On Monday afternoon, at the post-cabinet press conference, Luxon will often have a policy announcement. But with two already notched up by then, Luxon and Willis over 10 minutes recited a list of measures taken aimed at addressing the cost of living, including tax relief a year ago and the family boost subsidy for early childhood education.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins had an immediate and witty response.
“I think we should start calling them Fisher and Paykel because they’ve got more spin than a front-load washing machine.”
But it pays to remember Luxon is talking to the voters, not to Hipkins or the Press Gallery.
Hipkins, Act’s David Seymour and NZ First’s Winston Peters are used to setting the agenda.
Luxon has looked politically puny by comparison, but he is making a greater effort now in order not to be crowded out by opponents and coalition partners alike.
Sundays are often the quietest days in the weekly news cycle.
A Sunday announcement involving the Prime Minister is guaranteed to get coverage on social media throughout the day, on news websites, the television at night and radio the next morning, more coverage than a minister alone, and we can expect to see more of it.
But importantly, Luxon has also changed his regular weekly broadcast media spots, such as those with Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB, or TVNZ’s Breakfast show, from Tuesday morning to Monday morning. And that makes a lot of sense.
Former Prime Ministers Helen Clark and John Key always did the Monday morning slot. It helped them to set the political agenda for the week. And that is what any successful and strong political leader should be trying to do. If you don’t try, or if you fail, you look weak.
Jacinda Ardern began her set media appearances on a Monday, but she switched to Tuesday at her request. Her rationale was that she would have more to talk about on a Tuesday after the cabinet had met on Monday, and making herself available on Monday morning just let the news media set the agenda. She risked the real danger, which was that she left space for her opponents to set the narrative.
Ardern ditched the Tuesday slot with Hosking altogether in 2021, early in her second term, after he asked what he thought were more robust questions than others were asking, and she thought were more disrespectful than others.
When Hipkins followed Ardern as PM in 2023, he resumed ZB and other regular media sessions, but still on a Tuesday. Luxon followed his example last year and appeared on a Tuesday - until four months ago.
That is when Luxon reverted to the more sensible Monday slot. That means that with a Sunday or early Monday morning Government announcement, Luxon might be a little more successful at dominating the political agenda.
He could be all over the Sunday media, saturating the Monday morning airwaves and newspapers, Monday evening with a post-cabinet press conference, and Tuesday morning with what we call “the caucus run,” when he speaks to reporters on his way into the National caucus.
Last year, he dropped what had been a standard appearance on his way into Question Time on Tuesday about four hours after caucus, but other ministers are available, and he is available on Wednesday on his way to the House. He has four days to set and dominate the political agenda.
The closeness of the polls suggests the Government is struggling to convince voters they are on the right path.
National is expecting its polling to improve when (if) economic conditions improve and when Labour announces its Capital Gains Tax policy, which will be a devil to sell, but waiting for that to happen is not a strategy.
It cannot take its own recovery for granted.
Luxon’s answer is clearly to be more proactive in trying to set the agenda and establish himself as a strong leader.
Whether he succeeds is an election away. But at least he is trying harder.
