Tame explained that in March this year, Luxon gave an interview with 1News political editor Maiki Sherman<\/a> during a trip to India, and Q+A was assured that Luxon would later join the programme for a broad-ranging interview. \u201cThose assurances have continued all year,\u201d Tame said. \u201cWe check in with the PM\u2019s team regularly, but despite a standing invitation, they told us last week that actually, the prime minister would not be fronting here this year.\u201d<\/p>\n Luxon joined foreign minister Winston Peters and social development minister Louise Upston in refusing to be interviewed on Q+A this year, Tame continued. \u201cWe think there is a vital democratic function in interviewing and challenging politicians of all stripes in a longer and more sustained format than the standard daily news cycle allows. We hope they will agree to come on Q+A in 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n We can but hope, but it\u2019s clear that 2025 is ending with an emphatic \u201cnot on your nelly\u201d from the man who once accused New Zealanders of embracing a culture of no<\/a>. Look, prime minister, we get it. Nobody wants to get up early on a Sunday morning, and going on live TV is an absolute bum clencher of a time. The lights! The make-up! The media\u2019s unrelenting obsession with the rising unemployment rate<\/a>, the exodus to Australia<\/a>, the economy being shit<\/a>, the \u201cbroken\u201d health system<\/a>, the increase in poverty<\/a>, worsening racial discrimination<\/a> and the existential threat of climate change. Ugh, so annoying!\u00a0<\/p>\n Last week may have been scrutiny week<\/a> for some of our politicians, but not so much for the prime minister. Throughout 2025, other politicians including David Seymour, Chris Hipkins, Chris Bishop, Erica Stanford, Mark Mitchell, Karen Chhour, Jan Tinetti and Chris Penk have all managed to appear on Q+A to answer questions about their political responsibilities. Holy moly, even the Vatican astronomer fronted up<\/a>, and we all know how much the Vatican loves a Sunday morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q+A is the last mainstream broadcast TV news show that offers lengthy and in-depth interviews with politicians and public figures, allowing viewers to gain a deeper understanding of the government\u2019s actions and how these decisions affect their lives \u2013 but hey ho. The PM is a busy guy, and why sit in a dark TV studio when you could be exchanging high fives with an inflatable gingerbread man<\/a> at the local Christmas parade instead? Let\u2019s squint our weary eyes into life\u2019s wacky telescope and look back on some of the other things Christopher Luxon did last week instead of going on Q+A.<\/p>\n He went wild for meatballs<\/p>\n Ikea opened in Auckland last Thursday<\/a>, and Luxon was right in the middle<\/a> of all the batshittery. He helped cut the opening ribbon and held a live stand-up from outside the big Swedish shop, where journalists asked questions about school lunches, failing small businesses and puberty blockers. The PM wanted this to be a good news day, and said the arrival of this large multi-national company was all about more competition, better deals and making money go further. He shook lots of hands, and got a new bucket hat.\u00a0<\/p>\n He went wild for Christmas<\/p>\n On Friday, Luxon popped into Newstalk ZB to swap Christmas gifts with broadcaster Mike Hosking<\/a>. \u201cIs that the Treaty of Waitangi? Is this handcuffs? A muzzle?\u201d Hosking asked as Luxon handed over a small gift bag. \u201cI don\u2019t know, what do you think?\u201d Luxon teased, not once, not twice, but three times. His gift bag contained a black rubber lanyard that held a wine glass, so that Hosking could survey his vast estate hands-free, as well as a set of wine glasses. Where did the glasses come from? \u201cYesterday you might have heard that I went to Ikea, because apparently it was on CNN,\u201d Luxon explained. \u201cI was the first person in the country to make a physical purchase in the store at Ikea.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He went wild for Spotify\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s the most wonderful time of the year when Spotify Wrapped drops, and the prime minister was thrilled to discover what his 2025 music tastes revealed about him. From the back seat of his ministerial limo, Luxon shared<\/a> that his listening age was a youthful 27. His top song was \u2018Nine Ball\u2019 by Zach Bryan, which he listened to 142 times. \u201cI thought it would be that,\u201d Luxon said.\u00a0<\/p>\n He dug a hole<\/p>\n On Friday, Luxon joined a lot of other men wearing suits to stand on a red carpet and dig a little hole with a brand new shovel, to mark the symbolic turning of sod for the development of a new medical school at Waikato University<\/a>. It\u2019s not clear why they needed so many men to stand and watch two other men dig a hole, but that\u2019s progress for you.\u00a0<\/p>\n He celebrated blueberries<\/p>\nChristopher Luxon speaks to Jack Tame on Q+A in December 2024 (Screengrab)<\/p>\n
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