Our PM knows and reveals things which – so far as PoO can find – are not recorded in official statistics.
On the other hand, he won’t reveal some things which (PoO is sure) he does or should know.
A splendid example of information which we think he does know, but is coy about sharing with Parliament, emerged at Question Time yesterday.
He was being questioned about a Ministry of Housing and Urban Development report.
The Greens’ Chlöe Swarbrick asked if he had read a recent report that states, “Across most areas, the number of people living without shelter was reported to be increasing over the last six months.”?
If Luxon has read the report, he wasn’t willing to tell Swarbrick.
He answered:
What I’m aware of is that we have a good record in housing, where we see housing affordability the best it’s been in a long time; we see rents stable and decreasing; we see the housing wait-list that went up four times under Labour now down about 6,000; we see, I think, about 2,400 kids out of emergency motel accommodation; and we see a Government that’s doing a lot of effort—a lot of investment going into homelessness.
Swarbrick then asked if Luxon has visited a city mission or social service “on the front lines of homelessness” since he became Prime Minister; and if so, when and who?
An honest answer would be yes, no, or “I can’t remember”.
It was none of those.
Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: If you put the question in writing, I will give you an answer that way.
Really?
He had been asked if he had visited a city mission or social service dealing with the homeless at a time when he is enthusiastically championing legislation which empowers police to issue move-on orders to individuals displaying disorderly behaviour, begging, or rough sleeping.
He wants the question put to him in writing.
This makes a mockery of a procedure intended to have Ministers account for what they are doing.
But when questions come from his colleagues, Luxon can be more forthcoming.
Hon Tama Potaka: Can the Prime Minister please confirm that in the most recent homelessness insights report, now on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development website, Auckland Council and reputable community housing providers like Kāhui Tū Kaha have all confirmed that the number of people sleeping rough in Auckland has come down considerably over nine months, correlated with the time we announced those 300 Housing First places?
Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Yes. We made 300 social houses available through Housing First; 289 of them are actually filled. We have transitional housing to the tune, I think, of over 5,800, and we’ve got 91 percent utilisation rates. We have transitional housing available. People who actually apply for emergency housing—MSD may well assess that they are better off in a social house, in a transitional house, in a private rental with rent arrears payments, and other mechanisms as well. It just may not be that a motel is the best place for someone to end up in. If we can get them into housing, that’s a good thing.
Hold on a mo’.
Doesn’t that suggest he has read the report which Swarbrick asked him about just a few minutes earlier?
Or is this another report?
The other side of Luxon’s Q and A technique is to providing Parliament with information that is not readily found in public statistics.
Perhaps he becomes more loquacious when he is talking about corporate welfare.
Labour’s Chris Hipkins asked:
Does he stand by his Government’s claim that it “will champion the hospitality sector and support it to grow” when hospitality company liquidations are at their highest level on record?
Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Yes, and that’s why we’ve got a major events fund, and that’s why tourism’s up 9.2 percent.
That’s a reference to the fund which brought Michelin Guide judges to New Zealand (but only to benefit a few cities and towns) to weave their magic on the cash flows of elite members of the restaurant business.
The magic comes from the awarding of stars.
Luxon and his ministers can be expected to put their expense accounts to good use while calibrating their dining experiences against the Michelin star count.
Others with the wherewithal to savour award-wining tucker were quick to take their lead from the Michelin judges:
RNZ reported:
Some Wellington hospitality businesses say coveted international recognition in the Michelin Guide has already boosted business.
Twenty-two Wellington restaurants were recognised on Tuesday night at the launch of the inaugural Michelin Guide for New Zealand.
But:
The awards come as a timely boon for the city during a difficult period economically. Annual average unemployment in central Wellington area was up to 5.1 percent in 2025, up from 4.7 percent the year previous. Crucially for these restaurants, spending dropped 2.8 percent over the year compared to 1 percent in the country overall.
Hipkins asked the PM how sending $6.3 million to a French tire company would help the cafes and takeaway shops that are going under in record numbers under his Government’s leadership?
Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well, I know the Labour Party’s never really cared about tourism, but, actually, on this side of the House, we do. What we discover is that there’s a whole bunch of people out there in the world of 8 billion people who are foodies. They like to come and travel the Michelin Guide. Isn’t it fantastic that New Zealand has a Michelin Guide and Australia doesn’t? And that’s driving more tourists to New Zealand, who are spending more money in our bars and restaurants. That’s a great thing.
PoO can find statistics which so quickly measure the visitor boost from the Michelin awards.
Hipkins then asked:
Can he name a single struggling cafe saved from closure by the $1.4 million his Government has spent on its crayfish stargrazing campaign?
If he can name one, he isn’t saying.
Rather, he said:
Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well, I just say to the member: we are very proud of the progress we are making on tourism and building it back from pre-COVID levels. The other thing I just say to that member is: just remember who locked down hospitality businesses in Auckland for longer than they needed.
Let’s not shy from Hipkins’ flair for bringing dubious claims into his questions.
Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: So why is he proud of a record number of hospitality businesses going into liquidation and four out of 10 Kiwis saying they can’t afford to go out to a restaurant?
Luxon is unlikely to be taking pride in those business failures.
He should have said so. He didn’t.
Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well, I’m proud of the efforts of this Government to restore tourism and hospitality, as a sector, as a driver of growth. One in four of our jobs are tied to trade. Tourism is probably about our second-biggest export earner. It’s fantastic that we’re getting out in the world. We’re promoting New Zealand. We’re talking up New Zealand, not talking it down like that member, and we actually see tourism up over 9 percent….
And so on.
But let’s revisit the matter of the numbers of overseas visitors who come to New Zealand for our cuisine
Grok contended there isn’t an official statistic for overseas visitors coming to New Zealand “primarily” for food.
Most tourism data tracks the main purpose of a visit (holiday/vacation ~48-62%, visiting friends/relatives ~15-31%, business ~6-13%) and so on.
The stats give a good idea of which sectors of the economy benefit from tourist spending, too.
That’s not the same as a measure of the numbers drawn here primarily for Kiwi cuisine.
But all sorts of information can flow into the PM’s Beehive office – some of it to never be seen again despite efforts to winkle it out under the Official Information Act
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
He was being questioned about a Ministry of Housing and Urban Development report.
The Greens’ Chlöe Swarbrick asked if he had read a recent report that states, “Across most areas, the number of people living without shelter was reported to be increasing over the last six months.”?
If Luxon has read the report, he wasn’t willing to tell Swarbrick.
He answered:
What I’m aware of is that we have a good record in housing, where we see housing affordability the best it’s been in a long time; we see rents stable and decreasing; we see the housing wait-list that went up four times under Labour now down about 6,000; we see, I think, about 2,400 kids out of emergency motel accommodation; and we see a Government that’s doing a lot of effort—a lot of investment going into homelessness.
Swarbrick then asked if Luxon has visited a city mission or social service “on the front lines of homelessness” since he became Prime Minister; and if so, when and who?
An honest answer would be yes, no, or “I can’t remember”.
It was none of those.
Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: If you put the question in writing, I will give you an answer that way.
Really?
He had been asked if he had visited a city mission or social service dealing with the homeless at a time when he is enthusiastically championing legislation which empowers police to issue move-on orders to individuals displaying disorderly behaviour, begging, or rough sleeping.
He wants the question put to him in writing.
This makes a mockery of a procedure intended to have Ministers account for what they are doing.
But when questions come from his colleagues, Luxon can be more forthcoming.
Hon Tama Potaka: Can the Prime Minister please confirm that in the most recent homelessness insights report, now on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development website, Auckland Council and reputable community housing providers like Kāhui Tū Kaha have all confirmed that the number of people sleeping rough in Auckland has come down considerably over nine months, correlated with the time we announced those 300 Housing First places?
Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Yes. We made 300 social houses available through Housing First; 289 of them are actually filled. We have transitional housing to the tune, I think, of over 5,800, and we’ve got 91 percent utilisation rates. We have transitional housing available. People who actually apply for emergency housing—MSD may well assess that they are better off in a social house, in a transitional house, in a private rental with rent arrears payments, and other mechanisms as well. It just may not be that a motel is the best place for someone to end up in. If we can get them into housing, that’s a good thing.
