Luxon gives Bridges plum finance role

last National government but was consistently denied one.

Luxon said Bridges would bring ‘‘incredible talent and intellectual heft’’ to the role.

‘‘He is ideally suited to prosecute the wasteful spending decisions, spiralling debt and rising costs of living occurring under the Labour Government,’’ Luxon said.

‘‘New Zealand needs a strong economy so we can invest in better core services like healthcare, education and police.

‘‘Growing our economy and raising productivity are the biggest things we can do to improve the lives of all New Zealanders.

‘‘It’s also critical that we reset New Zealand’s approach to infrastructure and take a genuine long-term, intergenerational view. We need an overarching vision for New Zealand’s infrastructure and new funding and financing mechanisms that can drive us into the coming decades.’’

Luxon said he would work closely with Bridges in ‘‘our leadership team’’.

‘‘Simon will play a central and critical role in our leadership team, and he and I will work closely together.’’

Bridges was leader of the National Party between 2018 and 2020.