Luxon confronts caucus discontent after hitting lowest poll result as leader

Christopher Luxon says a handful of his National MPs may be behind damaging leaks about his leadership, as the Prime Minister vowed he would not step down "no matter what happens" before November's election.

In a round of morning interviews, Luxon conceded he and his party needed to do better after last night's 1News Verian poll suggested National could drop to its worst result under his leadership and put the coalition government out of power.

READ MORE: Poll spells big trouble for Christopher Luxon - Maiki Sherman

But the Prime Minister dug in on keeping his job this morning, telling Breakfast he had never considered resigning, saying he had more to achieve as leader.

"There is so much to do," Luxon said to interviewer Tova O'Brien.

"I don't want to get to 90 years old saying we should have tried."

Speculation has reached fever pitch in the past several days about Luxon's future.

But asked if he would quit pre-election under any circumstances, he said: "No, because I came to do this job because I want to solve problems and I want to get things done."

Under last night's 1News poll, the left bloc of Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori would have 66 seats compared to 58 for the right bloc of National, NZ First and ACT.

National would lose 12 seats on these numbers.

Speaking to Breakfast, Luxon said polls were "inconsistent" and that "I don't get bounced around by polls because I have to focus on delivering strong economic management".

He said there was a different poll last week showing the coalition would remain in power with a majority, and days later, there was one showing the opposite.

"So that's the inconsistency that sits on those polls," Luxon said.

"You cannot tell me that your viewers today want to put Chris Hipkins in as prime minister and actually want to elect a Labour-Greens-Te Pāti Māori government.

"I just don't believe that."

But while the National leader said he had "the full support of my caucus," he also conceded on Breakfast that "there'll be a very small handful of understandably disgruntled backbench MPs," which he suggested was "normal in any party".

O'Brien noted one had told her: "F, it is not good, is it?" in reaction to the poll.

The Prime Minister told RNZ's Morning Report that he didn't know who was leaking.

Asked by Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking how many MPs he was referring to, he estimated "probably five people" were "moaning and frustrated" and talking to the media.

"There'll be some frustrated, like there will be in every party," he said.

"People who've been either missed out for promotion, maybe in a marginal seat, and are understandably concerned and worried.

"I want all of those MPs in my caucus returned to Parliament. I think they all have something to offer, and they all work incredibly hard, and all pretty smart, and so I really want them to be able to come back to government."

He warned his party of the consequences of disunity, pointing to the UK Conservatives, the Australian Liberals and National's own 2020 civil war as cautionary tales.

"When you get disunity in a party and people talking about that publicly, that just says to the New Zealand public that actually, if you can't manage yourselves, you can't run the country. And it's pretty simple," Luxon said.

"I've watched political parties come and go and fall over. It's because when you don't have tightness and you don't have unity, and you don't have everyone being disciplined"

He also appeared to comment on his own personal appeal to voters. "Not everyone wants me at their barbecue," Luxon said.

"But I think New Zealand would say that I'm able to provide leadership of a government that's able to deliver economic competency and be a good custodian of the economy," he told NZME.

The comments come ahead of a caucus meeting on Tuesday, the first since Parliament returns from a two-week break. Luxon acknowledged the meeting would address party discipline but refused to say whether a confidence vote would take place.

Luxon also moved to shut down speculation about senior colleague Chris Bishop, whose name has featured in media reports about leadership manoeuvring.

The National leader told Hosking the pair had spoken one-on-one last night, and Bishop had given him his "private backing" as well as public support.

Bishop himself had denied plotting to overthrow Luxon during his Q+A appearance on Sunday morning, telling host Jack Tame: "Christopher Luxon is doing a great job as our leader and prime minister, and he will lead us into the election."

Luxon said yesterday, "we need to do better".

"We're not where we want to be. We need to do better," the PM yesterday told 1News, repeating the phrase multiple times during the interview.

"It's also a very challenging and volatile time for Kiwis, and I'm very focused on getting us through the fuel crisis."

Asked about National's internal polls, of which he has previously cited in public, Luxon said: "Well, I don't comment on the polls. I'm just saying to you, we acknowledge that we need to do better, and there's more for us to do as a team."

He dismissed reports of MPs organising against him on Sunday.

"I speak with them all the time," he said, adding he had been with colleagues at events over the weekend and had their "full support". On reports of backbenchers leaking against him, Luxon said: "I just say I have the support of my caucus."

The National Party has fallen by 4%, down from 34% to 30%, according to the results of the latest poll. Labour, meanwhile, sits on 37%, moving up by 5% from 32% – overtaking National for the first time in the poll since before the 2023 election.

It's National's worst result since Luxon became leader in November 2021. Under Judith Collins, the party registered 28% in her final poll as leader before she lost the leadership.

Luxon has also registered his worst result in the preferred prime minister rankings since he became the leader. He has dropped by 4%, down from 20% to 16%, which puts him below Labour leader Chris Hipkins.

Hipkins said the results reflected a country fed up with the Government's direction.

"Christopher Luxon is fighting to keep his own job when he should be fighting for the jobs of New Zealanders," he said.

"Changing the person at the top isn't going to change the fundamentally wrong direction that the National Party is taking the country in."

The Labour leader rejected suggestions his party had peaked too early, saying he wanted their support to keep climbing towards at least 40% before the election.

The poll of 1010 eligible voters was taken between April 11 and 15.