the cows come home – speculation about your leadership and the resignation of your finance spokesperson Amy Adams. That was a huge blow. Is your party strong enough to take on Jacinda Ardern in 2020?

No question. The reality is we are a big, strong party. We know what to do. On the three things I think that really matter – our competence, the economy and what we’ll deliver for New Zealanders, and services. People know our strengths. I believe we’ll win the next election.

Thank you very much for your time, Simon Bridges. Cheers.

Thanks.

Transcript provided by Able. www.able.co.nz

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