Incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has arrived at Parliament saying it’s an “exciting day” to meet the new members of his caucus and begin running the country.
Speaking to media, he said that regarding negotiations with other potential governing parties, he was working to build “strong relationships”.
He said he had been negotiating with different parties separately.
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“What I owe New Zealanders is to deliver a strong and stable government. That’s the work I said I would go off and do.
“I’m really sorry, but I’m just not going to be discussing [negotiations].”
He said he had been clear about the parties the National Party was willing to work with.
“I’ve read a lot of punditry and I will say to you, it’s often very wrong.
“I’m not ruling things in or out based on these [media] conversations.”
Luxon said National had spoken with New Zealand First.
“What we’ve got to do right now is form a government. We’re being respectful of the weeks it will take to count the special votes.
“We’ve got very good discipline in the National Party and I expect that to continue.”
Luxon said there were “a number of dynamics at play” with special votes which could change how people abroad typically vote.
“This time it might be slightly different. The mix of what could come through could be quite different.”
Luxon said he appreciated there was significant interest in the coalition negotiations.
“I know, and I believe, that good governments are about building good chemistry [with other parties].
“It’s all good, don’t worry about it,” he said regarding the timeframe of negotiations.
“We have a process in place. We are in an MMP system. We are tasked with making that work.
“I’m not here to give you a blow-by-blow update about conversations which are private.”
He said he had a “great” conversation with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and was confident they would work well together.
“I want to work in a different way. I want to build a proper government. I’m not interested in the sideshow and parlour games.
Luxon said deputy National leader Nicola Willis would be part of a negotiating team.
Willis denied ever saying she didn’t want to work with Winston Peters.
She declined to comment on tax cuts.
Luxon said tax cuts were a “key commitment to New Zealanders” and said they would go ahead.
“We want to deliver tax relief and that’s what we’re planning to do.”
Regarding his new MPs, Luxon said he had already got to know them.
“I’m in awe of how hard they worked. That’s what you saw come home on Saturday night.”
Luxon said he spoke with outgoing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on election night about the transition between governments.
“It’s fantastic to see in a democracy that transition run smoothly.
“We want to use the time in the next three weeks to see briefings.”
Luxon has today met with his newly bolstered caucus for the first time in Wellington.
After meeting with high-ranking party officials and members of his freshly revived caucus yesterday, Luxon returned to Wellington today to start building his new government after winning his party 50 seats in the House of Representatives.
After touching down in Wellington this afternoon, he made his way to Parliament. He hurried through the terminal, barely slowing to speak to waiting media.
Luxon had very little to say, declining to answer most questions. He said negotiations about forming a government with Act and potentially NZ First would be “worked out over the next days and weeks”.
He declined to answer a question about potential for a hung Parliament, responding: “We’re here at Wellington, beautiful day, new National government, the All Blacks are winning.”
He said he was “absolutely” excited to be becoming Prime Minister. Asked his priorities, he said the first was to see what the special votes were, second to work out arrangements with the parties and third to work with the outgoing Government on transition.
He declined to comment on any conversations with Winston Peters and NZ First, and Act and leader David Seymour, saying they were private.
The brutal election result for the Labour Party on Saturday night saw New Zealanders clearly voting for change.
Luxon still needs to hammer out a governing arrangement with Act and possibly New Zealand First, which will happen in the coming days. The first call between the Luxon and Act leader David Seymour was scheduled for Sunday evening.
Luxon and other high-ranking party members met at his Auckland home yesterday for a long strategy meeting - the purpose of which he said was to “digest the election results” and think about the next steps.
He remained tight-lipped on what had been decided, not answering whether the party had firmed up when it might conduct talks with members of Act or NZ First.
“I said we won’t do it through the media, we’ll do it directly with the parties involved out of respect to them.”
With more than 500,000 special votes yet to be counted yesterday, Luxon did not indicate whether it was his preference to not advance the formation of the next Government until those votes were in. He did accept it would make things more complex if that process began before the votes were counted.
“There’s a bit of volatility sitting there but we’ll carry on working with the parties directly,” he said.
“We know that the result is going to bounce around a little bit and that’s the thing that we need to see how that’s going to button down.”
Flights to the capital were booked out on Sunday as MPs - victorious and vanquished - flocked back to Wellington. And while this is all ostensibly for Orientation Week for new MPs to learn the job and get acquainted with their new caucuses, the three likely parties of government will launch into more strenuous negotiations.
Already, the two minor parties to the Government are circling each other, attempting to bolster their negotiating position before special votes are declared on November 3.
Act, whose negotiation team is likely to include leader Seymour, deputy Brooke van Velden, chief of staff Andrew Ketels and a member of the party’s board, possibly Catherine Isaac, is keen for a two-party Government.
Seymour is talking down the possibility of going into government with NZ First, saying that it was “possible” but not necessarily “likely”.
“Special votes haven’t been counted yet,” Seymour said.
On election night, too, Seymour said the voters had delivered National and Act enough to govern alone.