Podcast appearances and mentions of chris luxon

Christopher Luxon has returned from Queensland, after meeting with Anthony Albanese with a group of New Zealand businesses. No announcements have been unveiled, but the leaders discussed defence options and Luxon has been eying opportunities to get involved in the 2032 Olympics. NZ Herald deputy political editor Adam Pearse joined the Weekend Collective to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a view it's been an overall successful trip for the Prime Minister across the Tasman. Christopher Luxon returned from Queensland after meeting with his counterpart Anthony Albanese with a group of New Zealand businesses. Luxon has been making the pitch for New Zealand to be involved in building infrastructure for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says both nations are allies, and it's important for Luxon to keep the working relationship going. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon is firing back at Winston Peters over his latest comments about immigration. The New Zealand First Leader has been accusing his Coalition partners National and Act of being too slow on immigration. The Prime Minister and National Leader says he feels like there's a bit of anti-immigration cos-playing going on, whereby some politicians pretend to be Donald Trump, Nigel Farage or Marine Le Pen. He told Mike Hosking that the remarks by Peters are an example of that. Luxon says New Zealand doesn't have uncontrolled immigration, while the US has 13 to 14 million illegal immigrants. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A sociologist warns we should refrain from comparing our immigration with overseas. Prime Minister Chris Luxon's pointed the finger at immigration - for driving lower social cohesion and trust in institutions worldwide. He's indicated National will say more on the topic ahead of the election. But Massey University's Paul Spoonley says it's worth having a debate about our settings - but we need skilled migrants. "We should not compare our immigration system to what's happening in Europe, it's completely different. They have a large number of refugees and asylum seekers, we do not." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A promise of more public sector cost-savings, as Budget Day nears. The Prime Minister told business leaders today that the Government's cutting another $300 million dollars from the Budget operating allowance - to $2.1 billion dollars. Chris Luxon says responsible economic management and fiscal discipline are more important than ever. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this development was largely expected. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Chris Luxon made a speech to a Business NZ audience in Auckland ahead of the 2026 Budget. He's indicated that this year's Budget won't splash the cash despite the ongoing global conflicts impacting New Zealand. Are we surprised by this? The idea of the All Blacks being downgraded to premium economy has been floated in order to help bring down NZ Rugby's costs. What do we make of this idea? Do they need to stay in business class? How can Waitaki District Council justify a 45 percent rates increase? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week I started my editorial with: ‘Well, it was a rather chaotic, eventful week in politics wasn't it', and went on to speak about how I thought it was a mistake that the Prime Minister has decided to decline appearing in a weekly spot on TVNZ's Breakfast. But it appears that ‘chaotic' and ‘eventful' is likely to be how we're going to describe the next 27 weeks until the election, if the coalition can hold itself together through to November. The nonsense and the scheming this week included what could quite possibly have been a leaked story about embattled TVNZ reporter Maiki Sherman, lawyers letters flying between media companies keen to report the juicy details, Winston Peters releasing emails under an OIA request revealing the Prime Minister's potentially damaging views on the US war against Iran, and a feisty retaliation by the National Party on NZ First. All I could think at the end of this week was - surely both the media and politicians can do better. I get it - everyone is coming out firing on all cylinders - that's what you've got to do in election year. National has a new campaign leader and communications adviser, and I am sure many National voters like the new fighting spirit being shown by the Nats. After all, the Foreign Affairs Minister was out of line this week. But with Winston Peters stating, 'No, we won't do a deal with Labour or their Marxist and separatist mates', then you'd think that having ruled out being part of an opposing coalition there would be some shared effort to sell this one to voters. The number of people who this week said to me, 'I don't want to vote for any of them' was a bit of a surprise. Civility is often put aside during an election year, and yet I think it's what most of us are craving right now. We'd like the people we have entrusted to run the country to act like grown-ups and get on with the job without the backstabbing. Budget month is going to be tough, and yet all National and the coalition have to do to sell this budget is deliver it straight-up. We all know the story - whatever economic recovery and confidence we were gaining heading into 2026 has been wiped out by decisions made elsewhere in the world. It's not just our story - it's happening everywhere. This week, the Bank of England warned inflation could hit 6.2 percent in the UK by early 2027, and food prices could rise by 6-7 percent by the end of this year. In Australia inflation rose to 4.6 percent in March, with an expectation it will peak higher with consumer prices now growing at their fastest pace in two and a half years. No. It's not the economic recovery story National was hoping to campaign on, but with little policy or innovation coming from the Labour Party there is an opportunity to double down on their fiscally responsible approach to managing the economy. The revelation of Christopher Luxon's support for the war wrecking our economy - isn't helpful for him. But what would be more damaging is having coalition party leaders calling out each other for poor judgement over the coming months. Luxon has done a good job keeping the coalition together, but if they're going to spend the next 6 months sabotaging each other rather than continuing to work on how they can come together on policy, selling the budget will be the least of National's problems. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Sunday Panel, broadcaster and journalist Wilhelmina O'Keefe and Resident Economist at Opes Partners, Ed McKnight, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! ACT has recently revealed their new immigration policy - what do we think? Is this going to attract the right people to New Zealand? A lot of what ACT is talking about here is just about enforcing existing laws - have we been too soft in the past? There's been disagreements in the coalition this week - do we see them lasting until the election? Is Winston Peters trying to get one over Chris Luxon? