It was Christopher Luxon’s desire to fix the National Party that steered him towards Parliament. It speaks to a game plan that took him from backbench MP to leader in just 13 months, writes political editor Jo Moir.
Comment: The new National leader is convinced the party’s internal culture problem is on the mend.
In an interview with Newsroom at the party’s caucus retreat in Queenstown he said, “people orientate very quickly around the expectations of a new leader’’ and he’s set on modelling the behaviour the party needs to win in 2023.
“People will say, ‘that’s different from how it used to be’ but then they’ll get on board and follow.’’
Luxon wants the “reality show of the National Party’’ put behind the caucus as it turns its attention to the seven quarters ahead in the run-up to the election.
“We’ve been playing cricket but haven’t been on the pitch…. we’ve been sitting in the changing rooms fricking fighting with each other,’’ he told Newsroom.
He’s pinpointed a couple of areas where he thinks culture improvements in both the caucus and the wider party can be made.
“I’m already working with the party directly to say first-and-foremost I want a code of behaviour for members and MPs and a dispute resolutions process.
“We’re drawing a line in the sand and saying 'going forward this is what we’re going to do'.’’
Luxon says he wasn’t part of a faction in the National Party when he joined – although some would argue the newbie MPs of 2020 were their own faction.
That’s put him in a position where he can pick up the phone and discuss an issue if he can see someone has sensitivities.
“I’m quite non-hierarchial and I’ll pick up the phone to anyone,’’ he said.
Luxon is fully supportive of the recommendations from the Debbie Francis review into Parliament’s workplace culture, sparked by allegations of bullying and abuse of power.
“There’s no choice on the Debbie Francis review, we need to be relaxed on that. I don’t give a toss what they think about that, we’re doing it,’’ Luxon told Newsroom.
When he joined the caucus in October 2020 Luxon admits the party was in “a lot worse” shape than he realised.
“We’ve ended up where we’ve ended up, is it the right time or wrong time? I don’t really care – it’s what was needed.’’ - Chris Luxon
Asked how he wants voters to perceive him, he said, “they’ll say Chris Luxon knows how to get things done and he’s highly competent and fundamentally he cares deeply about people’’.
“That’s it, that’s why I came, that’s why I love doing turnaround jobs, because that’s the challenge.’’
He says he doesn’t shy away from making the tough calls but acknowledges he’s the type of guy who “likes to be liked’’.
“I’m a people-person and I’m a big extrovert.’’
Luxon said there was plenty of commentary about when he should run for the leadership, and why it was too early to step up, but in the end those choices were taken away when the caucus voted no-confidence in former leader Judith Collins.
“We’ve ended up where we’ve ended up, is it the right time or wrong time? I don’t really care – it’s what was needed.’
“I used to say to Amanda when I first started at Parliament, ‘it’s going to be a great week this week I can feel it, what a special place to be’. Then you’d get in there and there would be some discussion on some minutiae or something else and it would be like, ‘right let’s start again next week, next week will be a better week’,’’ he said.
As for the next steps, Luxon says it’s about creating a “credible strong alternative government’’.
That means not just opposing ideas for the sake of it, but also proposing new ones to “build trust back’’ with voters.
“What I want from our MPs is them not becoming institutionalised to Wellington and thinking their wood-panelled office is where things get done.’
“We cannot be an old crusty National Party; we have to reinvent this party,’’ he said.