Hold on a mo’.
Doesn’t that suggest he has read the report which Swarbrick asked him about just a few minutes earlier?
Or is this another report?
The other side of Luxon’s Q and A technique is to providing Parliament with information that is not readily found in public statistics.
Perhaps he becomes more loquacious when he is talking about corporate welfare.
Labour’s Chris Hipkins asked:
Does he stand by his Government’s claim that it “will champion the hospitality sector and support it to grow” when hospitality company liquidations are at their highest level on record?
Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Yes, and that’s why we’ve got a major events fund, and that’s why tourism’s up 9.2 percent.
That’s a reference to the fund which brought Michelin Guide judges to New Zealand (but only to benefit a few cities and towns) to weave their magic on the cash flows of elite members of the restaurant business.
The magic comes from the awarding of stars.
Luxon and his ministers can be expected to put their expense accounts to good use while calibrating their dining experiences against the Michelin star count.
Others with the wherewithal to savour award-wining tucker were quick to take their lead from the Michelin judges:
RNZ reported:
Some Wellington hospitality businesses say coveted international recognition in the Michelin Guide has already boosted business.
Twenty-two Wellington restaurants were recognised on Tuesday night at the launch of the inaugural Michelin Guide for New Zealand.
But:
The awards come as a timely boon for the city during a difficult period economically. Annual average unemployment in central Wellington area was up to 5.1 percent in 2025, up from 4.7 percent the year previous. Crucially for these restaurants, spending dropped 2.8 percent over the year compared to 1 percent in the country overall.
Hipkins asked the PM how sending $6.3 million to a French tire company would help the cafes and takeaway shops that are going under in record numbers under his Government’s leadership?
Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well, I know the Labour Party’s never really cared about tourism, but, actually, on this side of the House, we do. What we discover is that there’s a whole bunch of people out there in the world of 8 billion people who are foodies. They like to come and travel the Michelin Guide. Isn’t it fantastic that New Zealand has a Michelin Guide and Australia doesn’t? And that’s driving more tourists to New Zealand, who are spending more money in our bars and restaurants. That’s a great thing.
PoO can find statistics which so quickly measure the visitor boost from the Michelin awards.
Hipkins then asked:
Can he name a single struggling cafe saved from closure by the $1.4 million his Government has spent on its crayfish stargrazing campaign?
If he can name one, he isn’t saying.
Rather, he said:
Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well, I just say to the member: we are very proud of the progress we are making on tourism and building it back from pre-COVID levels. The other thing I just say to that member is: just remember who locked down hospitality businesses in Auckland for longer than they needed.
Let’s not shy from Hipkins’ flair for bringing dubious claims into his questions.
Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: So why is he proud of a record number of hospitality businesses going into liquidation and four out of 10 Kiwis saying they can’t afford to go out to a restaurant?
Luxon is unlikely to be taking pride in those business failures.
He should have said so. He didn’t.
Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well, I’m proud of the efforts of this Government to restore tourism and hospitality, as a sector, as a driver of growth. One in four of our jobs are tied to trade. Tourism is probably about our second-biggest export earner. It’s fantastic that we’re getting out in the world. We’re promoting New Zealand. We’re talking up New Zealand, not talking it down like that member, and we actually see tourism up over 9 percent….
And so on.
But let’s revisit the matter of the numbers of overseas visitors who come to New Zealand for our cuisine
Grok contended there isn’t an official statistic for overseas visitors coming to New Zealand “primarily” for food.
Most tourism data tracks the main purpose of a visit (holiday/vacation ~48-62%, visiting friends/relatives ~15-31%, business ~6-13%) and so on.
The stats give a good idea of which sectors of the economy benefit from tourist spending, too.
That’s not the same as a measure of the numbers drawn here primarily for Kiwi cuisine.
But all sorts of information can flow into the PM’s Beehive office – some of it to never be seen again despite efforts to winkle it out under the Official Information Act
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
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