Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is pushing back hard on leadership speculation, telling media he will “absolutely” lead National into the 2026 election and portraying the chatter as media habit formed during National’s unstable years.
Luxon framed himself as the fixer who dragged the party back from chaos, saying: “The National Party was in a state of civil war, we’d had five leaders in five years.”
He argued the press got used to “a daily soap opera” and has carried that “overhang” into his tenure. “I know what it took to rebuild a National Party from 20 percent to 37 percent and find a pathway to win an election,” he said.
On the economy, Luxon said confidence was hit by “Trump’s liberation day” and the “chaos and the uncertainty around the tariff policy,” which fed “a huge amount of negative sentiment.”
However, he pointed to a recent trade shift as a sign of momentum: “Now, for the first time in the last month, we are exporting more than we import.”
He claimed the coalition “walked straight into a recession” because of Labour’s previous “economic management being poor.”
Luxon said the three-party coalition is holding because partners are allowed to “differentiate,” with “massive alignment at the centre” but differences “on the margins.”
On the Regulatory Standards Bill, he said it would be “a shame” not to give it a proper run, calling the intent similar to the Public Finance Act: “to make sure that the politicians are actually making good quality regulation and legislation.”
He also defended the law and order push, saying the government will only reduce incarceration rates “because crime has come down,” not by letting offenders stay in the community.
On the economy, Luxon said confidence was hit by “Trump’s liberation day” and the “chaos and the uncertainty around the tariff policy,” which fed “a huge amount of negative sentiment.”
However, he pointed to a recent trade shift as a sign of momentum: “Now, for the first time in the last month, we are exporting more than we import.”
He claimed the coalition “walked straight into a recession” because of Labour’s previous “economic management being poor.”
Luxon said the three-party coalition is holding because partners are allowed to “differentiate,” with “massive alignment at the centre” but differences “on the margins.”
On the Regulatory Standards Bill, he said it would be “a shame” not to give it a proper run, calling the intent similar to the Public Finance Act: “to make sure that the politicians are actually making good quality regulation and legislation.”
He also defended the law and order push, saying the government will only reduce incarceration rates “because crime has come down,” not by letting offenders stay in the community.
The Centrist is a new online news platform that strives to provide a balance to the public debate - where this article was sourced.

2 comments:
Luxon - few give a toss about the economy as it will fix itself in the long term .
Meanwhile, democracy is being destroyed before your eyes as you refuse to even acknowledge that Maori race issues are tearing NZ apart.
Once fully established, as is happening right now they will be impossible to reverse.
You will be remembered not for your economic prowess, but for your failure to address the simple democratic value of we are all equal.
Please resign gracefully and allow someone else to fulfill your election promises and mandate.
Does Luxon believe that the likes of Tamihere, Jxn, Mahuta, Waititi, Packer et al are suitable and competent to run NZ as they determine the fate of 4 million non Maori people ?
Unless he acts now, that will be the situation shortly, and the smarter of those 4 million " others" will leave NZ permanently taking their personal wealth and skills to anywhere else that doesn't demand subjugation.
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