From solo mother to deputy prime minister
Holding a baby in her arms as a solo mum at the age of 17, Paula Bennett says she never thought she’d end up being deputy prime minister.
Soon to be the first Maori woman deputy, Bennett said it had been ‘‘quite a six days’’ since the shock resignation of Prime Minister John Key that led to the leadership battle she has finally won.
Her rival, Transport Minister Simon Bridges, bowed out of the race on Saturday morning after realising the odds of winning the support of a majority of the National caucus were stacked against him.
Bennett is promising a ‘‘refresh’’ and a new look at how cabinet works with back benchers.
‘‘We have been under John Key’s leadership for 10 years and it is time for a change,’’ she told media.
‘‘When I was a 17-year-old solo mum holding a baby, I never thought I would be here, let alone deputy Prime Minister. ‘‘I bring all of who I am to the job.’’ Bennett understood she would also be National’s first-ever woman deputy leader. ‘‘I hope I do it proud.’’
She said that she would mark the occasion with ‘‘maybe a glass of champagne with my family’’ before flying back to Wellington to start preparing for a Bill English-led Government with her as deputy. She said English told her he was looking forward to working with her, and that ‘‘we have a lot of work to do’’.
She had thanked Bridges for ‘‘the clean fight’’, and said she we wanted to work with him closely.
‘‘Simon and I are good mates and he’s got a big role to play now and in the future.’’
‘‘We had this sickening kind of mutual respect going on,’’ she said.
In another time Bennett said she would have voted for Bridges because of what he would bring to the leadership and his ‘‘awesome brain’’.