Prime Minister and National Party leader Christopher Luxon says if re-elected back into Government, he would hold a referendum on MMP.
Responding to a listener’s question on Newstalk ZB on Thursday morning, Luxon said he was open to asking voters if they were still supportive of having MMP (Mixed Member Proportional) as New Zealand’s voting system.
When asked directly if he would hold a referendum, Luxon said “yeah, I think I would.”
He said it was “quite right to check in constitutionally and say ‘is this the system, New Zealand, you still want?’”
“‘You voted for this in the ‘90s, we’ve had a check in in the [20]10s, 20 years down the road or whatever it’s been, is it still where you want to be?’”
“When you have to form coalition governments, you don’t have the same values, you don’t have the same policies, you’re not talking to the same people," Luxon said.
He said in a coalition, you did try to find some common ground and he felt like he had done the best he could to do this on issues like the economy, law and order, education and health.
“I don’t need some yahoo or numpty from some other party around that table, I can do a lot more to get the centre-right agenda, centre being the operative word, done and out the door so think about your vote ... it’s important.”
Asked if he thought his coalition partners were full of yahoos and numpties, Luxon said no.
“I’m just saying I can do better with National Party ministers," he said.
Coalition partners respond
Speaking to reporters on Thursday afternoon, NZ First leader Winston Peters said National calling for a referendum on MMP was "inexplicable."
"Look, it's a nonsense issue. People are happy with the democracy they've got, and they're not going to have two old, tired parties taking their freedoms ... away from them."
Asked if he would agree to any coalition agreement that said an MMP referendum would have to take place, Peters said: "Well, there will be no such coalition agreement."
On social media, Peters said: "Shutting down and taking away true democratic representation from the people of New Zealand should be seen for what it is – a power grab and an ignorance for what it means to be a democracy."
ACT Party leader David Seymour told the NZ Herald that several National ministers had been dismissed during this term.
“I’m not here to start bagging other parties’ ministers but I think anyone who’s an objective observer would say that ACT ministers have been pretty effective.”
Seymour wasn't opposed to a referendum but said any change wouldn't likely be enacted until elections in 2030 or 2035. There were "more urgent problems" to address, he said.
Luxon has let small parties ‘ride roughshod over him’, Labour leader says
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said; “if people are dissatisfied with MMP at the moment, it’s because of the lack of leadership they’ve seen from the current prime minister, who happens to be Christopher Luxon.”
“He has let the small parties ride roughshod over him and the National Party in a way that’s undermined confidence in our entire democratic system.
“I’m not surprised if people are frustrated by this Government because [NZ First leader] Winston Peters and [ACT leader] David Seymour have been calling all of the shots with no mandate from the public to do so.”
Asked if he thought there should be discussion around whether MMP was working, Hipkins said New Zealanders had the opportunity in 2011 when there was a referendum and there was a clear result in favour of MMP.
"I think what Christopher Luxon's showing is that he has no idea how to manage MMP. He has no idea how to manage his job as prime minister," Hipkins said.
“We shouldn’t have to change the entire electoral system because the prime minister can’t manage his own government.”
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson accused National of "trying to limit voters' choices for an opportunistic, self-serving power grab."
The Greens supported keeping MMP, and said a referendum would be a "waste of time and a waste of tax dollars that should instead be used to improve our social services and New Zealanders’ quality of life."
"If Luxon’s so tired of working with Winston Peters, there’s an easier way than overhauling our entire electoral system: sack him from Cabinet and bring forward the election."
18 Comments
Within a week this Prime Minister insults small business owners as not being adults and then impliescoalition partners in government are nothing short of yahoos and numpties. All this under three months from an election. Unusual performance to say the least. Based on that, if anything, those depictions are quite self-describing in my opinion.
He's struggling big time - and I think its a fair call from Labour, the coalition has allowed the smaller parties to push through a number of things that National didn't want (tax cuts for tobacco companies, lax fisheries laws, treaty principals bills). I think this is a reason TOP is doing well - people don't want NZF/ACT as the kingmaker anymore given their clear vested interests
NZdrs voted for proportional representation after the (Labour) party with the most votes didn't get to for a govt under FPP (due to electoral boundarys). For 2 elections.