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's concerns about the stability of the coalition after National and NZ First had it out last week. Winston Peters' office released emails showing Prime Minister Chris Luxon wanted the Government to explicitly support US/Israeli action in Iran, which Peters later rejected. Former Minister and commentator Peter Dunne says Peters is running rings around Luxon ahead of the election - and it's unclear what this could mean for the coalition after the election. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister's pulled out of his weekly TVNZ Breakfast interview - as a row escalates between the broadcaster and the National Party. TVNZ says Chris Luxon's office informed them he'll no longer appear every Monday, and consider interviews case-by-case. Luxon will continue to appear on Newstalk ZB and RNZ. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the party's also laid out a complaint against TVNZ over the 'aggressive' conduct of the journalists. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, it was a rather chaotic, eventful week in politics wasn't it? Some actual business took place - the New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement was confirmed by Labour agreeing to support it, the Finance Minister acknowledged the economy had been disrupted by the volatility of oil prices since the Iran conflict began, and the Prime Minister took it upon himself to call for a caucus confidence vote after weeks of speculation about his leadership - securing his position now and most likely until the election. But it was also a week of nonsense. Aside from this rare slip of dissent within the National Party, it was also a week of coalition friction, unnecessary comments about Willis' weight and migrants, and apologies or refusals to apologise. It was a week of whining about the media, bizarre late night door knocking, and a complaint laid by the National Party about those persistent door knockers from TVNZ's political team. And then the Prime Minister put his foot down and decided to cancel his regular Monday morning TV slot on TVNZ's Breakfast show. The door-knockers had given the Prime Minister a passable excuse to step away from Breakfast, where he has been struggling with interviews, and he took it. He's entitled to. As Heather du Plessis-Allan noted on Friday afternoon, we have very good access to politicians here in New Zealand. And yet, it's a mistake. It looks weak in a week when the PM was trying to look like he was in command. The relationship between politicians and the media is a co-dependent one, but the balance shifts in an election year when politicians need the media a little more to give them visibility to sell policy, and project leadership, credibility and authority; quite simply - they need to be heard. Of course, the media needs politicians too. Just look at the headlines and attention Tova O'Brien's interactions with the Prime Minister have given Breakfast. Beyond creating content and audience engagement, there is the more substantial reason the media need politicians, and that is of course to hold them to account. And for that you need access. I don't mind Christopher Luxon's faffs - his missteps in interviews. There's something refreshing about his lack of political intuition, his inability at times to swat a question away without answering it. He appears human. He should be more relaxed about the gotcha-moments and not get flustered trying to get out of them. I know - it's easier said than done when you are in the national spotlight. But with his leadership confirmed, National needs to do something to improve its polling and solidify their position leading the coalition come election day. TV appearances are a long-standing and recurring weakness - the Prime Minister hasn't appeared in TVNZ's Q & A with Jack Tame since December 2024 - so it's understandable this is a step they've taken. But Judith Collins' words about Jacinda Ardern cancelling her weekly interview slot with Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking in 2021 keep ringing in my head. As the National leader at the time she told a radio station, "I think what you're seeing is the absolute arrogance of this Government." She went on to question whether Ardern didn't like hard questions. "The point is those hard questions are actually what you get paid for” she said. You might be able to pick and choose whose hard questions you answer, but be careful it doesn't look too much like you just can't handle the pressure. Anyway, only 28 more weeks until the election. There's little chance it will be boring. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good on Chris Luxon for ditching his regular spot on Breakfast. That's from Tina. I disagree with Tina. I don't think Chris Luxon should have given up on Breakfast the way he has, pulling out of his weekly slot. I mean, obviously it's his prerogative to do it. And the truth is, in New Zealand—and in our media—we actually have more access to our Prime Ministers than in many other countries. Loads of other Prime Ministers—think Australia—do not take the number of questions after news conferences that Chris Luxon does. They don't turn up to news conferences as often as he does, or as Jacinda did, or Helen did, or John Key did. In some countries, like Canada, you can go a very long time between drinks when it comes to hearing from the Prime Minister. The truth is, Chris Luxon isn't good at media interviews. A lot of the trouble he's faced has come from stuffing them up. You had Tova with the “how many Māori ministers do you have?” stuff-up recently. You had Mike Hosking last year with the “will you or will you not have fired Andrew Bayly?” stuff-up. And then there was the “I don't know how to be any clearer with you guys” bollocks from earlier this year. There's just a long list of mistakes he's made in media interviews. So if he's not good in media interviews, on balance, he's probably better off not doing them—especially in an election year. The trouble is, people will see this for what it is: that he's running scared. Or, as Mike Hosking once said of Jacinda when she didn't want to appear on his show, running for the hills. He's trying to get away from situations he can't handle very well and those situations are media interviews. And by the way, it's not just Tova O'Brien on Breakfast—it's Jack Tame on Q+A as well, both on TVNZ. Now, I don't think he can credibly blame the Maiki Sherman door-knocking situation or the Benedict Collins perceived bias for this. These are different programmes. That's the press gallery reporting to One News; this is TVNZ Breakfast. They're different. But I don't think people are going to care. And I say this having analysed the situation: most people out there just don't care. They hate the media, so they're going to say, “Fair enough.” But this is what Jacinda started. When she did it, I said, watch this, this will start a thing and it will happen all over the place afterwards. And if you didn't like Jacinda doing it, then you have to hold the same standard. You can't hate what Jacinda did and then love what Chris Luxon has done. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What a surprise, Labour has agreed to support the India free trade agreement - although it wasn't really a surprise when it was announced today. I told you last week it would happen this week and Labour would give it the green light because there was really no other way for them to go. If Labour had said no and blocked the agreement, they would have been accused of stopping New Zealand businesses - like apple growers - from making money that is effectively there for the taking. I think Labour simply dragged this out for political reasons. Saying yes straight away would have meant acknowledging they liked what Todd McClay and National had done. Instead, they dragged it out, looked like they were agonising over the decision and pretended they improved the deal by getting National to hire 14 more inspectors to focus on migrant worker exploitation. All of that was done to give the impression the deal isn't actually as good as it seems, while still saying yes so businesses can benefit from it. And let me remind you: this is an incredible accomplishment when you think about it. Remember when Chris Luxon said during the 2023 election that he wanted this deal signed in his first term? He was poo-pooed for dreaming. Ambitious, yes. Likely, no. And yet here we are. Todd McClay - a trade minister who keeps knocking it out of the park with the Gulf States FTA and the United Arab Emirates FTA - has done it again. Even more impressively this time because this is India. A huge market and New Zealand has just secured access. And by the way, who do you think was more painful for McClay to negotiate with - the Indians or Labour?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fightback has started, hasn't it? National's leadership team have clearly come out of yesterday's caucus meeting with very clear instructions: get the National Party vote back off New Zealand First. And they've come out hard. It started with Nicola Willis on Mike Hosking just after 7am, warning that Winston Peters might pick Labour after the next election. The attack from her on that show was so pointed I was actually surprised - because these two are mates. They drink together, they work together, they're on the same floor as each other in the Beehive. But then, five hours later, the Prime Minister is on The Country with Jamie Mackay, saying almost exactly the same thing. Which tells you Nicola didn't just react in the heat of the moment, coming off the high of what happened in caucus. These are the lines they've decided to go out with. They have decided to attack New Zealand First. The question is: what took them so long? Because this is what they needed to do months ago, when it became obvious they were bleeding votes to New Zealand First. That is what's happening here. New Zealand First - and Winston - are going up and the National Party is going down because National voters are shifting across to New Zealand First. Right now, 52 percent of Winston's supporters voted National at the last election. This is exactly the right strategy Nicola Willis and Chris Luxon should be taking - because it's true. There is a risk that New Zealand First goes with Labour. Even though Winston says it ain't going to happen, there is a risk. He's done it before. In 1996 he told voters to help him put, quote, “Jim Bolger in opposition where he belongs”. And who did he pick after that election? He picked Jim Bolger.Of course, Winston's not going to admit he's open to Labour - even if he is - because then he can't rely on stealing all of those National Party voters. They're not going to go to him if they think he's going to put Jacinda's lot back in charge. This is exactly the attack Luxon and Willis need to launch on New Zealand First if they want to keep their jobs by keeping the polling up. So let's see if it works. I reckon it might. Watch the next poll. Watch for National going up and New Zealand First either going down or plateauing. That will tell us whether the fightback is working. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister says he'll comment no more on speculation about his leadership - calling it a media soap-opera - after saying his job's safe. Chris Luxon delivered a prepared statement to media, revealing he's backed by his Caucus, saying it passed a formal motion of confidence at today's three-hour meeting. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan unpacked the 'unusual' circumstances behind this release. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, blow me down - they had a leadership vote in caucus, called by Chris Luxon himself, and he survived. Good on him for doing that. That is exactly what I said he had to do if he wanted to shut this stuff down for the next week and a bit that Parliament has left to sit. And even if you think sticking with Chris Luxon was the wrong call by the National Party - which, by the way, I do; I still think he needs to go before the election - you've got to respect the fact he had the courage to do this. Leadership votes are always a big risk. They're always a guess. It doesn't matter what the MPs say to you. It doesn't matter if they tell you they're going to support you. When it comes down to it, and it's a secret ballot, it's always a roll of the dice. It takes real steel to do that and he had it. Now the question, of course, is: is that it? Right - is it going to be quiet all the way through to November's election?He's going to be the leader, nothing more to say? Not necessarily. I think this increases his chances of staying on because it has to have killed off any spill momentum his detractors might have had - at least for now. And it has to have lifted his confidence, which in turn has to lift his media performance, surely to God. But ultimately, none of that really matters. It's the polls that determine his future. If National keeps on this downward trend they've been on for two years, and if it drops another 2 percent and is sitting on 27-point-something in the next few weeks, all of this is just going to start up again. MPs will see themselves at risk of losing their jobs, they'll freak out and the chatter will resume. What this does do is, first, buy him a significant amount of time to lift those polls. And second, it has to earn him a grudging respect from his MPs, who now have to look at this and say he's more of a formidable opponent than they might have thought. Even if it's just grudging respect for calling the bluff of the leakers, that's what he's done. It turns out they never had the numbers they pretended they had. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon has survived a confidence vote he initiated among his Caucus today, after speculation there's been dissatisfaction. National MPs aren't revealing details of the vote - or how many supported Luxon. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former National cabinet minister says the party needs to move on from internal wrangling to the more pressing issues at hand. Christopher Luxon passed a vote of confidence at yesterday's caucus meeting. MPs aren't revealing details of the vote, including how many of them supported Luxon. Former minister Chris Finlayson told Ryan Bridge the path forward for National is simple. He says they need to deliver a good Budget, pass RMA reforms, sign the India free trade agreement, and start speaking highly of each other and campaigning in a unified way. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Everyone's waiting for the National Party caucus meeting in Wellington tomorrow morning. What do we think will happen here? Is Luxon on the way out? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Obviously, what everybody in politics is talking about today is what's going to happen at the National Party caucus meeting in Wellington tomorrow morning, regarding the Prime Minister's ongoing leadership. Now, I can't call it. I can't tell you what's going to happen. On the one hand, the Prime Minister is under more pressure than he was before the weekend because of last night's One News-Verian poll. Usually, that poll is quite generous to the National Party - it tends to overestimate National to a degree. But last night, not only did it put the National Party at 29.7 percent, it also predicted a change of Government. That means this becomes not just a backbenchers losing their seats problem, but a ministers losing their jobs problem. On the other hand, Luxon has managed to get himself through a tough round of media interviews this morning with grit, steel and confidence. And his chief troublemaker, Chris Bishop, has now ruled himself out of the leadership in that Q&A interview yesterday, which surely means the move against the Prime Minister has lost some momentum. There has been a lot of poo-pooing of the polls, which I frankly just do not buy into. I have not seen any evidence that we have the kinds of polling trouble here in New Zealand that they've had in the UK, the US or Australia - where the polls call it for one side and then the other side basically comes through. Largely, we don't have that problem because we run MMP. They run first-past-the-post systems. And that actually matters because just a little bit of inaccuracy in those countries' polling can mean quite a big surprise if a bunch of marginal seats fall in a way you weren't expecting. We don't have that here - our mistakes in polling marginal seats get smoothed out by the party vote. Also, National is now sitting at around 29.7 percent in four polls in a row and there was another one about six weeks ago that started this all off. That means what you saw last night is not a rogue poll - it's a trend. Choosing not to believe the polls feels like the last refuge of those who are in complete denial about what's going on here. But ultimately, it's not really up to us, is it? It's not up to us as voters and it's not up to us as commentators. It's up to caucus - the National Party caucus. If the Prime Minister can get himself through tomorrow and then weather whatever happens in the seven days after that and then get himself through caucus Tuesday week - so he's got two caucuses to get through - then he will most likely survive until at least well after the Budget. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister's rubbishing the latest poll - showing the left bloc in a position to win the election. The 1 News Verian Poll has the left on 66 seats to the right bloc's 58 - assuming Te Pāti Māori keeps its six seats. Our newsroom understands multiple MPs are believed to be unhappy with Luxon's performance and want his leadership discussed. Christopher Luxon has been rejecting talk of a challenge to his leadership - and says [told Mike Hosking] he doesn't buy the results of this latest poll. He says he simply doesn't believe Kiwis want Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori, when New Zealand needs strong economic management and a stable coalition government. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another disappointing showing in the polls has raised questions over Luxon's future as a leader. Multiple sources within the party have told our newsroom there's significant discontent with Chris Luxon's performance, coming close to boiling point before Easter. Newstalk ZB political reporter Ethan Griffiths says these rumblings have been and gone, but the growing discussions show he doesn't have the numbers in caucus. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In my opinion, National MPs need to bite the bullet and ask Chris Luxon to step aside. I don't enjoy saying this because personally I like Chris Luxon and have a fair amount of respect for him. But I think the chances are now very high that this is going to happen before the election. He is going to lose the leadership and perhaps the only real choice National MPs now have is how messy they allow this to become. I'll explain why I think he loses the leadership — and I think it's simple maths. National's polling is really poor. It's sub-30 in multiple polls. You can't write those off as rogue results. The numbers are consistently bad and at that level the party is on track to lose around 11 MPs in November. Those 11 MPs do not want to lose their jobs and within that group are the people now agitating for a change of leadership. For that agitation to stop, National's polling would need to lift enough to save at least some of those MPs' seats.So how does the polling improve? The economy would have to improve. And is that going to happen between now and November? No, it's not. In fact, the economy is more likely to come under further pressure, particularly because of the situation in Iran and rising fuel costs. The most likely scenario is that the economy gets worse, National's polling deteriorates further, and those 11 MPs — and potentially more — lose their jobs at the election. Meanwhile, the destabilising campaign we saw in the Herald today continues. Someone is deliberately and repeatedly planting stories in the media. That won't stop. It will continue to drive the polls down and make Luxon look increasingly like a lame-duck Prime Minister. So if we assume the economy doesn't improve, the polling doesn't improve and the destabilising continues, then the most likely outcome is this: about three months out from the election, in the depths of winter, the National Party loses its nerve and rolls Chris Luxon in a desperate attempt to save the furniture. I see no realistic alternative to that outcome. That's scenario one: hope and pray. And yes, that is technically a strategy — maybe something miraculous happens, the way COVID saved Jacinda Ardern in 2020. But that's hope-and-prayer stuff. Scenario two is that they pull the pin. They replace Chris Luxon with someone else and call an early election, allowing that person to seek a mandate while still enjoying a honeymoon period — and before winter and the Iran-related pressures make voters even more miserable than they already are. If I were in the National caucus, I'd be opting for the second scenario. Because the polling is now so consistently bad that a leadership change is likely to happen anyway before the election. They can't avoid it — they can only choose when it happens and how messy they let it get. