Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says gendered abuse is much worse for women working in politics.
Luxon was answering questions today in Christchurch following the resignation of Greens MP Golriz Ghahraman this week who was yesterday charged with two counts of shoplifting.
She cited stress in her work as an MP. It has also emerged she received many abusive messages during her time in Parliament.
Speaking to reporters in Christchurch today, Luxon said: “There are many hard work environments,” when asked whether Parliament was a particularly tough environment for women.
He didn’t directly answer the question. He said it was incumbent on party leaders to support their own caucuses.
He later said gendered abuse was a lot worse for women in politics.
Luxon didn’t indicate that the latest revelations would necessitate any new initiatives beyond what had been recommended in the recent Francis report into the culture of Parliament.
“You can work hard and make sure you look after people, they aren’t mutually exclusive.”
Luxon has delivered his first speech of the year, outlining a vision for a more “stable, confident, outward-looking and prosperous” country.
National MPs are gathered in Christchurch for a two-day caucus retreat, marking their return to work for 2024.
Luxon talked about “going hard” in Parliament following the “interruption” of Christmas and to clean up the “mess” left behind by the previous government.
He also urged his caucus members to “shut the noise out” this year, saying they should be focused on delivering for Kiwis.
Luxon was greeted with applause from the crowd when he ran through some of the coalition Government’s achievements prior to Christmas, including ditching Fair Pay Agreements, stopping work on Auckland Light Rail, banning phones in schools and investing in emergency department security.
There were 53 days to go in the Government’s 100-day plan, ending on March 8.
Luxon said all items in the plan were about getting New Zealand back on track, showing Kiwis the Government would keep its word and proving the Government could deliver.
The Government would work in partnership with business and iwi, Luxon said, citing a two-hour meeting with South Island iwi Ngāi Tahu yesterday.
Ministers have been taking briefings up until midnight since entering government, Luxon claimed.
He also outlined his criticisms of the previous government with respect to government spending and educational achievement.
”I want us single-mindedly focused on that objective,” Luxon said.
”We will be relentlessly focused on getting things done for New Zealanders.”
He rallied against progressing “pet, ideological projects”.
”Have presence and be very present in your electorate.”
Luxon said politics was not an individual sport but was based on teamwork.
”We’re going to stay very consistent as we have in the last two years as a caucus. We make sure we control the outside noise.
“The message is simple: the holidays are over.”
Speaking to media, Luxon said National MPs Tama Potaka and Dan Bidois would be at this weekend’s hui organised by the Māori King.
Luxon defended his absence, saying it wasn’t a political event and cited his meeting with the King earlier this week. He described that meeting as constructive.
The pair had a conversation about how to achieve outcomes, Luxon said, delivering outcomes for Māori with respect to education, economic matters and healthcare.
He said he had met with the King several times.
The King and Luxon last met while having lunch at the Koroneihana.
He dismissed claims that the hui was about responding to government policy, instead saying the hui was about establishing a pathway forward for Māori.
He disagreed with his fellow Cabinet member Shane Jones’ description of the hui as a “monumental moan session”.
Luxon was looking forward to what was coming out of the hui and how the Government could work in partnership with Māori.
“The politicians aren’t front and centre,” Luxon said of the hui.
“Not at all,” Luxon said when asked if he wasn’t attending the hui because he was wary of potential backlash.
He would be attending Rātana and Waitangi.
On the Israel-Hamas conflict, Luxon said he expected Israel’s actions to be compliant with international law.
He didn’t respond directly to whether he expected Israel to observe the outcome of a court case, brought by South Africa, at the Hague about whether genocide was occurring in Gaza.
Getting New Zealand “back on track” would be measured by the recovery of the economy, lower levels of crime and success in education.
Luxon said Cabinet and caucus getting the support they needed was key in maintaining discipline.
He said he did have some contact with Winston Peters with David Seymour over the holidays, saying he had several texts and calls with them. Luxon said they were both in “good shape”.
On legislation addressing modern slavery, Luxon said it would be addressed but that it wasn’t on the Government’s 100-day plan.
He said it could be addressed by a Modern Slavery Act.
This year was about getting the economy into a better shape. Asked whether it was a year of delivery which was a former Labour slogan, Luxon responded: “Delivery is in the DNA of this Government, let me tell you.”
His New Year resolution was to keep exercising.
The retreat is being held in the Ilam electorate, which National won back from Labour at the last election, having lost it in 2020. The electorate’s new MP Hamish Campbell said it was great to see people visiting the city. He was seen with fellow new MP, Vanessa Weenink, who won the Christchurch seat of Banks Peninsula this year.
National MP and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey was asked about the mental health of MPs in the wake of Green MP Golriz Ghahraman’s resignation.
”There’s no easy answer or that when you think about the environment MPs, public figures [and] MPs face abuse on various scales.”
“The reality is if you think about it in New Zealand, the stress in all work environments, we need to do better,” Doocey said.
National MP and Speaker Gerry Brownlee said he had not spoken to Ghahraman since the allegations surfaced. The pair formed something of a bipartisan friendship during their time in Parliament.
MP and Police Minister Mark Mitchell, when asked about the mental health of MPs and Ghahraman in particular, said: “Exercise and a good diet goes a long way to helping with mental health.”
MPs shared their New Year’s resolutions. Mitchell and fellow minister Chris Bishop are both keen to keep fit.
Bishop said he wanted to “lose some weight” and to get started on a “big programme of work” as infrastructure minister.
“I spent a lot of the time reading and thinking about how we hit the ground running,” Bishop said.
Defence Minister Judith Collins had a busy break. Along with Foreign Minister Winston Peters, Collins signed New Zealand to a White House statement endorsing strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. Houthis have been disrupting trade by attacking ships.
New Zealand is one of just 10 countries to sign on to the statement, which has been interpreted as positioning New Zealand closer to the line of the United States in the ongoing war in Gaza.
Collins said she did “not at all” agree with the criticism, and said there had been no blowback.
“I was very pleased that New Zealand played our part in terms of understanding we are at the bottom of the world, at the end of supply chains, what is going on at the Red Sea at the moment is adding enormous cost to New Zealanders,” Collins said.
The retreat is mostly closed to the public and will last about two days.
Ministers have already been back at work for a week, with Cabinet committees beginning ahead of the first Cabinet meeting next week.
In the wake of Ghahraman’s resignation after allegations of shoplifting, Luxon is keen to impart a sense of discipline to his MPs, reminding them of the risks that come with having a public profile.
Labour is having a later caucus retreat this year, meaning the focus is mainly on National.
Thomas Coughlan is Deputy Political Editor and covers politics from Parliament. He has worked for the Herald since 2021 and has worked in the press gallery since 2018.
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