Newstalk ZB
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is speaking with media after a week staring down leadership rumbles amid poor polling and ongoing economic challenges. Luxon is at HamiltonJet Global in Christchurch, ahead of the city’s new stadium opening tonight. The newly-built $683 million enclosed One NZ Stadium makes its debut tonight when the Crusaders take on the Waratahs in Super Rugby Pacific’s Super Round. Luxon has faced battles of his own, dispatching speculation he could be pushed out of the top job as lukewarm support from voters continues to plague his premiership. The first-term PM raised a formal motion of confidence during a caucus meeting on Tuesday, with National Party colleagues voting in his favour. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at HamiltonJet Global in Christchurch today. Photo / Alyse Wright Luxon then told media speculation about his leadership was “now closed”, and he wouldn’t engage in what he described as a “media soap opera”. The intense speculation on Luxon’s leadership has lasted weeks amid poor polling and a Herald story last Friday reporting multiple National sources saying party whip Stuart Smith had tried and failed to contact Luxon about wavering caucus support – a report Smith wouldn’t respond to until Tuesday, when he denied it. Tuesday’s vote also followed the latest in a series of concerning poll results for National before November’s general election. A 1News-Verian poll released Sunday suggested if an election were held that day the coalition Government would be knocked from power, based on the assumption Te Pāti Māori retained its six Māori electorate seats to boost the left bloc. The polling had National on 30%, down four points, and Labour on 37%, up five, while Luxon recorded his worst result since becoming National Party leader, dropping four points to 16% in the preferred Prime Minister rankings. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon recently recorded his worst preferred Prime Minister poll result since becoming National Party leader. He's pictured at HamiltonJet Global in Christchurch today. Photo / Alyse Wright Labour leader Chris Hipkins fell one point to 19%. Rumours of disquiet in the party have stirred since dire polling in early March put its support just below 30%. This week has also seen the country receive its second international rating agency downgrade, after Moody’s dropped New Zealand’s financial outlook to negative, citing global economic risks and geopolitical uncertainty. In March ratings agency Fitch also downgraded New Zealand’s outlook from stable to negative, pointing to debt reduction concerns.
Go to News Site