National leader Christopher Luxon's social media post suggesting he was in Te Puke when he was actually holidaying in Hawaii hasn't done him any favours, two political commentators say.
Luxon has copped flak over the post, as he was in Hawaii last week, but posted a social media video in which he stated, "today, I'm in Te Puke, the heart of kiwifruit country". He was on leave last week while Parliament was on a three-week recess.
He has defended his holiday, but admitted his team had "genuinely made a mistake" with the video's caption.
Political commentator Matthew Hooton has described the post as a "debacle" and effectively said it was Luxon's third strike.
READ MORE: Grant Robertson roasts Luxon for social media gaffe
He recalled the National leader's comment a couple of weeks ago that New Zealand businesses are "soft" and his MP Simon O'Connor's controversial abortion post in June.
"These are coming a bit too fast for him," Hooton remarked.
"I don't think anyone thinks he controls his own social media account, it's run by staff. But he's the boss, he has to take responsibility for it, and he looked like a d***."
Fellow political commentator Shane Te Pou appeared alongside Hooton on Breakfast's political panel. He remarked Luxon's Te Puke post was "fundamentally a lie".
READ MORE: Luxon defends holiday in Hawaii amid cost of living crisis
"Matthew's right, he ended up looking like a d***. This is all accumulative. Mistake after mistake. Bumbling," he said.
"In the meantime, his deputy was down in Wellington, doing the mahi."
Asked about the optics of holidaying in Hawaii and whether or not National's leader can connect to lower income voters, Hooton said there's nothing wrong with having a holiday, but Luxon "should have said he was doing that".
Te Pou was less forgiving: "You can't pretend to show a level of empathy and then deny the fact that you own seven homes and as a result of your own tax policy, you're going to get $24,000 per year return in terms of tax rebate and be $18,000 better off."
National's leader denies he's out of touch with Kiwis' struggles. (Source: Breakfast)
Luxon said on Wednesday there's more he's frankly losing sleep over, singling out the rising cost of living, health system pressures and student attendance rates.
"Those are the issues we've got to get focused on," he remarked.
Asked repeatedly by Breakfast host Matty McLean if the Te Puke post was "deliberately misleading" and whether his holiday showed he was out of touch with Kiwis' struggles, Luxon said no.
"Everyone understands the importance of having a good, quick break."
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