Correction 13:09 11 October 2025: Luxon did not sell the lucrative Heathrow slot
Update 13 October: My original article was correct. It appears Luxon did sell off the lucrative Heathrow London slot, and all the spare parts holdings, in favour of a just-in-time, on demand model. And it was executed in 2019/2020 when he remained an “advisor” to the CEO and Board - but he made the decision and strategy to buy new planes and focus on US routes
Luxon’s Cabinet dishonesty
In 2023, Nicola Willis told media:
“We will be delivering our income tax reduction plan and we will be doing it without a dollar of borrowing….
I think it would be a resignation offence if I didn’t deliver tax reduction, because that is what I am pledging….
We will not be borrowing for tax reduction.
Not a cent [no]”
The result?
She borrowed $12b for $14.7b of tax cuts, and lied about it up until budget day, where she continued to play obfuscation, and friendly media painted it overall as “no surprises” -
Worse, her “no hole” promise is currently tracking at $8,500 million and more.
She’s not the only dud in National who hasn’t resigned.
Mark Mitchell promised to resign if crime hadn’t improved and Kiwis didn’t feel safer within a year.
Well meth use doubled and tripled within a year on their watch and cocaine use has also soared as gangs see profits at least double on National’s watch.
And crime is at best, steady, with no discernible improvement. Ram raids had already peaked in May 2022, and were down to half that rate before the election, sinking to new lows by September 2024, as Labour driven measures started to come into effect.
Now, family violence has predictably doubled under National, sexual violence has increased, and Mark Mitchell and Paul Goldsmith were found to use random Twitter accounts to incorrectly boast that violent crime had decreased.
Worse, police numbers and experience continues to dwindle, with National losing experienced officers, and unable to meet even 30 of the promised 500 new cops on the beat, while police draw back from mental health, ignore domestic violence cases & retail crime incidents.
PM Luxon’s tenure at Air NZ provided plenty of clues
But the biggest dud of the National Party team remains undoubtedly Christopher Luxon.
Mentored and handpicked by Donald Trump supporter John Key, Luxon was always a dud.
At Air NZ, he threw away millions of dollars of investment and a strategic partnership for ego.
Luxon was also known as a short term cost cutter, uninterested in workplace relations or employees, and appeared to lack long term vision over short term results.
His reputation at the airline was one of “ruthlessness” and he has demonstrated that over and over as the PM of NZ - telling media on innumerable occasions that he and Ministers are “ruthlessly executing” the National Party agenda - an odd choice of words when we consider the people at the end of the line are, well, human beings.
Luxon announced his resignation from Air NZ in 2019, teasing a political future with the National Party, but his departure was marked with controversy - having just bought new airlines - and after an "incredibly tough year" for the airline - which Luxon apologised for.
As a subsequent National MP, he also feigned ignorance over creating a relationship between Air NZ and the Saudi Arabia military - a move criticised by then NZ PM Jacinda Ardern.
When the news broke, Luxon claimed he “no recollection” any deal between the Air NZ subsidiary and the Saudi military.
“I was unaware of the issue,” he said when pushed by reporters.
No recollection.
An “incredibly tough” time.
Short term cost cutting and money making at the expense of long term stability and prosperity.
Ruthlessness and dishonesty.
Nothing’s really changed has it, Prime Minister?
Let’s be honest - Luxon was always a dud. It’s just a pity Kiwis never saw through that, aided by a media that created a perception of Labour that was unfair and strong on impressions, but light on analysis.
Videos courtesy Nick
I Hate Labour! But...Wait...Why?
Labour suffered heavy misinformation during and post Covid. They've done well to regain public trust given where they were.
