Who is the new National Party leader Christopher Luxon?

Former Air New Zealand CEO and first-term MP Christopher Luxon has been confirmed as the new leader of the National Party, but who is he exactly? 

Newshub political reporter Amelia Wade found out about parts of Luxon's life we don't know about.

Just a decade ago he was selling men's soap as chief executive for Unilever Canada.

"What we're really trying to understand here is male needs and build out these products which clean properly which is a male need," Luxon said while doing a Dove shampoo commercial. "Who I'm becoming is a lot more interesting to me than what I'm doing." 

But who did Christopher Mark Luxon become? A week ago he wasn't so sure.

"Who is Christopher Luxon, a handsome bald man, strategic," he says.

Just seven days later, he is the National Party leader and on Tuesday he's a bit more certain about who he is. 

"I'm a wanna-be DIY guy," he says. "I spend too much time at Bunnings looking up the Ryobi One toolset.

"I love waterskiing and I love country music."

But if you're still uncertain what his name is, you're not the only one. 

"My parents and my wife call me Christopher," he says. "My brothers and my friends call me Chris and a lot of other people call me CML. 

"I'm sure lots of you will call me many other names."  

A lot of his Botany electorate are still unsure who he is. 

"Christopher who," is what one person said when asked if they had heard of him while another said, "I'm not so sure business experience equates so well to politics."

Before landing the National Party leadership role, Luxon oversaw landing planes, as Air New Zealand's chief executive for seven years and has always been compared to his good mate, Sir John Key.

Even on the night he landed the safe Botany seat nomination, he had his eye on Sir John's old job.

He's not hiding his political ambitions or the influence his evangelical Christian faith has on his life. 

"My faith is a very personal thing," Luxon says. "It gives me centre, mission and purpose.

"My faith is often misrepresented and portrayed very negatively. What I can tell you about is that my faith is actually something that's grounded me." 

That faith is filtering through into his political beliefs and Luxon is socially conservative.

After his Botany seat selection, Newshub asked him about his stance on legalising cannabis, end of life choice and abortion.

He said, "I'm against that," when asked about legalising cannabis and "I'm not personally up on the reform," when questioned about abortion. 

Luxon will be hoping his conservatism combines well with his new deputy Nicola Willis' liberalism.

"I'm someone with a hard head and a soft heart," Willis says.  

Watch the full story above.