New Zealand Opposition Leader Todd Muller has promoted the man he ousted in a leadership coup five weeks ago.
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Simon Bridges has been reinstalled in National's extended shadow cabinet as foreign affairs spokesman following the retirement of former deputy PM Paula Bennett.
The move gives Mr Bridges a prominent role in the opposition's campaign to oust Jacinda Ardern's government at the September 19 election.
Mr Muller argues his frontbench shows his party's strength in depth; with several John Key-era ministers in significant roles.
But Mr Bridges' return also brings to the fore National's unity problem, highlighted just weeks earlier with their damaging leadership ballot.
"(Our relationship) is very professional as you'd expect it to be," Mr Muller said of Mr Bridges, his fellow Tauranga-based MP, on Thursday.
"We've known each other for a long time. And we both represent the same city, the east and west, so we've got a very professional relationship.
"Our team is focused on the 80-something days we've got to pull this (election) off."
Quite remarkably, Mr Muller said he had never had a conversation with Mr Bridges about foreign policy.
"I haven't. But I'm sure that will happen in due course," he said.
In addition to a unity problem, Mr Muller also has a representation problem.
His new-look team does not include a Maori MP in his top 12 candidates; following Ms Bennett's retirement, Shane Reti has replaced her in the same position.
Ms Bennett's portfolios were also redistributed in Thursday's mini-reshuffle; women went to deputy Nikki Kaye and drug law reform went to no.3-ranked Amy Adams.
Mr Bridges has been ranked at 17, Dr Reti's old place, a figure which Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters quickly attacked.
"Incredible to see that in our current environment the FA role is down at 17," he tweeted.
"I'm sure the world won't notice but China will be pleased," he wrote, a reference to Mr Bridges' strong support of China.
Polling suggests National is in a tough spot, just two months out from the start of advance voting.
The last public poll had Ms Ardern's Labour party at a sky-high 50 per cent, with National trailing at 38 per cent and set for a reduced partyroom and another three years on the opposition benches.
However, those numbers are an improvement for National on a train-wreck poll in May, when they bottomed out at 29 per cent and they turfed Mr Bridges the next day.
Australian Associated Press