Thomas Coughlan: NZ Herald political editor on Chris Penk losing his portfolios after Luxon coup

National MP Chris Penk's been dumped from Cabinet and his ministerial portfolios, after instigating today's failed coup. 

Prime Minister Chris Luxon managed to fight off the challenge for his leadership - at a three-hour caucus meeting in Wellington today. 

He says Penk's role is now untenable. 

NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan says Penk was likely running the numbers - for Erica Stanford or Chris Bishop to contest the leadership. 

"I think there was a classic stalking horse or sometimes they're called kamikazes - they launched the attacks and destabilised...so that it triggered the confidence vote." 

Paul Goldsmith will pick up the Defence, Veterans, Space, GCSB, and NZSIS portfolios. 

Simon Watts will become Minister for Building and Construction.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Together due to see all the developments the whole way
through has been the Herald's political leader. To Thomas Coglan,
who's with us A Thomas.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Wed a good afternoon.

Speaker 1 (00:08):
So what happened? How did he go from yesterday when
we spoke to you? This is luxon. He was behind
in the numbers by the looks of things, momentum was
on the outside. How to he shure it up?

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Yeah? Well, I mean we were talking yesterday and as
of yesterday, I think I spoke to you. At that
point we hadn't heard from Sion Brown, who was sick,
so maybe there had been sick, but we hadn't heard
from Louise Ups and Paul Goldsmith, Simon Watts and Chris Pink,
a name which obviously carries it have added significance right
now because Chris Pink very clearly didn't have confidence in
Christopher Us and he was the one who launched that challenge.

(00:39):
Something clearly happened. So we spoke at five. I went
to the airport immediately after we spoke, and I saw
the last of the National MP's coming in a large
bulk of nationals MP's. They live in Auphans. They were
coming in on those late lights. We saw Mark Mitchell
coming in. He stopped talking, gave this massive speech of
loyalty to Christopher Lucks and we saw Goldsbor he was

(01:00):
pretty loyal. We saw even backbenches like Carlos Chunger that
give some support to the Prime Minister. And they then
headed to Government House. We saw some the lights on
there last night. We had a someone call in saying
that they saw crowned cards heating over there at some
point in the in the evening. They clearly worked out
that the challenge didn't have enough support to be a

(01:24):
done thing. I think what they might have done at
Government House had there had it been clear that the
challenge was successful. You would think someone like Mark Mitchell
and Paul Goldsmith, those real allies of blacks, and they
would have gone to him and they would have said, look, mates,
it's over. You should resign and save your dignity. Clearly,
by the time they showed up at Government House last night,
they were there. It looked like they were there on

(01:45):
midnights or beyond. It looks like clearly at that time
they said, actually, you know what, mate, I might have this.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
I got the first indication that Luxon had probably still
had the numbers at around about eight so it's probably
actually but it may have been before they left Auckland
that the thing already settled.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Yes, I agree in but I spoke to someone who
was at the upland the airport CODU lounge last night
who said that it was a higher activity activity. So
maybe this is a coral lounge kind of plot that
manister to keep him in the place.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
Who knows. Okay, So Chris Pink was Chris Pink, who
has now taken the fall, doing this on his own behalf?
Or was he doing this for Erica Stanford?

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Would I would think you're at Stanford. But I happy
Chris Bishop as well. I think he was a classic
talking horse and sometimes they called chemic cazi's. They launched
the attacks and these stabilized they do that. They launched
the attacks so that it triggers the confidence boat and
then and Pink's ideal world, that confidence vote would have
been triggered, LAXLM would have lost, and then the contest

(02:45):
opens up to anyone. And then if you're Chris Bish
before Erica Stanford, you can then put up your hand
and say, look, I wasn't a Stabilizer. I didn't watch.
I'm not doing this, yes, but come to me so
that I think that's what happened there.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
All right, Hey, thank you, Thomas, appreciate. It's Thomas Coglan,
The Herald's to Gale.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
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