PM survives extraordinary caucus vote in 'cathartic' meeting

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has survived a rare self-initiated confidence vote in his own caucus, declaring National MPs had "decisively" backed his leadership — but the fallout has already spilled into the House and drawn sharp criticism from coalition partner Winston Peters.

Luxon said he continued to enjoy the support of all of his MPs when responding to questions from Labour's Chris Hipkins, while NZ First's Peters described the PM's decision to call the confidence vote as "a very bad move" hours later.

Following the meeting, National MPs were tight-lipped about what was discussed.

The Prime Minister emerged from the marathon two-and-a-half-hour gathering, running well beyond the party's usual schedule, to deliver a short, prepared statement.

"For the last week, there has been intense media speculation about my leadership – about who said what to whom," he said.

"Today, our Caucus had a good, honest discussion. Our team is more determined than ever to serve Kiwis and win the election. To put that media speculation to rest, I moved a formal motion of confidence in my leadership.

"That motion was passed confirming what I have been saying - I have the support of my caucus as their leader.

"Caucus has answered clearly and decisively. It has backed my leadership."

He declared the matter "now closed" and said he would not comment further.

A sitting prime minister having his leadership be put to a formal caucus vote is an unusual step in New Zealand politics and almost unprecedented in the MMP era.

1News understands the vote is believed to have been near unanimous in support of Luxon, based on the sentiment of discussion in the room.

It's understood MPs expressed considerable frustration during the marathon meeting – about the party's polling, where National currently sits, and the leaking and internal dissent that has dogged the caucus in recent weeks.

National MP Dan Bidois described the caucus meeting as "cathartic" but would not say whether all MPs had backed the motion. Napier MP Katie Nimon also declined to comment on her vote, but said she was "100% behind the Prime Minister".

Junior whip Suze Redmayne confirmed the confidence vote was taken by secret ballot.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the vote had passed "emphatically" but added that by convention, "only the scrutineers count the numbers, and they, by convention, never reveal those numbers, either to the leadership or to the caucus".

"So it is the case that no one knows the answer to that question," Willis said.

She confirmed that MPs attending the caucus meeting via Zoom had been offered the opportunity to vote. Willis had a blunt message for any dissenters within the caucus.

"If people can't support the team, then the honourable thing to do is not to be part of that team," Willis said. "They can pick a different team."

Senior minister and rumoured leadership contender Chris Bishop said the PM had passed the confidence motion and the party would "move forward together, unified as a team".

He described the caucus discussions as "robust" and said there had been a "very clear message" from MPs to stop anonymous briefing to reporters, calling it "really untidy and really unhelpful and destructive of morale and confidence in the caucus".

Luxon takes aim at media as he fronts after caucus leadership vote - watch on TVNZ+

"I'm confident it will stop," Bishop said. "We had a robust, good, honest conversation about the events of the last couple of weeks."

Asked if the PM's talk of the coverage as a sideshow was fair, he said: "What we need to do now is stop talking about ourselves and focus on the country, because we are in the middle of a fuel crisis, geopolitically difficult times, and we have a country to fix."

Luxon used a significant chunk of his statement to attack media coverage, saying he would no longer engage with "speculation and rumour" about his leadership.

He acknowledged that "a free press is important in a democracy".

"You give citizens the chance to know the truth about their country and governments, and to hold leaders like me accountable," he told gathered journalists. "But if the media want to keep focusing on speculation and rumour, I am not going to engage."

The PM said New Zealanders were thinking about "their mortgage, their kids' education, and the safety and security of their community", not what he called a "media soap opera".

Luxon spoke to reporters in the Banquet Hall, the same room where he first spoke after becoming National Party leader in December 2021.

Bishop, speaking to media later, said that journalists had a legitimate role in covering the leadership tensions, saying "you guys have got a job to do" and that reporting on the leadership of the National "is obviously of public interest".

"I don't blame you for reporting on it," he said.

"I think what the Prime Minister was saying, which I would broadly agree with, is that the country has very difficult challenges ahead of it, and we should spend our time focused on those issues that are being covered well."

Deputy prime minister and ACT leader David Seymour said he was "really pleased to see [National] stable, drawing a line under any trouble they may have had".

He defended Luxon's decision not to take questions from reporters, saying "a lot of media have spent a lot of time talking about stuff that turned out to be a nothing".

But NZ First leader Winston Peters, whose party props up the coalition alongside ACT, was less charitable, telling media the vote had been "a very bad move".

"It doesn't look good, does it? Man, it's just not good. All these major problems we should be dealing with, and we're wasting our time with this stuff," he said.

"This is a very bad move. There are going to be consequences for that."

Peters refused to say whether Luxon was providing stability to the Government.

Seymour, pushed on Peters' comments, said he did not know the circumstances.

"I think Winston Peters left the National Party caucus in about 1992. I've never been in the National Party caucus, so I just don't comment on what I don't know about," he said.

The confidence vote spilled into Question Time this afternoon, with Labour leader Chris Hipkins arguing Luxon's refusal to disclose the result of a vote raised constitutional questions about his ability to advise the Governor-General that he retained MPs confidence.

"Somebody cannot be the Prime Minister unless they can continue to advise the Governor-General that they enjoy the support of the House," Hipkins said.

"If they have lost support of some of their own MPs, then the question of whether or not they enjoy the confidence of the house is a very legitimate one."

The Speaker ruled the caucus vote itself was not a matter for Parliament and said Luxon had advised the Governor-General at the time of the Government's formation that he could command the confidence of the House.

"Nothing has changed in that regard," the Speaker said.

Earlier in the exchange, Hipkins asked Luxon whether he continued to enjoy "the unanimous support of National Party members of Parliament".

The PM's response was a single word: "Absolutely."

Hipkins also asked why New Zealanders should have confidence in Luxon "when the job that he seems most committed to fighting for is his own", and whether "New Zealand, or his leadership" would run out of fuel first.

Luxon accused Labour of "scaremongering" on the fuel crisis.

Luxon's vote and speech today came after a week of damaging news for his leadership.

A 1News Verian poll on Sunday recorded National's worst result of the term and Luxon's lowest preferred prime minister rating since becoming leader.

Under those numbers, a left bloc of Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori would hold 66 seats to 58 for the coalition of National, NZ First and ACT. National would lose 12 seats.

Luxon said on Monday he had never considered resigning and about "probably five people" in his caucus were "moaning and frustrated" and leaking against him.

Senior ministers had rallied behind him before the meeting.

MP Mark Mitchell said he had seen "no evidence" of the unrest reported in the media, while Health Minister Simeon Brown said Luxon had his "100% support".

Brown also took aim at colleagues talking to journalists, saying caucus members who wished to leak "should consider whether they should quit the leaking or quit the party".

The meeting also took place without National's chief whip Stuart Smith, who said he had a "longstanding personal appointment".

Smith released a statement through Luxon's office rejecting reports he had sought a meeting with Luxon about caucus concerns, saying the PM had his "full support".

It follows speculation about the PM allegedly ghosting Smith's attempts to get in contact with him over concerns about whether he retained the confidence of his caucus.

Willis confirmed to media today that she had spoken with Smith directly, saying she had asked him: "What's all this palaver about you having asked for a meeting with the PM? Is that the case?" She said Smith told her he had not.

— additional reporting by 1News Political Editor Maiki Sherman