“The message is simple: the holidays are over.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon opened 2024 as he ended 2023, talking up a relentless work ethic he claims eluded his Labour predecessors (even if the reality is less clear-cut, Cabinet is only holding its first meeting for the year next week).
Luxon and his fellow National MPs gathered in Christchurch on Thursday for a two-day event looking back at the year that was, as well as ahead to the one that will be.
The summer retreat is an annual event, and the latest edition offers the happiest circumstances for National in seven long years.
Back in office after two terms in the wilderness, it is little wonder the caucus welcomed Luxon with raucous cheers and applause as he stood to deliver a speech setting out his agenda for the year ahead.
It was unclear whether the Prime Minister himself had fully shaken off the shackles of opposition, with parts of his speech sounding as if from the campaign trail.
“The government – the previous government – has taxed people a lot, it’s borrowed a lot, and we actually have absolutely nothing to show for it.”
He promised his administration would deliver “a turnaround job” – a linguistic reminder of his previous life in the corporate world, along with his pledge to “actually deliver a set of deliverables that will help our vision of New Zealand to take root”.
There were more specifics on offer at other points, with Luxon highlighting the Government’s reintroduction of 90-day trials, cancellation of Auckland light rail, and repeal of other Labour-backed legislation as part of its 100-day plan.
Education, health, and the country’s finances were among the priorities mentioned, as the Prime Minister spoke of his desire to “leave New Zealand … a much more prosperous place, a more positive place”.
With National’s 49-strong caucus including 20 first-time MPs, Luxon and his senior ministers emphasised the need for discipline and hard work from those acclimating to political life.
The Prime Minister said his MPs needed to focus on the people in their electorates, their role as parliamentarians, and the importance of supporting each other.
“We go up and down as a team … that means we continue our mantra of making sure we stay calm and consistent, stay even, don’t get too high when things are going well, don’t get too low when we get some setbacks along the way.”
Police Minister and five-term MP Mark Mitchell had a simple message for his new caucus colleagues: “Just get on and do your job – whatever job you’re given, work hard.”
Housing Minister Chris Bishop, in Parliament since 2014, similarly emphasised the importance of hard work – particularly for those who had claimed electorate seats from Labour as part of the ‘blue wave’.
“There’s no substitute for really getting to know your electorate and picking up on what people are saying and trying to get some good local wins for your local patch … it’s all about public service and staying humble and working really hard.”
That message might explain the somewhat curious choice of venue, an unremarkable airport hotel far from inner-city Christchurch and any temptations offered up by its nightlife. The most exciting beverage on offer during the day was the organic apple juice offered up by the party’s new Ilam MP Hamish Campbell (it was delicious, Newsroom can confirm).
“The turnaround is going to be difficult, and there will be setbacks along the way.”
Christopher Luxon
Holding the reins of power should help Luxon to secure discipline from his MPs, with a strong incentive in the form of a ministerial office for high performers. Yet it is the nature of modern politics that scandal may nonetheless be just around the corner.
John Key’s National government lost a minister barely six months into its first term when Richard Worth resigned in mid-2009, with Pansy Wong following before the term was out. Jacinda Ardern’s Labour administration went one better, having three ministers step down before the 2020 election.
Then there are the complexities of managing coalition partners Act and New Zealand First, as well as the reality that a government cannot always control its own agenda.
A large portion of Luxon’s press conference with media after the speech focused on his decision not to attend a hui arranged by the Kīngitanga to discuss the country’s national identity and the Treaty of Waitangi, with a number of attendees likely to be critical of the new Government’s policies towards Māori.
The Prime Minister denied the event amounted to an attack on his Government’s policies, and noted Māori-Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka (along with Māori affairs select committee chair Dan Bidois) would be at Tūrangawaewae to hear from those gathered.
But the state of race relations is likely to remain high on the political agenda, even as Luxon and his ministers try to focus on more ‘bread and butter’ issues like the cost of living.
“The turnaround is going to be difficult, and there will be setbacks along the way,” the Prime Minister said, tacitly acknowledging the likely speed bumps ahead.
New Zealand’s electoral history would suggest Luxon is all but certain to secure another term – but he appears disinclined to take that for granted.
