Christopher Luxon survives confidence vote as Pacific issues take a back seat

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has survived another challenge to his leadership but the political fight is giving opposition parties a fresh opening to question whether National is listening to Pacific voters.

Luxon fronted the media on Wednesday afternoon after National’s caucus met in Wellington to discuss his leadership. MPs stood behind him as he declared the party was united.

"There was a confidence vote in my leadership this morning at our caucus meeting and I have the full support of our caucus and our caucus is united and it is determined to win this election.

"Our focus is on National's positive plan to fix the basics and 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 that they can do better than we can,” the Prime Minister said.

But opposition MPs say the focus on National’s internal politics is coming at the wrong time, with the election approaching and Pacific communities continuing to face pressure from the cost of living, unemployment, housing and access to healthcare.

Labour Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni said National was losing sight of those concerns.

Luxon appearing at the Beehive Banquet Hall to share the results of the National confidence vote held this morning. Photo/RNZ

“They're so focussed on their internal politics that they aren't looking or concentrating on the issues that really matter to people, including our Pacific communities,” she told PMN News. “Cost of living, the fact that unemployment's so high and they simply aren't the jobs, access to healthcare, and of course, homes.”

PMN News’ recent Horizon Research survey found cost of living was the biggest issue for Pacific voters, with nine in 10 identifying it as a concern. Jobs and wages, health and housing were also among their top priorities.

Sepuloni also backed Labour leader Chris Hipkins despite recent polling by 1News placing him behind Luxon as preferred Prime Minister. “Polls will be polls. We've got to be focussed. On putting forward our alternative proposition, doing what New Zealanders expect of us, and that's focussing on what's important to them,” she said.

Watch Christopher Luxon's address to the media below.

Labour MP Jenny Salesa said the party had no plans to change its leader.

“We are not changing our leader,” she told William Terite on Pacific Mornings. “We have every confidence in the Right Honourable Chris Hipkins in leading us to the election. We leave the infighting to the National Party and other parties.”

Salesa said voters were unlikely to look favourably on political parties consumed by internal fights so close to an election.

“All I can say is we know from history that any political party that focuses on fighting amongst themselves is not looked on in a positive way by the public. And we are close to an election,” she said.

For the Greens, Pacific issues are also tied to the wider question of how Luxon is managing his coalition partners.

Green MP Teanau Tuiono said the past week had exposed weaknesses in Luxon’s leadership especially in dealing with his coalition government partner and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.

Watch Will's Word about the National Party confidence vote.

“We've seen him fumble the way he manages both Winston and Seymour, but more Winston, particularly over the racist comments towards my colleague and friend Lawrence Xu-Nan,” Tuiono told Terite.

“That escalated, it went viral both here and in China and around the world as well."

The PMN News-Horizon Research survey also found a trust gap between Pacific voters and some major parties, with many respondents questioning whether they understood Pacific communities.

Wednesday’s confidence vote is the second time in four months Luxon’s leadership has been tested after he survived an earlier vote in April.

The question now is whether the political focus shifts back to the issues that matter to Pacific voters or whether the fight over leadership and coalition tensions continues to dominate the run-up to the election.