By Anna Whyte and Mandy Te
Like a cat with nine lives, Christopher Luxon remains the country’s Prime Minister and National Party leader following a second National leadership vote this year at an urgent meeting he called following leadership speculation.
Emerging after a three hour caucus meeting, reading from handwritten notes, Luxon spoke in Parliament flanked by a large group of senior MPs and National Party president Sylvia Wood.
With him were Erica Stanford, who was widely tipped to be a leadership contender, and other senior MPs such as Chris Bishop, Mark Mitchell, Simeon Brown and Louise Upston.
"There was a confidence vote in my leadership this morning at our caucus meeting, and I have the full support of our caucus. Our caucus is united and it is determined to win this election," Luxon told reporters.
Luxon began his speech calling the upcoming election "absolutely pivotal", with serious issues at stake.
"We think we have made tremendous progress as a government, rebuilding economic growth, financial discipline, restoring law and order, and certainly strengthening education and healthcare. But we also acknowledge that we have a lot more to do."
Luxon said the caucus was united and determined to win the election.
"Our focus is on National's positive plan to fix the basics and to build the future, so that we realise the incredible potential that sits in this country, and that we set it up for our kids and our grandkids so they can do better than we can."
Reporters' questions went unanswered.
Earlier on Wednesday, National MPs descended on the Capital to decide their party's leadership future, after Luxon called an urgent Caucus meeting amid leadership speculation.
The meeting began on Wednesday at 9.30am. Being a recess week where Parliament doesn't sit, MPs were in their electorates around the country or at events this week, travelling to Wellington especially for the meeting.
'This issue needs to be resolved quickly'
Luxon called the meeting following speculation from media outlets including the NZ Herald, who on Monday evening reported that unhappy National MPs were making phone calls about a potential leadership change.
It also follows what was a challenging week for Luxon, who apologised for his remarks at a breakfast hosted by the Rotorua Business Chamber, was accused of inaction over Foreign Affairs Minister and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters’ racially charged comments to Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan, and later suggested he would hold a referendum on MMP if re-elected.
Taking to social media on Tuesday, Luxon wrote: “It is clear from various media reports and conversations there is increased speculation about my leadership.”
“It is my firm belief that division and disunity are a major distraction only 90 days out from the election. I also believe this distraction is unfair to the New Zealand people, and dedicated National Party candidates, supporters and volunteers, when there is so much at stake.”
“For these reasons, this issue needs to be resolved quickly, and I am calling an urgent in-person Caucus meeting tomorrow [Wednesday] at 9:30am in Wellington to resolve the issue,” he wrote on X.
This isn’t the first time Luxon has been under pressure.
In April, Luxon moved a formal motion to confirm his leadership after reports of discontent in his caucus began to circulate and polls showed a sharp decline in public confidence. That motion was passed but reports from media say the voting wasn't unanimous, with some floating 27 - 22 and others suggesting 28 - 21 in favour of Luxon.
'Less than helpful'
Before the Caucus meeting was over, Former Prime Minister and National leader John Key, said he didn't know if Luxon would remain prime minister.
"The weird thing in politics is the leader is first amongst equals .. It's not like a company where the board selects you or it's not like ... a sporting team where the coach decides you're captain."
Key said he was the leader of National for 10 years and he thought he; "ran the show but truthfully, you're first amongst equals. So what I can tell you is they'll either decide to have a confidence vote or not, and if they do have one, and if there's a vote, then he'll either will be or he won't be".
"But in the end, it'll be the 49 MPs sitting in that room that decide."
Speaking at the Financial Services Council conference in Auckland, Key said while he continues to support Luxon, there was not much point in him making a prediction.
Key said he wasn’t working the phones.
"From time to time, the odd person will ring me. I'm not going to deny that. And I give people my view on things, but I don't try and go and overly influence because I'm no longer part of it ... In the end, it's for them. I'm just a kind of person that believes in them, but I don't try and engineer it."
He said Luxon was a very capable person with the best intentions.
“A decision is going to get made … They will make a decision because they have to ... They'll make a decision, and it'll be what it'll be, and and we'll go from there.”
Key said what was happening was “less than helpful” because New Zealand was close to an election and it could unsettle some voters.
But whatever happened today won’t change his view on Luxon, he said.
"I've supported Christopher, and I do that, and I continue to do that because I believe in him. But I believe in that team. They're a team full of incredibly good people, and they're starting to shine over time."
"I kind of bleed blue so whoever emerges out on the other end, I'll be cheering on."
'Infighting is not looked upon very well'
Before National's meeting came to an end, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds told interest.co.nz that while New Zealanders were worried about how they were going to pay their bills, "the National Government are worried about themselves."
"That just shows where their focus is."
It was unsettling for voters to see a major political party who is in government doing what they're doing, Edmonds said.
"Infighting is not looked upon very well."
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