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister says the Government's still looking into how to get more fuel into the country. It's put 20-million dollars towards an extra diesel storage tank at Marsden Point, south of Whangārei. Chris Luxon says it will be built and completed in seven weeks. He says told Mike Hosking they're considering offers for extra diesel, to fill the new tank. Luxon says there are currently high levels of fuel in the country - about 53 to 63 days of each different fuel type. But he says they want to additional diesel supply above and beyond that. LISTEN ABOVE OR WATCH BELOW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A deal signed by Christopher Luxon and Wayne Brown was announced today to work together to bolster Auckland. The partnership aims to boost economic growth and improve living standards across New Zealand. Some of the key commitments of the Auckland City Deal include; investing in Eden Park and the Auckland Tennis Centre to support international events, jointly developing a destination and major events strategy, establishing a c30-year transport strategy, and working together on the additional Waitematā Harbour crossing project and more efficient transport network management. Wayne Brown told Heather du Plessis-Allan, "there'll be an end to sort of unexpected bits of legislation which don't work that we haven't been told about, or it'll be an end to unfunded mandates that we haven't been told about." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Bishop's been turfed out as National's campaign chair in favour of Simeon Brown - signalling a potential dent in his relations with the PM. The National MP's also lost his Leader of the House and Associate Sport Minister roles in yesterday's Cabinet reshuffle, but is replacing outgoing MP Judith Collins as Attorney General. Former Minister and commentator Peter Dunne says Luxon might be trying to give Chris Bishop a warning on where he stands in the party. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon says the Government's proposed LNG important terminal in Taranaki will only proceed if it makes commercial sense. A procurement process was announced last month, with the Government due to make a decision on whether to proceed around the middle of the year. Newstalk ZB understands multiple ministers privately admit high gas prices might lead Cabinet to walk away from the project. The Prime Minister told Mike Hosking that the Government will seriously consider the options put on the table. He says he genuinely wants to make sure the business case is right - and if there's a good business case they'll do it, and if there isn't, they won't. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Right, let's talk about the National Party accidentally letting slip that they're selling tables at a dinner with Christopher Luxon. The story is that the Mainland Dinner will be held in Christchurch next month and if you have a few thousand dollars spare, you can go along. Dinner at Chris Luxon's table will cost you $10,000. Dinner at a minister's table - a senior minister's table - will cost you $8000. And then just a dinner with, you know, normal punters, normal civilians, will cost you $5000. Now, we only know about this because Maureen Pugh shared a copy of the invitation on Facebook - not her first mistake. Newstalk ZB saw it, then it was deleted, but by then it was too late, and cue the outrage. Now, I'm not outraged by this at all, because this has been going on since at least John Key's time. Jacinda did it as well and I don't think it's any different from every other example we have in our democracy of cash for access. This is how power has always worked. If you have money, you get access to people in power. Money for lobbyists, who then secure you meetings with ministers. Money for donations that mean candidates make time for you. Money for tables at the Mainland Dinner. In fact - and this is my personal opinion - I quite enjoy reading about these dinners because they give me a real-time market valuation of a political leader. Luxon is selling his table for $10,000 in 2026. Four years ago, in 2022, he was selling it for $15,000. So he's running at a discount at the moment, isn't he? Jacinda was selling tickets to a conference where ticket-holders could have access to her for $1800. That was five years ago. So she was more valuable at $1800 in 2021 than Luxon is right now - or than he was a year later - if you break it down and look at the cost a seat. John Key - now, if you want to hear about a baller - sold a table at a dinner for $100,000. That's real market political valuation, isn't it? Now, this is why I think this is valuable. It tells us how much voters and stakeholders: A) like various leaders, B) want to be seen with them, and - C) rate the chances of those leaders being elected and therefore being useful. So make of that what you will when you look at the numbers. But if you are outraged by this, you're going to be outraged forever because cash for access will probably never change. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's announced $50 a week in temporary relief for low and middle-income families hit by high fuel prices. The in-work tax credit boost comes into effect from April 7, and the Finance Minister says it'll help about 143,000 working families with kids. Nicola Willis explained that the country's still recovering from the debt built up over Covid, and the Government had to make some hard choices. "Just about every New Zealander and every business is feeling it right now, and I get it. Everyone wants relief - the Government finds itself in a difficult position." