PM not reading too much into positive polls

The Prime Minister is not focused on polls despite positive results for the National Party.

The recent 1News Verian poll has revealed that the coalition Government would continue in power if an election were held today.

Unbothered by the positive results, Christopher Luxon told William Terite on 531pi Pacific Mornings that the polls have been consistent since election night.

“The ultimate poll will be in the next election but frankly, New Zealanders are doing it tough so they need a tough government to make results for them.”

Part of those results saw a $604 million funding boost for Pharmac announced on Monday which would allow the agency to fund 26 cancer treatments and 28 other medicines but wouldn't be available until October.

Watch Christopher Luxon's interview below.

The announcement followed the government’s inability to deliver on its election campaign promise to fund 13 new cancer drugs in this year’s Budget.

Despite what some have called a monumental communication stuff-up, Luxon said he was proud of what they had achieved.

“As Shane [Reti] and I both said, we could have communicated it better and set expectations better around the budget. But we’ve been working on this since we came to power and it’s hard," the prime minister said.

“We had to find a way to do it in an enduring way… We chose to do it in the most comprehensive, full-on way that we possibly could.

“Rather than helping just several thousand people, we’re now helping 175,000 people in the first year. It took a bit longer than we wanted but it was important to get the back end of the process right…we’ve pumped $16.7 billion more into health.”

Among the many announcements included the boost of funding for more police which Luxon implied would assist many places like South Auckland.

It saw 500 more police officers and most recently, an additional 21 cops added to Auckland CBD, part of the establishment of Community Beat Teams aimed at patrolling the main streets, shopping malls, and transport hubs.

The announcement followed the quadrupling number of ram raids, an increase in retail crime, a 50 per cent growth in ang membership, and 33 per cent growth in violent crime.

Luxon said the "visible presence" of police made the public feel more confident and safer "and likewise, make sure there’s more visible presence.

“Our second thing is to restore law and order after rebuilding the economy.”

With a focus on rebuilding the economy, Luxon reiterated the government’s efforts to support the Pacific following his most recent visit to Niue and Fiji, his first visit to the region since being elected.

This included $20.5m in a new energy project for Niue, $2m to the Niue Ocean Wide Trust, $7.5m for Fiji’s economic reform programme, and the removal of transit visas for Fijian nationals.

“We also announced more money with respect to helping Niue have 80 per cent of its electricity being renewable by the, probably by the end of next year, because that project will kick off at the beginning of 2025.

“Yes, New Zealand spends a large amount of money and will continue to do so, but it's actually about making sure we put in place the enabling infrastructure that enables the Niue economy to continue to do well and to grow."

When asked about New Zealand's assistance to help fight Fiji’s methamphetamine crisis, Luxon reassured his government’s support for the drug situation.

“Fiji wants to certainly harden up its borders, you know, go through its customs processes, make sure we've got the right surveillance in place so that we can crack down on those international narcotics.”