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Home / New Zealand

Tory Whanau tells Christopher Luxon to focus on his ‘own failings’

Ethan Griffiths
By Ethan Griffiths
Executive Producer - Wellington Mornings·NZ Herald·
28 May, 2025 01:46 AM4 mins to read

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Christopher Luxon hits out at Wellington City Council
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says Wellington City Council has too much party politics around the table, and needs to focus on solutions for the city.
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      Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says Wellington City Council has too much party politics around the table, and needs to focus on solutions for the city.
      NOW PLAYING • Christopher Luxon hits out at Wellington City Council
      Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says Wellington City Council has too much party politics around the table, and needs to focus on solutions for the city.

      Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has hit out at Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, saying he’s “punching down” on Wellington to distract voters from his own failings.

      Luxon appeared on Newstalk ZB’s Wellington Mornings today, where host Nick Mills asked him about the state of the capital.

      Luxon spoke about a lack of vision in the city, comparing Wellington to Christchurch and Auckland and questioning what the city is doing to attract growth.

      “What is Wellington doing to attract events here? What are they doing to attract businesses here?”

      He also hit out at decisions made by the city council, including the rollout of cycle lanes.

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      “Literally half of Molesworth St has been turned into a bike lane,” Luxon said.

      “A lot of businesses you can’t park outside of now, because we’ve got a whole bunch of palava in the middle of the city.”

      Party politics around the council table were also in Luxon’s sights.

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      “You’ve also got to have a council that manages the basics well. Managing the water - you don’t need a Labour or Green party policy to work out how the bins are going out or being collected. That’s pretty basic stuff.

      “I lived here, I love this place, it’s got so much potential. But other cities are moving forward.

      “Instead, the focus is internal, it’s myopic, it’s on themselves rather than on the people of Wellington.”

      Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in studio with Newstalk ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills. Photo / Mark Mitchell
      Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in studio with Newstalk ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills. Photo / Mark Mitchell

      In a statement, Wellington mayor Tory Whanau said the comments were designed to distract from the Government’s failings.

      “These comments by the Prime Minister are once again a blatant punching down on Wellington, where groundbreaking, transformative projects are underway.

      “Just last week, we successfully passed our long-term plan and progressed our water reforms.

      “Perhaps he should look at his own policy choices – like the recent decision to slash pay for women on low incomes and the disastrous school lunch programme.

      “We need solutions and collaboration from the Prime Minister, not rhetoric designed to distract from his own failings. We’re doing just fine in Wellington, and the Prime Minister should focus on his chaotic coalition instead.”

      It’s the second time today Luxon has taken aim at the council. He discussed Wellington City Council at a post-budget breakfast hosted by ANZ this morning.

      “Man, I think you need a little bit less political party [sic], a little less ideology and a little bit more common sense in solving some problems and getting the show on the road.

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      “But ultimately also, the good people of Wellington have to vote. When you look at voter turnout in local body elections running at 35 per cent, sometimes you get what you deserve.

      “I can’t solve all your problems. You can solve some of your own problems”.

      Today is not the first time Whanau and Luxon have traded barbs.

      In March, Whanau said “I don’t think he’s a nice person,” in response to the Prime Minister labelling the city “lame-o” for not seeking a regional deal with the government.

      Speaking with Mills, Luxon declined to offer a view on former Labour leader Andrew Little’s tilt at the Wellington mayoralty, saying it’s not his role to comment on mayoral races as Prime Minister.

      Last week, senior National minister Chris Bishop told Mills that Little was “the favourite” ahead of October’s election.

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      “The council needs a maturity that has not been demonstrated in the last few years”, Bishop said, adding that he believes Little wouldn’t get distracted by other issues not in the interest of the city.

      “I don’t mean to be mean about Tory [Whanau] but every time she came on your show we ended up with debates about everything other than the debates about issues facing Wellington and that’s not good for the city,” Bishop told Mills.

      Whanau is not running for a second term as mayor and intends to stand for the council’s Māori ward.

      Ethan Griffiths is the executive producer of Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills on Newstalk ZB. He is a former Herald reporter with experience covering local government, politics and crime.

      Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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