National Party leader Christopher Luxon appears to have ruled out governing arrangements with the upstart Opportunity Party, saying his party didn't want to "do business" with anyone seeking to impose new taxes.
Opportunity has hovered just below the 5% party vote threshold for entering Parliament in a wide variety of surveys, including last month's 1News Verian poll.
Luxon was asked by media today whether he could coalesce with the party.
"Well, I'm just saying to you, they want to increase taxes," he responded. "We're a party of low tax. It wouldn't be surprising to any of you to say we don't think we want to do business with them ... we wouldn't be working with them."
The Prime Minister appeared to equivocate somewhat, subsequently telling reporters that "we've got quite a long way to go to November 7th.
Minor party race heats up with Opportunity rising to a record rating with voters. (Source: 1News)
"We're trying to run a country, and we've got to run a government, and that's what we're focussed on for the rest of the year."
He walked out of the media conference shortly after.
Luxon said one of his criteria for working with any party was set out earlier in the year.
"When you want to spend more, tax more, borrow more — we ain't doing business with you," he told media at his post-Cabinet media conference.
"When I look at the TOP policies, as I see them today, and in a very cursory glance, it looks like they just want to increase taxes — that's not what we want to do."
After the Prime Minister's remarks, his office affirmed to 1News that Luxon was ruling out National going with Opportunity at the election.
A new 1News Verian poll put the party on the cusp of making it into Parliament for the first time. (Source: 1News)
Luxon also took a swipe at the Opposition over its own coalition options. He criticised Opportunity over its tax policies, including a universal basic income, a land tax and a capital gains tax, and said it was a vote for Labour and the Greens.
"You've got a universal basic income that wants to make every New Zealander a beneficiary. You've got a land tax sitting there that actually is going to be massive," he said at the post-Cabinet media conference.
'Tribalism' at work, says Opportunity leader
In response, Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong didn't rule out compromising on the parties' tax reform ambitions, saying she wasn't expecting the policy to be accpeted overnight.
"We recognise that tax reform is a huge thing," she said.
"This is something that is a long-term vision for New Zealand and might not be done overnight. We'll be really clear with voters and with the other parties what our bottom lines are closer to the election, and we'll discuss those with them closer to the time."
Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong didn't rule out compromising on the parties' tax reform ambitions, saying she wasn't expecting them to happen overnight. (Source: 1News)
But she criticised what she called "old-fashioned tribalism" in Luxon's rule-out.
"This is just tribal politics at play. It's an old-fashioned way of trying to divide people based on a 'left' or 'right' box. When it's a lot more complex than that, people don't sit in one end of the political spectrum," she said.
"We have a wide range of views, and the more that we embrace that diversity, the the closer we will get to solving some of our big challenges."
She added: "We're here, ready and willing to work with parties across the political spectrum. We will maintain that position, so we're still here to talk whenever he's willing."
Labour: PM was 'flustered and ran away'
Labour Party campaign chairperson Kieran McAnulty responded shortly after Luxon's comment, saying the PM appeared to have blurted a position out.
"He did it by accident, and then he got flustered, and then he ran away. Who runs away from a press conference when they haven't announced anything?" McAnulty said.
"He started going on about how they don't like parties that want to spend more, while they were in coalition with one of those."
McAnulty said the manner of Luxon's exit suggested the ruling-out had not been planned.
"The fact that he called an end to it and then ran down the stairs like he was competing at the Commonwealth Games suggests that yes, it wasn't meant to happen," he said.
Asked whether Labour would work with Opportunity, McAnulty said the party would set out its own position soon.
"We're going to be very clear, very shortly, actually, who we are willing to work with and who we're not. But one thing for sure, we won't be doing it by accident today."
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