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now we've got to talk about Winston. If you hadn't noticed yet - or maybe you didn't believe it - take a look at Winston Peters' State of the Nation speech yesterday and you'll see the proof that this election is shaping up to be New Zealand First's election. More than a thousand people turned up in Tauranga to hear him speak. They even had to use two overflow rooms. Compare that with the same speech last election, which was held in a church with a capacity of just 100. More importantly, New Zealand First used the event to announce they've recruited Alfred Ngaro, the former National Party MP. Now, it was a bit of a running joke in the crowd that they didn't know who Alfred was - but commentators do. And I think most of us can see this for what it is: the recruitment of an incredibly well-liked former National MP with a strong Christian faith. That won't offend Winston's older voters - in fact, it's likely to appeal to many of them. More significantly, it's a signal of what's happening and what could accelerate as we get closer to the election: New Zealand First stealing National's territory. In this case, it's an MP. As the election nears, it could be votes. I count among my friends two people who used to be part of National's parliamentary team. Both are now likely to vote for New Zealand First at this election because they're conservatives - and Winston is positioning New Zealand First as the home of conservatism. This cost-of-living crisis - now also a fuel crisis - is going to play straight into his hands. He'll go hard on smashing the power companies to bring down prices, something National has failed to do. He'll argue for New Zealand retaining ownership of state assets, a position that resonates more now than ever Just think about the Marsden Point oil refinery and you'll see what I mean. He'll choose mining over climate concerns, which will appeal to working-class voters. Everything is lining up for him to significantly lift his vote. Keep an eye on the polling. He's already sitting at more than 10 percent. If things continue the way they're going - with the fuel crisis squeezing the economy and Chris Luxon unable to fire the National Party up - that 10 percent could, in my view, become 15 percent by election time. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Building relationships is the focus for the Prime Minister, as he departs for Samoa and Tonga today. Chris Luxon will visit the main islands of both countries this week to meet with the pair's new Governments. Alongside him will be his Police and Pacific Peoples Ministers - as well as a business delegation and MPs from other parties. Newstalk ZB political reporter Ethan Griffiths explained why Luxon is looking to strengthen the partnership between the regions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Look, I know we're all going to have different points at which we think the media reaction to a news story gets silly but for me, that point was this morning. Members of the media chasing the Prime Minister through Wellington Airport, asking whether he was considering resigning and whether he had the full support of his caucus seemed a little bit silly to me. Silly because it's not as if he's gone to ground for the past four days, is it? He was on morning media today - two radio interviews and at least one TV appearance - and he's also fronted a post-Cabinet news conference. So it's not as though the media are starved of opportunities to talk to the Prime Minister without chasing him through a crowded terminal. All it does is create the impression of drama where no real drama exists. There is no coup. All of his ministers are backing him publicly. Privately, sure, maybe a little less so - but publicly, they are. Luxon remains the leader until he is talked out of being the leader and there's no sign that's happening. In short, nothing is happening in the short term. Now, if I try to understand why the media wanted to chase him through the airport, perhaps it's because they sense things have shifted - and that part is true. Since the poll on Friday morning that put National at 28 percent, two things have changed. First, ministers who previously gave complete backing to Luxon are now doing so privately with a caveat: “Yeah, I support him… but.” But he's bad at taking advice, but he made a bad call with XYZ. Whatever the specifics, the point is the same: they've dropped their full confidence. That tells me something is going on in their heads. Second, he has now entered what I'd describe as publicly “dead man walking” territory. Every bad poll from here, every major mistake - and there will be some - will reignite talk about his leadership. That is a slow bleed for any leader. It ends one of two ways - a spanking on election day, or the leader eventually calling it quits. I think he's now in that zone. I don't think the coalition loses the election at this rate, but I do think National comes back as a mini version of itself - and that's not great for them. Maybe that electoral prognosis is what has the media so excited that they're chasing him through the airport. But that's a medium-term issue. Today? I think the brief excitement of the weekend is over and nothing is going to happen. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been another assurance from Chris Luxon that he isn't going anywhere. A Taxpayers' Union Curia poll shows National on just 28.4%, behind Labour on 34.4%. This has sparked speculation about Luxon's future as leader. On Friday, Luxon says told Newstalk ZB he wasn't considering his position. Today, Luxon told Mike Hosking that hasn't changed at all over the weekend. He says the only future he's been considering is the future of New Zealand's kids and grandkids, and how the Government to set the country up for better success. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Staying the course when things are tough is a skill. I think you either have it or you don't. Chris Luxon will not get rolled, but he may quit. That would be a mistake of epic proportions. What would drive me, if I was him, would be rational thought. 1) This election is not about personality, it's about economic management. On that the Government are tracking well. 2) The internal polling within the National Party is fine. It does not reflect the Curia poll that the media made so much of. The unfortunate thing about Friday's pre-hyped release is it came at the same time Luxon had had a bad week on the war. That week by the way, was nowhere near as bad as some made it out to be. But the two events came together for a good week-end headline. 3) This would be the bit that would focus my mind - it's only Hipkins. Seriously, you're only lining up Labour as an opponent. On the economy. The people who wrecked the place two and a bit years ago are asking the voter to come back and do a bit more of it. You don't believe me? Read Thomas Coughlan's piece with Barbara Edmonds. 4) Even if you take the poll seriously, which you shouldn't. There is a one seat shift, so it's within a margin of error. 5) The economy will save you. You campaigned on a turnaround and the turnaround is real. Given we are voting on economics, the National leader is not a deal-breaker. If you are voting on interest rates and jobs, does Chris Bishop or Erica Stanford really change your view of your lot? They are good people and good talents, but they aren't game-changers and they won't get you a job any more than Luxon will. 6) Having done the hard yards, why quit now? The prize is just down the road and with a second term perceptions change. 