Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is in Papua New Guinea today, ostensibly to celebrate diplomatic ties.
RNZ shows photos of him being welcomed by friendly signs and a military contingent.
It reminds me of one of my first articles here on Substack: "Chrisopher Luxon's Business Acumen"
Memories of when Luxon looks happiest float back - it’s when he’s adulated with positive publicity, media friendly shots; surrounded by “positivity” and “Yes” - the way he likes it.
Luxon enjoys adulation, he adores positive reinforcement, and he’s also never wrong. Just ask him.
The point is it’s fine for a Prime Minister to go overseas for diplomatic missions.
It is often part of the role.
But one wonders why the Prime Minister can always make time for an overseas junket - but couldn’t make it to Waitangi, nor Nelson/Tasman during the Tasman floods (yes, I know, Hawaii and sunshine was calling), was absent for the “dangerous” Regulatory Standards Bill submissions, and even ditched the House during the Treaty Principles Bill debate.
Luxon doesn’t even have a portfolio.
Still, it may be good to see him out of the country.
Under Luxon, everything he touches turns to dust.
How else could this government push an economic wrecking ball - the size of not seen in at least a decade - after inheriting a AA+/AAA rated economy, one of the lowest debt to GDP ratios in the OECD, “better than expected” finances, Treasury forecasts of no recession / falling inflation, and positive growth expectations?
Side note: They also have no worldwide pandemic that sees global economies falter, world depression fears, global inflation spikes, and millions of deaths…to deal with
Don’t believe me.
Look at the evidence1 -
OECD:
Treasury:
ANZ PREFU Analysis:
It’s also been well documented, and observed, who’s really running the show back home - it’s NZ Initiative2, it’s Coalition party donors like Philip Morris, Erica Stanford’s Tory education advisors, minor party leaders Winston Peters and David Seymour as well as influential Caucus members such as Chris Bishop.
Could there be a weaker Prime Minister?
Anything is possible.
But is there any wonder that the clamouring about his political demise are resurfacing once again?
Here at Mountain Tūī, I already said “Au Revoir” and goodbye to the Prime Minister in October last year, writing:
Mr Christopher Luxon is the perfect foil for National…
….the perfect fall guy for National’s unpopular policies in the first half of the term….
If Luxon and his government can champion the marketing cause to 2026 and cast enough blame and misinformation to be seen as winners - he has a 40% chance of remaining.
If not, he’s toast and will be replaced by the already keen eyes of Chris Bishop or Erica Stanford….
And I think if that occurs, some of us might even miss Luxon - who is a conceited, self-centred, and deceitful person - but at least he can’t hide it too well.
As Marilyn Waring told BHN, Luxon runs an extraordinarily dictatorial Caucus style, where debate is fundamentally disallowed, and constructive conversation shut down -
An “Arrogant” Government -
As an avid observer of Luxon over the last 19 months, that sounds exactly like who he is.
Even National supporter, NZME Political Editor, Thomas Coughlan notes:
“There’s no real affection for Luxon in the caucus room…
Luxon’s intense self-belief could count against him. He does not seem to observe that, of all his frontbenchers, he is the one who is struggling the most.”
And Matthew Hooton is also back on the Luxon criticism bandwagon after taking a step back in March to pledge his admiration3 - at the time, praising Luxon’s supposed "seriousness and depth".
Last week, Hooton was back to suggesting Luxon had few if any redeeming qualities, and was leading the National Party to political demise.
Hooton -
“[Luxon] had better hope the forthcoming polls buy him a little more time to try again to prove that he has at least some of the attributes his job demands.”
And while the National Party President Sylvia Wood came out to bat for the PM, claiming Luxon’s humanity is just not visible enough to ordinary Kiwis, she is very wrong.
I’ve watched Luxon feign sincerity4 and humanity - whether it’s promising cancer drugs in 2023 that, it turns out National never even tried to work on until after the 2024 public backlash, to feigning care for Abuse in Care survivors and later u-turning on those same commitments.
He’s extremely good at feigning things, or as he once told Newstalk ZB, “faking it until you make it”.
But true humanity is not a game or an act.
Nor is what makes a good leader political fortunes alone - as National’s supporters like Matthew Hooton deduce.
Who Luxon is, is much uglier.
That is my contention.
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To be fair, Hooton has been a vocal critic of the Prime Minister during his tenure, reportedly preferring Erica Stanford, but his March op-ed came hot on the heels of another surge of leadership speculation, and seemed to be part of a new effort to tap down speculation hurting Luxon.
David Seymour later revealed National didn’t do any work on cancer drugs until after the furore - and no-one in government was working on it until the publicity backlash
A brilliant analysis of Luxon the Loser and of Luxon the Liar. Rushing off overseas to make himself look convincing and fawning over others. Backslapping, great job mate, aren’t we wonderful. Ew, how sick.
Thanks MT for not mincing words.
This desire for applause and attention reminds me of the ghastly orange haired man.
He rushes to his golf-course
and proceeds to cheat.
Please keep up your great work. Really appreciated.
Yes, yes, and yes MT.
Luxon is nothing more than a courageous coward. He acts brave, but runs - at speed - from direct fire, each and every time. Imagine him in the WW1 trenches. He would offer to hold the ladder, while everyone else fixed bayonets and prepared to go over the top. Everything about Luxon is illusory. He is an average individual - a ‘B’ grade high school graduate - that has been institutionalised and hypnotised by Unilever into a hyperactive, mojo addicted state, where he believes his own bullshit. I mean, seriously, I just say to you, is there anyone more delusional living outside of an institution? Here’s a classic Luxism:
“Let me be clear: I'm wealthy, I'm ‒ you know ‒ sorted." That’s Kath and Kim code for, “Look at me, Look at me.”
And he a true believer in himself, because as a coward, cognitive dissonance is a very challenging emotional state for him. For example, he can choose to believe he is an average Joe or he can believe he is CEO Luxon, the incredibly talented guy who ran an airline better than anyone ever before. Guess which belief he went with? Correct, and we-the-people are now living inside his fever dream until we can get rid of him.
Would Bishop be any better? Nope, he’s genuinely corrupt. Erica, a bit feet stampy and belligerent don’t you think? She can play an instrument so one mark there, but no thanks. Willis, hell no. Ok, I’m done here.
The big money question now is: has Chippy got the chops? Yeah, that’s another post isn’t it?