In each case, the comments are not insignificant when viewed in isolation. But in the overall context of an election campaign, they are over-reported, over-hyped and blown out of all proportion.
The political circus that enveloped Luxon this week was a case in point.
A sitting Prime Minister who galvanised a dishevelled National Party four years ago, and who has held a difficult coalition together, largely without incident, for the last three years, became the subject of a coup attempt. Not because there is a scandal – there isn’t one. Not because of a major public policy failure – there haven’t been any of those either. And not because of disastrous polling.
No, the PM faced the week from hell because, somewhere among hundreds of sound bites over the past two weeks, he made a couple of slip-ups. That led some MPs, who seem more focused on their own careers than on the needs of the country, to get a bit twitchy about their place on the parliamentary payroll after November 7.
Through our Leaders Getting Coffee podcast, I’ve had the privilege of sitting down one-on-one with each of the coalition’s party leaders. As you might expect, they are all very impressive people.
Winston Peters is the most fun. His intellect is outwardly impressive; he is steeped in our political history, and he has single-handedly reignited the depleted foreign affairs portfolio he inherited.
David Seymour can come across as a bit serious at times. He is very bright and, in my experience, Parliament’s clearest thinker on policy. He is also Parliament’s best communicator. Mike Hosking called him the “adult in the room” this week. I think that sums him up well.
Christopher Luxon is different. First and foremost, he is not a politician by background. He is a corporate guy. He will openly admit that he is not the best at communicating through the media. But there is no one I have encountered who is as single-mindedly aspirational for this country as he is.
Unlike the Aussies and the Yanks, being openly aspirational is not something that comes naturally to us Kiwis. We should be grateful that Luxon spent some time overseas and learned the art of ambition. His repeated declarations about what should be possible for a small country at the bottom of the world provide an inspirational chorus that we would do well to listen to.
Given the personal traits of these three impressive individuals, we should not be surprised that, as participants in a coalition, they have actually achieved a lot.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at a Rotorua Business Chamber event. Photo / Annabel Reid
And this is where the election conversation needs to go. Let’s move on from the basket case they inherited. And while we are at it, let’s overlook the odd communications gaffe. Instead, why don’t we take a look at what has been achieved to date, and what the future looks like?
You might remember that, just a few short years ago, we were worried about the impact of crime on our personal safety. YouTube circulated videos of ram raids conducted by children as young as 11, attacking jewellery stores while security guards stood by and shoppers fled. Around the same time, gangs were intimidating small towns and holding up traffic at will.
We might not have noticed that the ram raids have almost stopped – down 85% from their peak – and the banning of gang patches means intimidation is not as prevalent. Retailers are safer and, according to the police, policing is easier too. There are 46,000 fewer victims of violent crime in this parliamentary term than the last, and a 22% reduction in youth offending.
Elsewhere, there has been proactive change in the healthcare system. Elective procedures have increased, access to bowel and breast screening has improved, and a new medical school is underway to help us overcome the shortage of home-grown medics. Legislation is progressing to guarantee access to up to three days of postnatal care if desired, meaning every mum and her child get a better start to their new journey.
Pharmac has additional funding, with some new cancer drugs offered and savings in prescription costs for those already in the system.
Then there is increased funding for mental health support services and 111 calls. You might remember there was funding for mental health a few years back. But no one knows where the money went.
Do you remember how disengaged some of our school students had become? Classroom attendance was at an all-time low in 2022 and academic achievement reflected that. A new Education Minister has changed all that, and attendance – measured as being present for 90% of a term – was up to 69% in Term 1 this year, a 17% improvement over Term 1 2023.
We have also introduced an hour a day of compulsory reading, writing, and maths. Early indications are that this too is turning around educational achievement at the junior level, with the number of students meeting phonics and engagement expectations increasing from 36% to 51% in 2025, and those exceeding expectations improving from 20% to 43%.
There is plenty of chatter about opposition parties wanting to introduce a swathe of new taxes on an unsuspecting public, a public that is already finding the financial going pretty tough. It is easy to forget that the current coalition Government has actually decreased taxes for most of us. The 2024 Budget delivered the first changes to tax thresholds in some 14 years. Those changes meant that 1.8 million households were better off, and Treasury estimated that families with children received an average gain of over $150 per month.
And let’s not forget the long list of additional policy changes that this column does not have the space to cover in detail.
The introduction of the refreshed Active Investor Plus visa has attracted $3.39 billion to date and shows no sign of slowing down. Our export trade is flying high, and everything from milk powder to space rockets is generating revenue and jobs for our recovering economy. The exodus of skilled Kiwis to overseas countries has slowed, and we have made progress on free trade agreements that will change our economic engine for the better. Red tape is gradually being unwound, and a revised set of Resource Management protocols that will simplify building and construction is close to being finalised in Parliament.
This is the stuff the voter needs to be reminded of. This Government hasn’t been perfect, but it has been better than most.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, flanked by deputy leader Nicola Wills and party president Silvia Wood and Cabinet colleagues. Photo / Mark Mitchell
There is another aspect that is important to consider. Government ministers Erica Stanford, Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith and Mark Mitchell have all proven to be very capable ministers who get things done despite a bureaucracy that wants to slow their progress. Nicola Willis has grown into the Finance Minister role and is doing a good job.
Even without the departing Brooke van Velden, Act’s Nicole McKee, Andrew Hoggard and Karen Chhour have made a good fist of challenging portfolios. Shane Jones is a champion for mining and the regions, and NZ First has recruited capability and experience for its new list.
Let’s compare that talent with the opposition side of Parliament, where the names are largely the same as they were before. Most were party to the damage done in the six years leading up to the last election. Given that we are not hearing much in the way of new policy from Labour or the Greens, voters can only assume that unchanged personnel means an unchanged approach. That is, more tax, more borrowing, and more waste.
If we want to get exercised about the performance of our politicians, let’s first and foremost acknowledge what has been achieved. Thereafter, we should put the pressure on. Because there is a lot we are not hearing.
I’d like to hear about the big economic plan. Where is the story that says, “This is what that aspiration looks like in three or even five years”? I am all for educating our kids better, but what sort of country are we leaving them with?
It is time to overlook that slip of the tongue, and turn that aspiration into real outcomes for a generation of Kiwis who have been very patient for a long time.
They say they are “fixing the basics and building the future”. We need to hear more about what that means.
Bruce Cotterill is a professional director, speaker and adviser to business leaders. He is the author of the book, The Best Leaders Don’t Shout, and host of the podcast, Leaders Getting Coffee. www.brucecotterill.com
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