7) The coalition as an operation is a success. Three parties have, and do, work well together. It's MMP in action. The alternative? Hipkins talking about a minority Government, a Green Party and extremism and a Māori Party that will not be back in anywhere near the numbers they have now. It's not a combo. This must all sit heavily with Luxon. How could it not? But that is what leadership is about. That is what you chased and bought into. If you think you will fail you will automatically be successful. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's suspicions speculation around Chris Luxon's future won't be subsiding, even after he firmly ruled out stepping aside. This week's Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll has National down to 28.4 percent, with Labour able to govern alongside the Greens and Te Pati Maori. The Prime Minister's assured the public he had his MP's backing and won't be going anywhere. Taxpayers' Union Executive Director Jordan Williams says this week's been a challenging one from Chris Luxon. "The real significant event this week in terms of the election is the unexpected economic headwinds we now appear to be in - the events in the Middle East are not going to be over in a week or even a month now, it's looking to be quite a lot longer, and the implications on the New Zealand economy is certainly a challenge." Former Labour Chief of Staff Neale Jones says the speculation over Chris Luxon's political future is 'fatal' - regardless of whether or not it's true. "The problem he's got is that it's never a good thing when you have to ring up and say - I'm not resigning. I think that spoke to the crisis he was in this week." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, it was an interesting end of the week when it comes to domestic politics. With rumours swelling on Friday that the Prime Minister was considering his future over the weekend, he had to act quickly. There was absolutely no way he could go into the weekend with even the hint of speculation he was considering his future. When a sitting Prime Minister signals they are “considering their future”, it is almost always politically damaging. In parliamentary systems like ours, leadership authority depends heavily on perceived confidence and control. Once a leader questions themselves publicly it rapidly weakens their position with the party and the electorate. Honesty and transparency in this case doesn't buy sympathy, it is more likely to create a trigger moment that encourages internal challengers. Be anything but unequivocal on Friday and the Prime Minister may as well have poured himself a Coke No Sugar and started planning a nice winter getaway. The sudden announcement he would appear on Heather de Plessis-Allan Drive just after 5pm on Friday evening was unusual enough to raise an eyebrow. But he was turning up to do exactly what needed to be done to remain credible - to get ahead of the story. He explained to Heather why he decided to appear - to set the story straight. After some easily clipped soundbites from his party deputy Nicola Willis, who told ZB's Wellington Morning host Nick Willis that it hadn't been a “great week for the Prime Minister”, Christopher Luxon made it very clear that he has the full support of his team and caucus. Since then, everyone has been very well behaved. Over the last few days, I've been reflecting on what a tough gig it is. There's quite a lot of luck and timing involved in being a successful Prime Minister. A successful career in politics isn't just about talent and ability, or the possession of that rare relatable charisma - it also comes down to what the country and the world throws at you. And - let's not forget - what the previous Government left you. Look around the world and most leaders are dealing with the same issues we have - a slow economic recovery, the high cost of living, housing, a weird international trade environment, and much more. We haven't seen much alternative policy from opposition parties to show us there are other, more likely to be successful, scenarios under alternative leadership that we're currently missing out on. The reality is that the recovery was going to be difficult for whoever was in charge. But it's especially difficult for a leader who takes on a cheerleading role with the vigour Luxon does. There's a disconnect between the aspirational words and the reality of a Government that's cutting rather than growing as much as we'd like, and when signs the economy is finally turning the corner are likely to squashed by conflict in the Middle East. The only thing keeping Luxon in play is his ability to control his troops, the party's desire to avoid the instability that comes with changing leadership, and the lack of an obvious replacement who could win an election. But history tells us that if the polls continue to trend downwards for the Nats, the Prime Minister may be organising that mid-winter break before you know it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister has copped some backlash over his stance on the US and Israel attacking Iran. Chris Luxon strongly condemned the Iranian regime's retaliatory strikes. He also acknowledged the US claim Iran was developing weapons that could threaten overseas nations. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Luxon's faced a lot of scrutiny from MFAT over this matter. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All right, we need to talk about Chris Luxon and that performance yesterday. “Oh, I mean… we obviously understand… we're not saying that… what we're saying is… we… we… we understand this… I don't know how to be any clearer, guys…” You know what's going wrong here, eh? The Prime Minister doesn't want to say what he actually thinks. He doesn't want to take a position on the air strikes on Iran. If he says he supports the strikes, he risks copping it from what may be a majority - but almost certainly is a very vocal minority - of New Zealanders who don't like anything the US does militarily. If he says he opposes the strikes, then he risks creating an international headline like 'New Zealand criticises US air strikes' and getting this country offside with the most volatile US president in modern history - and whatever comes with that. So either way, he's in a tough position. A generous interpretation is that he's trying to protect New Zealand from Trump. A less generous interpretation is that he's trying to protect himself from unhappy voters. The problem is that, as always, Chris Luxon trying to avoid taking a position ends the way it always does: he looks clumsy and uncertain. He makes mistakes - like saying he supports anything the US may do to prevent nuclear weapons, including carpet bombing - which he's now had to walk back today. And Luxon's been here before, hasn't he? Remember the three-minute interview with Mike Hosking where he wouldn't take a position on whether he would have sacked Andrew Bayly? I'd say that in trying to avoid choosing between supporting or not supporting the air strikes, he created a third position altogether - making himself look foolish. And for a leader in an election year, that is the worst choice possible. It is better - even if the position is unpopular - to pick one, than to look like he does today. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Regional conflict is erupting in the Middle East - as the US and Israel ramp up aggression against Iran. Tehran has fired across surrounding states in retaliation for the killing of its Supreme Leader, with the US continuing bombardment, as Israel targets Lebanon. The White House says three US soldiers have died and it expects more casualties in coming weeks. MFAT says least 1750 New Zealanders are in the region, more than a thousand in the UAE. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Luxon confirmed New Zealand stands with the people of Iran during this conflict. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US and Israel launched strikes at Iran over the weekend, prompting concern and outrage from experts. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have criticised Iran's counter attacks, prompting Helen Clark to call the Government's response 'one-sided'. Waikato University law professor Al Gillespie has said this attack was illegal by the standards of international law. "There's nothing in the UN charter that says you can bomb someone who won't negotiate...the exemption to that was if this was a pre-emptive attack and it was an overwhelming necessity, and that cannot be seen in this instance." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister says New Zealand has never supported the Iranian regime. Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking that it's a regime which has brutally repressed it's own people, killed tens of thousands, and sponsored terrorism around the world. He also said that the missile strikes were 'independent attacks' from the US and Israel, and that New Zealand was not informed of the attacks before they happened. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister says visitors should be able to enjoy new investments in our city-centres - without feeling intimidated. The Government's introducing "move-on" orders - allowing Police to order people begging and sleeping rough, to leave a public space for up to 24 hours. They'll be slapped with a $2000 fine or up to three months' imprisonment if they refuse. Chris Luxon told Mike Hosking that in Auckland alone, the City Rail Link will be up and running later this year - and the International Convention Centre's already bringing in visitors. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tensions in Parliament today - with barbs traded between the Prime Minister and Opposition leader. Chris Luxon took a swipe at Labour's Chris Hipkins at Question Time over inflation. Speaker Gerry Brownlee told numerous MPs to cool down, after heckling from both sides. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper recapped the action from today. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister says Labour's concerns with the India Free Trade Agreement is "politicking", and Chris Hipkins wanting attention. Labour's saying they want the un-redacted advice about the deal and greater protection for migrant workers. In a letter to Chris Luxon, Chris Hipkins wants more clarity about the clause which requires New Zealand business to invest $33billion into India. Luxon told Mike Hosking that none of their concerns are real problems. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duncan dives into the trust problem currently rotting New Zealand politics. Whether it is Chris Hipkins flipping on capital gains or Chris Luxon introducing a new power "levy" that looks suspiciously like a tax, we ask if anything said before an election actually survives. Plus, economist Craig Renney and the Taxpayers Union's Jordan Williams join us to debate the state of the economy and why Wellington is feeling so flat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Prime Minister remains hopeful for a fall in unemployment this year. Unemployment's reached a 10 year high of 5.4% - with Auckland's unemployment rate rising again to 6.4%. Job numbers have increased, but that's been offset by more people joining or re-joining the labour market. Chris Luxon told Mike Hosking that the economy's rebounding, and that should flow through to the job market soon. He says there's always a lag effect - with unemployment being the last economic indicator to turn around. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An employment law expert says a firefighter who used an obscene gesture about the Prime Minister brought Fire and Emergency into disrepute. A clip posted on social media shows Chris Luxon speaking with a person before heading towards a Defence Force helicopter. The volunteer firefighter then turns to the camera and makes an obscene gesture. Fire and Emergency is now investigating. Employment law expert Max Whitehead says volunteers don't have the same rights as a career firefighter, and explained she wouldn't be able to sue the organisation if she were fired. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon says the Government had major "up front" concerns about joining Donald Trump's Board of Peace. New Zealand has joined other western countries in declining an invitation. The Prime Minister says the one-billion-US-dollars required to join the Board of Peace would be better spent on schools, roads and hospitals. He told Mike Hosking that it will be better for Middle Eastern countries to be on the board, since it will be focused on the Middle East. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Finance Minister says many people aren't feeling economic relief despite positive markers. The Prime Minister is giving his State of the Nation speech at the International Convention Centre in Auckland this afternoon. Newstalk ZB understands Chris Luxon will try to draw attention away from turbulent affairs overseas - and back to the Government's successes at home. But Steven Joyce told Mike Hosking that it's important for Luxon to level with the public. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister says his State of the Nation speech will focus on his plan for setting up the country's future Chris Luxon is set to make the address at the International Convention Centre in Auckland this afternoon. Newstalk ZB understands he will try to draw attention away from turbulent affairs overseas - and to the Government's successes back home. Luxon told Mike Hosking that he won't be announcing policy - but will reveal a framework for going forward. He says the speech is a chance to lay out where we're at, and what's going on. Chris Luxon says he will announce an election day shortly. LISTEN ABOVE OR WATCH BELOW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.