The former chief executive of Air New Zealand has become the National party’s official candidate for the Auckland seat of Botany, kick-starting speculation that Christopher Luxon is vying – eventually – to become prime minister.

Luxon, 49, resigned as the national carrier’s chief executive in September after seven years leading the airline through a period of success and growth,– including repeatedly being named the world’s best airline. He has also held a number of senior roles with the multinational company Unilever over a period of 18 years.

The socially-conservative businessman says he is focused on “learning” and listening to the people of Botany, but his name has already appeared on polls as a candidate for preferred prime minister, polling just 5% below current National party leader Simon Bridges.

Luxon told Morning Report that he was anti-abortion, anti-euthanasia and doesn’t want to legalise recreational marijuana, and the more pressing issue for his constituents was transport.

“I’m just interested in solving problems, and we have a lot of problems in this country,” Luxon told RNZ.

“We are very good at platitudes. We’ve got very good at buzzwords and ideology, but we’re not getting things done for people. That means that we’re not making a difference in people’s lives daily, and that’s something we have to work really hard at.”

Luxon will stand for the seat against independent Jami-Lee Ross, who fell out with the National party last year in spectacular fashion.

The former prime minister John Key has endorsed Luxon’s determined tilt towards politics, describing him as a “world-class candidate”.

Luxon said National party leader, Simon Bridges, had his full support and deserved the top job, saying speculation that he wanted the leadership for himself was premature.

“I’ve just been elected to be the candidate for Botany. I’ve got a lot of work to do, I’ve got a lot to learn. And more importantly, frankly we’ve got a job to do – to make Simon Bridges the prime minister of New Zealand,”

Luxon grew up in the Botany area and says his childhood instilled “hard-working, middle-class values” in him.

“Like the rest of New Zealand, it [Botany] is facing the pinch from a Coalition government that is breaking its promises to Kiwis, hiking the cost of living, and failing to deliver on the things that matter.”

Luxon is an evangelical christian and is married with two children. He has been a stalwart of the New Zealand business scene for decades, including serving as chair on the current prime minister’s business advisory council.

Luxon is also the recipient of the Peter Blake Leader Award and the Deloitte CEO of the year.