March 5, 2026 • 8 mins
The Taxpayers'-Union Curia poll revealed this morning that Christopher Luxon’s National Party has sunk to its lowest result in the poll since 2021.
National is sitting on 28.4%, down 2.9 points from February’s poll.
The result sparked conversation around whether Luxon should step down.
Luxon joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to defend his position and says he is 'absolutely not' stepping down.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The only drive show you can trust to ask the questions,
you get the answers to find the fag and give
the analysis. Here the duplicy Ellen Drive with One New
Zealand and the power of satellite mobile news dogs.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
V Good afternoon. There is widespread speculation this afternoon in
political circles that the Prime Minister is considering his future
following a brutal poll for National It's the Taxpayer's Union
Curier poll has the party at twenty eight point four
percent and it's his worst result since the Judith Collins era.
And we're joined by the Prime Minister Hig Chris good O, Heather,
how are you? I'm well, thank you. Are you considering
(00:38):
standing down?
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Absolutely not. The only thing I'm considering is the future
of our kids and our grandkids, and that's why I
came to politics. We've got a great country, We've got
a hell of a lot to do, and that's what
I'm fixated on.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Do you think you should consider standing down?
Speaker 1 (00:52):
No?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Why not?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Well, look I'm in We've got a lot of work
to do, and I think you know I've got skills
that actually are very useful at this time trying to
navigate some challenging global environments with our biggest challenge in
this country is our economy. And I understand the economy well.
I appreciate there's a lot of key we're still doing
it tough and a challenge by that and are frustrated
by that as I am. But you know, we've got
to follow the plan and it's starting to work a
(01:16):
little bit, and we want to see more of it
happen over the course of the year.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
What are your ministers telling you? Are any of them
telling you to consider your future?
Speaker 3 (01:23):
No? No, not at all.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Are any of them telling you that they back you?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
All of them? Yes?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Is there? If this is not a poll number, Chris,
it's bad enough for you to consider your position. What
is the poll number at which you do well?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Can I just step you through the polls right? Because
you know, if you're in my position, I get asked
every single week by a different journalist or a different
media organization that has its own polling right, and there's
often public polls that I'll have two public polls in
a week that will be saying different things. And polling
in twenty twenty six is really important to get right
because there's methodology issues there are a new media environment.
(01:57):
People don't have landline phones. There's a whole bunch of
stuff that goes into it. Only the only polling I
look at is the one that we do internally for ourselves,
and that's stuff that we actually get processed overseas actually,
to be honest, because there's skills that we need to
process the data.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
When you say processed, do you mean it gets weighted
overseas well.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
What we do is we do our internal polling. I
think Nicholas spoken about this at the end of last year.
Is actually and since I became the leader, I actually
get that processed in the UK, and I have done
ever since.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
And where are you guys sitting Well, I don't talk
about it obviously, but I just would reassure you if
there was a problem, I would be doing something about it.
But we are a long way away from what we've
seen published in a TPU poll today. And you know,
we know we've got work to do. We know this
is all about the economy. It's all about actually people
(02:47):
feeling it as it improved through the course of the year,
and there's.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
A lot more for us to do. But that's what
I lead, and that's why you know hither you asked
me lots of times because it could be a very
in TV poll, it could be a fresh water poll,
it could be a tea you pole, can be a
Roy Morgan pole, you know, and you know, and people
ask me all the time, and I always say, don't
comment on poles. And that's the reason I don't is
that I know the task at hand. I know what
the issue that's concerning Zealand is the most is the economy.
(03:12):
The economy of the economy. That's what election is going
to be fought about. I don't believe going down the
pathway with labor doing more of their stuff is the
way forward for this country. I think we have an
awesome country, but we have a lot of potential to
realize on it. And that's what I'm waking up doing
each never.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Okay, So is there is there a poll number at
which you do start to consider your future.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
It's not something I've thought about at all, and I
haven't discussed it with anybody because it hasn't been hasn't
needed to be a conversation.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Because you're what you're asking me to believe, though, Chris,
is that all the polls out there that we are
seeing public are wrong and there's something special about your
poll that makes it right.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
At a higher level, I'm not saying that. I'm just
saying if I spend all my time each and every
week commenting on different polls that are presented and pitched
to me as Gospel, as Bible, as true, and debating
that that is a waste of my time. What New
Zealand expect me to be doing is cracking on with
the job that I was elected to do. They get
to determine a poll on November the seventh, they get
(04:06):
to make that decision. We've got a long way to
go until then. I'll tell you, right, what I hear
from them is the economy right.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
That's fair. It is fair what you are saying. But
there is also something else which is going on air,
which is if you go to November the seven with
a number as low as this, you lose twelve of
your MPs. You lose Nikola Willis, you lose Paul Goldsmith.
