Bridges will unveil his full reshuffle early next week and Judith Collins is expected to be the fourth-ranked MP after Bridges, his deputy Paula Bennett and new finance spokeswoman Amy Adams. Bridges had promised a "significant" reshuffle that included both new and old hands. National has a lower proportion of women in its caucus than Labour but Bridges is set to outdo Labour when it comes to the positions given to those women. Bridges denied he was top-loading his front bench with women to try to counter Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, saying all were there on their own merits. Bridges said the women in his caucus were "talented and formidable" with strong careers before entering Parliament.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 07, 2018 19:52 UTC