Christopher Luxon working from home as election year gets underway

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is working from home in Auckland, planning for the year ahead. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Prime Minister is working from home as the year gets underway, with Parliament not set to return until the end of the month.

Before the summer break, Christopher Luxon told Newstalk ZB he expected to be back at work in the first week of January, as he had spent much of his career working overseas, where the holiday breaks were shorter.

“In the US, you maybe get two weeks’ annual leave holiday and Christmas is a couple of days off and you’re back at it again,” Luxon said.

“I’ve always been used to going back to work on the 3rd or 4th of January.”

Luxon has not released any statements on Venezuela, with Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters leading the Government’s communications instead.

Luxon’s only social media posts this year have been to wish the country a happy new year, and a video from December’s press conference announcing that free trade negotiations with India had concluded.

Asked by RNZ whether Luxon was back at work, what he was doing, and where he was working from, a spokesperson said the Prime Minister was in Auckland working from home, planning for the year ahead.

Parliament will resume sitting on January 27. It will sit for one week before breaking for a week-long recess, which will include Waitangi Day.

Before Parliament resumes, Luxon will deliver a State of the Nation speech, and National’s caucus will meet for its annual retreat.

While it is possible Luxon will announce the election date at one of those events, a Cabinet reshuffle is not expected.

- RNZ