You start cutting into the muscle of the National Party.
They are not going to stand for it. Your ministers
are not going to stand there on November six and
(04:32):
say that that's all right. They're going to roll you,
aren't they so.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Hitl I have the full support of my team and my.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Caucus, right, But what they say to leaders before they
roll leaders, I'm not suggesting they're about to I'm not
suggesting they're about to roll you. But all I am
saying is you cannot. You cannot take this to the election.
You can't go to the election on a number like this,
can you.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Well, I just say to you, that's not what we're
planning to do, and that's not what.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
We are How are you going to lift it?
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Well, what we've got to do, it's got to del
for the economy, right, I mean, that is really what
New Zealanders are telling us. This is the major major
issue here that if I look at my qualitative research,
we look at our quantitative research, what are the biggest
concerns for New Zealanders. It's been cost of living in
the economy by a long shot.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Okay, and the economies on its knees, and the recovery
was already going to be a grind for us this
year without what's going on in Iran? Can you credibly
tell me that this is going to help you out
the selection? Because I think I think it's it's not well.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
I disagree. I think the economy, the economic recovery is underway.
You've seen positive quarterly growth last quarter. You've seen inflation
in the band. You've got ocr down nine cuts in
twenty four months. You've got the consumer confidence the highest
it's been since twenty twenty one. You've got business conference
higher since twenty fourteen. You've got farmer confidence higher since
twenty sixteen. You've even got manufacturing growth.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
This per run stuff you're talking about.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Yeah, sure, sure here that. But there's one hundred and
ninety five countries in the world and eight billion people
and they are all having to navigate the same scenario
that we are. But New Zealand, relative to other countries
in the world, despite the shocks, despite the dramas that
are going on, and the conflicts that are going on,
is in a better position than anybody else to navigate
all of that. That is why we have been out
and about making sure we're diversifying, deepening the relationships internationally,
(06:09):
opening up trading opportunities. Most of our focus is in
the Indo Pacific region where most of our business gets done. Yes,
there's uncertainty around this event with Iran and Yes, there's
risk around a whole bunch of things, but we are
well prepared, we are well diversified, We've developed relationships to
be able to deal with that, and I think our
relative performance compared to any other country on Earth, I'd
(06:31):
sooner be leading New Zealand than any other place at
this point in time, and I think we can do
really well with it.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Chris, how are you going to improve your performance because
your performance and the stuff that we saw on Monday
fumbling over answers, is what is also dragging the party
vote down.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Yeah, look at but it. I mean, I think I've
freely admitted I'm not a career politician. I'm not going
to always have the perfect, most tidy SoundBite like someone
who's been there twenty years would do, and I will
probably make mistakes and not get it perfect each and
every time. But that's not what I'm there to do.
I'm there to do is to communicate to the best
of my ability, but most importantly, to drive a team
(07:04):
to improve economic outcomes, to create opportunity for his islanders.
That's what I'm doing, well, you know, I mean, I
think you know, just thinking about Hei that we're dealing
with a really crappy situation we've inherited. We've got really
volatile global conditions. We're navigating through the economic challenges we've got.
I'm doing it with the coalition partners as a result,
and we've got a team of ministers that I think
are hard.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Finally you're doing it. I'm doing an admirable job of
making it sound like this doesn't matter, but the fact
that you're on the show talking about it says you
know this matters, right.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Well, it's just that I've been down in a master
toon of Golden Shares yesterday. I've been out of my
electorate and Botany doing series of events, and I've picked
up as i've come back into finishing my events in
Botany that the whole world seems have got very exercised about.
I'm considering my future. Reason I'm coming on your shows
to clarify to people, No, I'm not doing that. I'm
considering very deeply the future for New Zealand and nothing's
(07:52):
changed for me. So I appreciate the media may have
got carried away through the course of the day in
reacting to another public poll of which there are men
and I'm just trying to give some perspective to it
and some balance to it.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
All right, Chris, thank you for coming on the show.
