New Zealand PM Luxon survives second leadership confidence vote 87 days before election

Confidence vote

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon survived a confidence vote among his National Party lawmakers on Wednesday in Wellington, emerging from a hastily convened caucus meeting lasting more than three hours to declare he retained the full support of his party. The vote was the second Luxon had faced in four months, following an earlier confidence vote in April, and came just 87 days before the country's general election scheduled for 7 November. Luxon called the "urgent" meeting to address what he described as "increased speculation about my leadership." Rumours of a leadership coup began swirling on Monday, and by Tuesday speculation had reached fever pitch, compelling Luxon to summon his MPs to Wellington for a meeting where a confidence vote was expected to take place.

Show of unity

After the meeting, Luxon spoke to reporters for less than one minute and took no questions. He was flanked by deputy Nicola Willis, National Party president Sylvia Wood, and three senior politicians who had been tipped as potential contenders to replace him: Chris Bishop, Erica Stanford, and Mark Mitchell. The Guardian described the arrangement as a likely deliberate move to show unity.

“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 did not disclose how many lawmakers had voted in his favour. Such ballots are usually conducted in secret. He said National's plan for the country was positive and the choice for voters was "crystal clear," then thanked the media and said his team was "going back to work."

Political headwinds

Luxon, 56, a former Air New Zealand chief executive who entered Parliament in 2000 and has led the National Party since 2021, led his centre-right party to victory in the 2023 elections on promises to reduce the cost of living and cut taxes. His coalition government has since struggled as the economy has stalled. A 1News Verian poll published on Wednesday morning showed Luxon's preferred prime minister rating slide to 17%, a new low for his time in office, though he remains ahead of all other candidates included in the poll. Unemployment has risen to an 11-year high of 5.6%, and inflation remains above the central bank's target band of 1% to 3%. Recent polling suggests the coalition would narrowly return to power despite Luxon's consistently low personal popularity throughout his term.

Recent missteps

The leadership challenge followed a series of missteps by the prime minister. Last week, Luxon drew backlash after suggesting a possible referendum on the country's electoral system during a live radio appearance, without prior consultation with his party colleagues. Earlier in August, he angered New Zealand's business community with a speech urging small business owners to "be adult" and accusing them of a "parent-child mentality" with the central government, saying they relied too often on handouts. He later apologised and acknowledged many were going through tough times.

The National Party has governed in a right-wing coalition since the 2023 election. The next general election is scheduled for 7 November.