New Nationals leader David Littleproud has stressed the party needed to evolve alongside its regional electorates.

Mr Littleproud was elected Nationals leader following a party room meeting on Monday, after a three-way contest with former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce and Darren Chester.

NSW Senator Perin Davey was also elected as the party’s deputy.

Mr Littleproud said while the junior coalition party held all of its seats at the election, the Nationals needed to look to the future.

“There are some real signals that we as a party need to understand and continue to be able to get clear air and to be able to enunciate that we are a broad church,” he told Sky News on Monday.

“We understand that our constituencies are evolving and we need to evolve with them.”

The new party leader said he would continue to be an advocate for regional and rural Australians.

Mr Littleproud is set to meet with new Liberal leader Peter Dutton in order to work out a new coalition agreement.

While he did not say whether the Nationals were a drag on the Liberal vote at the last election, he said a united front was crucial for electoral success in 2025.

“It won’t be about an individual, it’ll be about a team and we’ll make that together,” he said.

“I’m going to be constructive with the Labor Party, making sure regional Australians get their fair share.”

Former Nationals leader Michael McCormack said the ascension of Mr Littleproud to the leadership represented generational change.

“It was a clean slate. David decided to put his hand up, he decided it was his turn … he pitched to the party room and the party room agreed it was time for a fresh change,” he told Sky News.

“The view was that David was going to take us forward and that’s how the party room voted.”

Mr McCormack said the Nationals needed to regather after the coalition’s loss and become a “credible opposition”.

Mr Joyce said he wasn’t too concerned at having lost the party leadership.

“I suppose you think I am sad. Not really,” he said in a statement.

“I gave every ounce of my energy to make sure that I looked after the people of regional Australia, the people in the small family business, the people in the weatherboard and iron, the people on the farms.”

Mr Joyce congratulated the new leadership team, and said he would get a chance to spend more time with his family.

“I want to congratulate David, Perin and Bridget, they have a mighty task ahead of them and I will give them all the support I can,” he said.

“Now, I have a chance to get back to my second greatest love, after my family, and that is my beloved people of New England, where I will have more time to get around my electorate and to be a person of service to them.”

Mr Littleproud said there would be lessons from the election loss, but he was confident about the Nationals’ direction ahead of the 2025 poll.

“There’ll be a lot of unpacking of the election results not only in National Party seats but also in Liberal seats, I think that’s what we need to learn from and understand,” he said

“What’s important is that we set forward on a pathway, a journey, to 2025 together.”