I really appreciate your time, of course, as always Chris
luson Prime Minister coll
Speaker 1 (08:10):
For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
news Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
The only drive show you can trust to ask the questions,
you get the answers to find the fag and give
the analysis. Here the duplicy Ellen Drive with One New
Zealand and the power of satellite mobile news dogs.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
V Good afternoon. There is widespread speculation this afternoon in
political circles that the Prime Minister is considering his future
following a brutal poll for National It's the Taxpayer's Union
Curier poll has the party at twenty eight point four
percent and it's his worst result since the Judith Collins era.
And we're joined by the Prime Minister Hig Chris good O, Heather,
how are you? I'm well, thank you. Are you considering
(00:38):
standing down?
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Absolutely not. The only thing I'm considering is the future
of our kids and our grandkids, and that's why I
came to politics. We've got a great country, We've got
a hell of a lot to do, and that's what
I'm fixated on.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Do you think you should consider standing down?
Speaker 1 (00:52):
No?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Why not?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Well, look I'm in We've got a lot of work
to do, and I think you know I've got skills
that actually are very useful at this time trying to
navigate some challenging global environments with our biggest challenge in
this country is our economy. And I understand the economy well.
I appreciate there's a lot of key we're still doing
it tough and a challenge by that and are frustrated
by that as I am. But you know, we've got
to follow the plan and it's starting to work a
(01:16):
little bit, and we want to see more of it
happen over the course of the year.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
What are your ministers telling you? Are any of them
telling you to consider your future?
Speaker 3 (01:23):
No? No, not at all.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Are any of them telling you that they back you?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
All of them? Yes?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Is there? If this is not a poll number, Chris,
it's bad enough for you to consider your position. What
is the poll number at which you do well?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Can I just step you through the polls right? Because
you know, if you're in my position, I get asked
every single week by a different journalist or a different
media organization that has its own polling right, and there's
often public polls that I'll have two public polls in
a week that will be saying different things. And polling
in twenty twenty six is really important to get right
because there's methodology issues there are a new media environment.
(01:57):
People don't have landline phones. There's a whole bunch of
stuff that goes into it. Only the only polling I
look at is the one that we do internally for ourselves,
and that's stuff that we actually get processed overseas actually,
to be honest, because there's skills that we need to
process the data.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
When you say processed, do you mean it gets weighted
overseas well.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
What we do is we do our internal polling. I
think Nicholas spoken about this at the end of last year.
Is actually and since I became the leader, I actually
get that processed in the UK, and I have done
ever since.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
And where are you guys sitting Well, I don't talk
about it obviously, but I just would reassure you if
there was a problem, I would be doing something about it.
But we are a long way away from what we've
seen published in a TPU poll today. And you know,
we know we've got work to do. We know this
is all about the economy. It's all about actually people
(02:47):
feeling it as it improved through the course of the year,
and there's.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
A lot more for us to do. But that's what
I lead, and that's why you know hither you asked
me lots of times because it could be a very
in TV poll, it could be a fresh water poll,
it could be a tea you pole, can be a
Roy Morgan pole, you know, and you know, and people
ask me all the time, and I always say, don't
comment on poles. And that's the reason I don't is
that I know the task at hand. I know what
the issue that's concerning Zealand is the most is the economy.
(03:12):
The economy of the economy. That's what election is going
to be fought about. I don't believe going down the
pathway with labor doing more of their stuff is the
way forward for this country. I think we have an
awesome country, but we have a lot of potential to
realize on it. And that's what I'm waking up doing
each never.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Okay, So is there is there a poll number at
which you do start to consider your future.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
It's not something I've thought about at all, and I
haven't discussed it with anybody because it hasn't been hasn't
needed to be a conversation.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Because you're what you're asking me to believe, though, Chris,
is that all the polls out there that we are
seeing public are wrong and there's something special about your
poll that makes it right.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
At a higher level, I'm not saying that. I'm just
saying if I spend all my time each and every
week commenting on different polls that are presented and pitched
to me as Gospel, as Bible, as true, and debating
that that is a waste of my time. What New
Zealand expect me to be doing is cracking on with
the job that I was elected to do. They get
to determine a poll on November the seventh, they get
(04:06):
to make that decision. We've got a long way to
go until then. I'll tell you, right, what I hear
from them is the economy right.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
That's fair. It is fair what you are saying. But
there is also something else which is going on air,
which is if you go to November the seven with
a number as low as this, you lose twelve of
your MPs. You lose Nikola Willis, you lose Paul Goldsmith.
