Steve Braunias: The Secret Diary of ... Christopher Luxon

Nicola Willis gives Christopher Luxon some tips before a night of campaigning. Photo / Mark Mitchell

OPINION

MONDAY

“Stand over there,” said one of my advisers.

I stood where he pointed.

“No, that’s too far to the right,” said another of my advisers. She pointed to a spot on the stage. “Move sideways a bit.”

I moved sideways a bit.

Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis stood in the wings and made calls. Paul Goldsmith was walking around counting on his fingers. Simeon Brown rolled up his sleeves.

I stood onstage and waited for the crowds to come. It’s like this every night, in Taupō, Ōamaru, Blenheim, Nelson, Warkworth, Manurewa…The excitement never stops.

“Stand over there,” said one of my consultants.

I stood where she pointed.

“No, that’s too far to the left,” said another of my consultants. He put his hands on my shoulders and shuffled me sideways. “There. Don’t move. Okay, Chris?”

“It’s Christopher,” I said, but he’d already walked away.

TUESDAY

“Who,” asked a journalist, “is the real Christopher Luxon?”

I talked about my days at Christchurch Boys’ High School. I was just one of the guys. And I mentioned how I used to hang out at Avonhead Baptist Church. I was just one of the believers. I said that after university I got offered a place in a management training programme at Unilever. I was just one of the team producing cleaning products such as Jif and Handy Andy. Then I talked about going to Air New Zealand, and –

“Who,” the journalist asked, “is the real Christopher Luxon?”

I looked around for my advisers but remembered they were holding a seminar with my consultants.

WEDNESDAY

Every night before I go to sleep I re-read passages from one of the greatest books ever published, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.

I’m a fan of all the habits, like Begin with the End in Mind, and I’ve put into practice habits such as Work First, Then Play, and I often think deeply about habits such as Sharpen the Saw.

But I think my favourite is Habit 4: Think Win-Win.

Covey writes, “Win-win sees life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. Win-win means agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfying…”

It never fails to lull me to sleep.

THURSDAY

“Today is not a day for politics,” I said to assembled media – TV, radio, print, online, and I think the Guardian were there too - at the scene of the tragic shootings in downtown Auckland, alongside National Party police spokesperson Mark Mitchell.

FRIDAY

I stood onstage and waited for the crowds to come. It’s exciting, this sense of anticipation - you just never know how the night is going to go, what the mood is going to be, and what’s going to go down.

“Crime,” said Chris Bishop in my right earpiece.

“Got it,” I said.

“Cost of living,” said Nicola Willis in my left earpiece.

“Got it,” I said.

I saw Paul Goldsmith in the wings, counting on his fingers. Simeon Brown stood next to him. He rolled his sleeves up.

The doors opened, and two nice old dears walked in. Okay. Here we go. Win-Win. Crime. Sharpen the Saw. Cost of living. Oh, and Māori. Mustn’t forget something about Māori.

Time for New Zealand to see the real Christopher Luxon.