Judith Collins doesn't expect to be in Simon Bridges' book about 'manliness' because she's 'a lady'

Judith Collins doesn't expect to feature much in Simon Bridges' new book, because it's about being a man and she is a "lady". 

The former National Party leader earlier this week unveiled an "open, honest and at times intensely personal memoir about race, fatherhood, marriage, masculinity, fitting in, and the things that shape our national character" called National Identity.

It's out on August 18, and his boss is keen to give it a read - but won't be getting a heads-up as to what's in it.

"I'm not getting an advance copy... I'm very happy to get mine when it's available," she told The AM Show on Wednesday.

Collins herself released a book last year, Pull No Punches. Two weeks later she became leader of the National Party. She said she doesn't think Bridges will use his to catapult himself back into the leadership, which he lost early last year despite polling better than both his successors, Todd Muller and Collins. 

"Lots of people write books. The great thing in our caucus is we've got people who are bright enough to write books," said Collins. 

"That's great, and I'd expect others would want to write books too, because why not? They have good ideas, they're intelligent."

Asked if she expected to be in Bridges' book, Collins said "not really".

"I think it's supposed to be about manliness and stuff, isn't it? I'm possibly not going to be there because I'm a lady."

In addition to Bridges and Collins, National MP Paul Goldsmith is also a published author - having penned a number of biographies (including one on former National Party leader Don Brash) and histories. Backbencher Chris Penk self-published a book last year too, Flattening the Country: The real story behind Labour's lockdown.

Across the aisle, Labour's Deborah Russell in 2017 published Tax and Fairness, an analysis of New Zealand's tax system; and in 2020 the Greens' Golriz Ghahraman published a memoir, Know Your Place