You start cutting into the muscle of the National Party.
They are not going to stand for it. Your ministers
are not going to stand there on November six and
(04:32):
say that that's all right. They're going to roll you,
aren't they so.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Hitl I have the full support of my team and my.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Caucus, right, But what they say to leaders before they
roll leaders, I'm not suggesting they're about to I'm not
suggesting they're about to roll you. But all I am
saying is you cannot. You cannot take this to the election.
You can't go to the election on a number like this,
can you.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Well, I just say to you, that's not what we're
planning to do, and that's not what.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
We are How are you going to lift it?
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Well, what we've got to do, it's got to del
for the economy, right, I mean, that is really what
New Zealanders are telling us. This is the major major
issue here that if I look at my qualitative research,
we look at our quantitative research, what are the biggest
concerns for New Zealanders. It's been cost of living in
the economy by a long shot.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Okay, and the economies on its knees, and the recovery
was already going to be a grind for us this
year without what's going on in Iran? Can you credibly
tell me that this is going to help you out
the selection? Because I think I think it's it's not well.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
I disagree. I think the economy, the economic recovery is underway.
You've seen positive quarterly growth last quarter. You've seen inflation
in the band. You've got ocr down nine cuts in
twenty four months. You've got the consumer confidence the highest
it's been since twenty twenty one. You've got business conference
higher since twenty fourteen. You've got farmer confidence higher since
twenty sixteen. You've even got manufacturing growth.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
This per run stuff you're talking about.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Yeah, sure, sure here that. But there's one hundred and
ninety five countries in the world and eight billion people
and they are all having to navigate the same scenario
that we are. But New Zealand, relative to other countries
in the world, despite the shocks, despite the dramas that
are going on, and the conflicts that are going on,
is in a better position than anybody else to navigate
all of that. That is why we have been out
and about making sure we're diversifying, deepening the relationships internationally,
(06:09):
opening up trading opportunities. Most of our focus is in
the Indo Pacific region where most of our business gets done. Yes,
there's uncertainty around this event with Iran and Yes, there's
risk around a whole bunch of things, but we are
well prepared, we are well diversified, We've developed relationships to
be able to deal with that, and I think our
relative performance compared to any other country on Earth, I'd
(06:31):
sooner be leading New Zealand than any other place at
this point in time, and I think we can do
really well with it.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Chris, how are you going to improve your performance because
your performance and the stuff that we saw on Monday
fumbling over answers, is what is also dragging the party
vote down.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Yeah, look at but it. I mean, I think I've
freely admitted I'm not a career politician. I'm not going
to always have the perfect, most tidy SoundBite like someone
who's been there twenty years would do, and I will
probably make mistakes and not get it perfect each and
every time. But that's not what I'm there to do.
I'm there to do is to communicate to the best
of my ability, but most importantly, to drive a team
(07:04):
to improve economic outcomes, to create opportunity for his islanders.
That's what I'm doing, well, you know, I mean, I
think you know, just thinking about Hei that we're dealing
with a really crappy situation we've inherited. We've got really
volatile global conditions. We're navigating through the economic challenges we've got.
I'm doing it with the coalition partners as a result,
and we've got a team of ministers that I think
are hard.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Finally you're doing it. I'm doing an admirable job of
making it sound like this doesn't matter, but the fact
that you're on the show talking about it says you
know this matters, right.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Well, it's just that I've been down in a master
toon of Golden Shares yesterday. I've been out of my
electorate and Botany doing series of events, and I've picked
up as i've come back into finishing my events in
Botany that the whole world seems have got very exercised about.
I'm considering my future. Reason I'm coming on your shows
to clarify to people, No, I'm not doing that. I'm
considering very deeply the future for New Zealand and nothing's
(07:52):
changed for me. So I appreciate the media may have
got carried away through the course of the day in
reacting to another public poll of which there are men
and I'm just trying to give some perspective to it
and some balance to it.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
All right, Chris, thank you for coming on the show.
I really appreciate your time, of course, as always Chris
luson Prime Minister coll
Speaker 1 (08:10):
For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
news Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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