Christopher Luxon's proudest political achievement of 2022 is that the National Party is now working as a team.
"[Politics] is about using the talents of everyone in the team," National's leader said as he reflected on the party's more precarious position just last year.
But National faced criticism for lacking or U-turning on policy. Luxon said more policies would be unveiled in time for next year's election.
"We've done what we have said we would do: we would oppose the Government and we would also propose ideas.
"We talked about the cost of living crisis very early on… the thinking we did around welfare… and I think the work you've seen around the crime and law and order space has been strong."
He promised National would "continue to spend more every year on health and education" and use the Sir Bill English era policy of social investment to make sure "every dollar" is targeted to those who need it.
When asked for a specific policy focus for 2023, Luxon said: "What's really clear is we need a very strong economic plan… because we all want to be able to invest in building world-class public services."
Luxon said this was possible even as his party advocated cutting "wasteful spending" because the Government conflated funding with delivery.
"Five-year-olds setting off in New Zealand, irrespective of their circumstances, should have an experience of public services that enables them to have a shot at the New Zealand dream."
Meanwhile, this attitude prompted Finance Minister Grant Robertson to say throughout 2022 that National needed to get itself out of its "fiscal Bermuda Triangle" of promising to cut taxes, reduce debt and continue spending all at once.
1News sat down with each political party leader to reflect on the year that's been. Watch the rest of the interviews in this series: Jacinda Ardern, David Seymour, Marama Davidson and James Shaw, Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
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