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New Zealand elects conservative Christopher Luxon as PM

Conservative former businessman Christopher Luxon will be New Zealand’s next prime minister after winning a decisive election victory Saturday. People voted for change after six years of a liberal government led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern. The exact makeup of Luxon’s government is still to be determined as ballots continued to be counted.

The Associated Press has the story:

New Zealand elects conservative Christopher Luxon as PM

Newslooks- AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP)

Conservative former businessman Christopher Luxon will be New Zealand’s next prime minister after winning a decisive election victory Saturday. People voted for change after six years of a liberal government led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern. The exact makeup of Luxon’s government is still to be determined as ballots continued to be counted.

New Zealand National Party leader and Prime Minister elect Christopher Luxon gestures to supporters at a party event in Auckland, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, following a general election. Conservative former businessman Luxon will be New Zealand’s next prime minister after winning a decisive election victory Saturday.(AP Photo/Brett Phibbs)

Luxon arrived to rapturous applause at an event in Auckland. He was joined on stage by his wife, Amanda, and their children, William and Olivia. He said he was humbled by the victory and couldn’t wait to get stuck in to his new job. He thanked people from across the country.

“You have reached for hope and you have voted for change,” he said.

Supporters chanted his campaign slogan which promised to get the country “back on track.”

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins to supporters while walking onto stage at a party event in Wellington, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, following a general election loss. (AP Photo/Mark Tantrum)

Outgoing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who spent just nine months in the top job after taking over from Ardern in January, told supporters late Saturday he had called Luxon to concede.

Hipkins said it wasn’t the result he wanted.

“But I want you to be proud of what we achieved over the last six years,” he told supporters at an event in Wellington.

Jacinda Ardern makes her final speech to New Zealand’s Parliament in Wellington, on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, after her five-year tenure as prime minister. A global icon of the left and an inspiration to women around the world, Ardern in January stepped down as prime minister, saying “I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It is that simple.” (Mark Mitchell/New Zealand Herald via AP)

Ardern unexpectedly stepped down as prime minister in January, saying she no longer had “enough in the tank” to do the job justice. She won the last election in a landslide, but her popularity waned as people got tired of COVID-19 restrictions and inflation threatened the economy.

Her departure left Hipkins, 45, to take over as leader. He had previously served as education minister and led the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

With most of the vote counted, Luxon’s National Party had about 40% of the vote. Under New Zealand’s proportional voting system, Luxon, 53, is expected to form an alliance with the libertarian ACT Party.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who spent just nine months in the top job, tells supporters he had called challenger Christopher Luxon to concede, at a party event in Wellington, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, following a general election loss. (Mark MItchell/New Zealand Herald via AP)

Meanwhile, the Labour Party that Hipkins leads was getting only a little over 25% of the vote — about half the proportion it got in the last election under Ardern.

And in a result that would be particularly stinging for Labour should it lose the seat, National was in a tight race for Ardern’s old electorate seat, Mount Albert. The seat has long been a Labour stronghold and was also held by another former Labour prime minister, Helen Clark.

The National Party candidate for the seat, Melissa Lee, told The Associated Press she was feeling excited but also nervous about the final result in Mount Albert.

“It’s been Labour since 1946. It has been the biggest, safest Labour seat forever,” she said. “It would be fantastic if we won it.”

CORRECTS HIS WIFE AMANDA AT SECOND RIGHT – New Zealand National Party leader and Prime Minister elect Christopher Luxon, second left, with his wife Amanda, second right, and children Olivia and William, right, greet supporters at a party event in Auckland, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, following a general election. Conservative former businessman Luxon will be New Zealand’s next prime minister after winning a decisive election victory Saturday. (AP Photo/Brett Phibbs)

Lee said that when she was door-knocking, people had told her they were tired of the current government and were concerned with the state of the economy and the spiraling cost of living.

David Farrar, a longtime conservative pollster, said there was still a good chance that Labour would end up holding the seat once all the votes were counted. However, he said, his initial impression of voting throughout the country was that it was turning out to be a “bloodbath” for the left.

Luxon has promised tax cuts for middle-income earners and a crackdown on crime. Hipkins had promised free dental care for people younger than 30 and the removal of sales taxes on fruit and vegetables.

Labour Party supporters gather for an election night event in Wellington, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, prior to the results of a general election. (AP Photo/Mark Tantrum)

Also at stake in the election is the government’s relationship with Indigenous Māori. Luxon has promised to axe the Māori Health Authority, which he says creates two separate health systems. Hipkins says he’s proud of such co-governance efforts and has accused Luxon of condoning racism.

Within days of taking the reins in January, Hipkins found himself dealing with a crisis after deadly floods and then a cyclone hit New Zealand. He quickly jettisoned some of Ardern’s more contentious policies and promised a “back to basics” approach focused on tackling the spiraling cost of living.

Warm spring weather in the largest city, Auckland, seemed to encourage voters, with queues forming outside some polling places. Early voting before Election Day was lower than in recent elections.

During a six-week election campaign, both Hipkins and Luxon traveled the country and hammed it up for the cameras.

New Zealand National Party supporters cheer as preliminary results are announced at a party event in Auckland, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, following a general election.(AP Photo/Brett Phibbs)

Earlier in the week, Luxon, who served as chief executive of both Unilever Canada and Air New Zealand, told an energized crowd in Wellington that he would crack down on gangs.

“I’ve gotta tell you, crime is out of control in this country,” Luxon said. “And we are going to restore law and order, and we are going to restore personal responsibility.”

Luxon also got cheers when he promised to fix the capital’s gridlocked traffic with a new tunnel project.

Luxon is relatively new to politics but held his own against the more experienced Hipkins during televised debates, according to political observers. But Luxon also made some gaffes, such as when he was asked in a 1News debate how much he spent each week on food.

His answer of “about sixty bucks” (U.S. $36) was ridiculed on social media as showing he was out of touch with the cost of living.

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