'Nobody cares about that': Pacific voters focused elsewhere as Luxon coup fails

As the National Party continues to reel from leadership challenges, experts say the core bread-and-butter issues for Pacific voters are being missed.

On Wednesday, Christopher Luxon survived a confidence vote by the National Party caucus. Luxon swiftly responded to the internal conflict, sacking MP Chris Penk after he launched a leadership coup.

Penk previously held Defence, Veterans, Space, GCSB, Building and Construction and NZSIS portfolios.

On a political panel on Pacific Mornings with William Terite, political experts Josie Pagani and Richard Pamatatau said these political mishaps undermine the concerns of Pacific voters ahead of the election.

Political delivery is a core area Pagani believes parties should focus on, criticising the distraction the National Party issues have caused. The developments in the party leadership, Pagani believes, could lead to a change in government come election day.

“I would start preparing for a Labour-led government. I think they've just guaranteed a change of government. And the reason for that is they all come out of this looking terrible. Christopher Luxon looks self-serving,” she said.

Watch the full panel with Richard Pamatatau and Josie Pagani on Pacific Mornings below.

Pagani said issues such as a referendum on MMP are not the focus of everyday voters, criticising the prime minister for signaling a referendum on MMP if National is re-elected.

"No one in South Auckland is asking for a referendum on our political system. It could not be further from anybody's minds. The big thing on people's minds is [the] cost of everything, going to the supermarket, not being able to pay your bills, the cost of petrol, the cost of your power bills.

“Then suddenly the prime minister comes up with this kind of idea that no one has even been focused on."

A PMN News-Horizon Research Pacific Issues Election Survey published in July shows cost of living, jobs and wages will have a major influence on how respondents vote in the 7 November election.

Richard Pamatatau said the debate over MMP is irrelevant as voters do not care about it as a core political issue.

"What a waste of time, what a waste of airtime, what a waste of political capital. Nobody cares about that at the moment. Nobody."

Pamatatau said politicians need to commit to delivering for New Zealanders, with the Pacific population at risk of disengaging from political sideshows.

MP Chris Penk was sacked after attempting a leadership coup against Christopher Luxon. He has since lost all his portfolios and is not standing for re-election for the Kaipara ki Mahurangi electorate. Photo/RNZ

"They're probably not even engaged with this particular set of circumstances. They are more interested in what is going on in South Auckland.”

Pagani said ineffective messaging from political parties could cause voters to tune out.

"A lot of people just go, a plague on all your houses. I'm not even going to vote. I just think it's turning people off politics big time."

"Mostly people will just switch off from politics. They'll just think, you're all behaving badly. I don't care,” she said.

Josie Pagani acknowledged MMP for bringing more diversity into Parliament, but said the party list system is a setback, with parties able to move out ethnicities by placing candidates far enough down the list.

"MMP has brought in more diversity and that's a good thing. And I think the big parties, part of the problem is the party list. It's the party that decides the party list… let the people vote for who goes on the list, not the party,” she said.

Pamatatau said the abilities of candidates should be the priority.

“The parties need to really rethink competence first, then diversity second,” he said.

The last MMP referendum was held in 2011 under the leadership of Sir John Key. 57.8% of New Zealanders voted to keep the system.