While imo STV would have been a better choice than MMP, democracy is much better served by a form proportional representation.
If we want to hold a referendum it should be on getting rid of the racist Maori seats, as recommended in 1986 by the Royal Commission who saw no justification for them under MMP.
What he would say to you is.....
This will almost certainly be my last vote-81 and with stage 4 cancer makes that a good bet- so who do i go with? Like many, I find the standard of political discourse increasingly depressing. National under Luxon have been disappointing to say the least, while the last lot were almost magnificently incompetent. I could give the Opportunity a try and might still do so, but I am increasingly tempted to vote simply on how best to exclude NZ First from government and that may well mean holding my nose and voting Labour.
To see Peters and his cronies out of office would give me enormous satisfaction and might well see the disintegration of NZ First. I could make my exit content if that were to happen.
A big 'up yours' to Winston
Luxon needs to grow a pair and sack Winnie. Bring the election forward and see what happens. He’s too timid.
Did Christopher Luxon peak too early, when he settled the National Party down, got rid of the leaks and steadied the proverbial ship by stopping their leadership challenges?
It sounds much like a "successful" change manager (or external consultant), that then takes his remuneration and scoots off to the next company before the first one ultimately collapses behind him.
MMP stands for mostly muppit politicians.
Fine if you want nothing to happen, and that's often the best outcome. Refer last parliament for unrestrained power.
No.
We had Muppet politicians, and Luxon is a great current example.
That is why we voted for MMP.
They go there to feather the nests of their own kind, and their own backers. Luxon does it with tone-deaf arrogance - and hasn't learned from a string of gaffes.
But no political Party is addressing where humanity is headed right now. None. The Greens are closest, and seem to be closer than they were a cycle ago - but still a mile away. And it's too late anyway - the global horse has kicked down the stable door, just in case you hadn't noticed.
If you listen to the audio, you realise its worse than the media makes it sound.
It was a talkback show, he got asked if he'd support a referendum, he vaguely agrees. Kerre asks a follow up question and he basically says 'yep I'll make it happen'
This guy genuinely belongs in Corporate.
You mean the corporate where you investigate an air-fare, then re-visit and it's gone up?
But you pull out your other laptop, and it's the lower price?
I think that's fraud.
Had only a little contact at the time but he seemed to me to be a not so good chief executive of a not so good airline and both of ‘em had opinions of themselves inflated well beyond their real worth. Extraordinary really that one can self elevate themself to a position not only glaringly unsuitable but well beyond their actual ability in the field, and then not display any improvement, but the dead opposite.
It was called the Peter Principle
You rise to the level of your incompetence.
If everyone went one rung down...
Good bye CL
Viewed from many thousand miles away, the NZ voting system seems better. Take a look below:
UK 2024 election results:
Labour, vote share 34%, seats 412
Tories, vote share 24%, seats 121
Reform, vote share 14%, seats 5
Independent (mainly pro Gaza vote), vote share 2%, seats 6
LibeDem, vote share 12%, seats 72
In all, Labour govern with a huge majority on a 34% vote share.
The above is what happens when the centre ground collapses (Labour & Tories got less than 60% of the vote) in a first past the post system. The UK gets 6 Pro Gaza MPs on 2% of the vote, while 14% of the vote (reform) gets just 5 seats.
Reform are now equal with Labour in the polls, despite the former having less than 10 MPs. Why? Because people hate the Tories, do not trust them after 14 years of failed policies, and equally do not much like Labour.
The upside of first past the post - the winner gets to implement whatever policies they like, mistakes and all...and even change their leader
Surely someone within the National Party ranks is close to having a crack at ousting Luxon with enough time before the election.
A check on satisfaction (or otherwise) with the electoral system would be useful, but it will be very dependent on how any questions get framed, and if it includes reforms like binding referendums or recall legislation.
The process of getting to MMP was challenging, with two referendums, and government at the time hostile to change. Pretty sure any more changes will be greeted with similar political antipathy - with the added bonus of shrill social media.
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