Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Chris Bishop - one of his ministers accused of trying to topple him last week - were all smiles at a public meeting in the latter's electorate on Tuesday night.
By Lillian Hanly and Russell Palmer of RNZ
Leadership squabbles escaped any mention, with just one veiled reference to politics being a "tough sport" in opening remarks.
"It's a rough game, we know that."
About 250 people turned out on a wet Tuesday evening the Fraser Park Events centre in Avalon, Lower Hutt where a brick near the entrance is adorned with the words: Chris Bishop MP for Hutt South.
It's a title the Attorney-General, Minister for Housing, Infrastructure and Transport will want to retain in this year's election - particularly given a combination of low polling and high numbers of electorate wins could turf him out of Parliament altogether.
Bishop praised his party leader, calling Luxon the man in charge of National's plan who was doing "an outstanding job".
He said Luxon had got into politics and Parliament for the right reasons, "dedicating his life to public service to try and make a difference for all of us".
Luxon in turn gave acknowledgement to "the great Chris Bishop".
"If you cut him, he bleeds the Hutt. That's what he believes. He eats, breathes, sleeps it. He's talking about it every Tuesday in our caucus room.
"So, mate, thank you for your public service because you've been a dedicated public servant and representative for this region for some time," he said, later praising his third-ranked MP for his work on the Resource Management Act reforms.
Luxon's speech warned the world was at an "inflection point" of mass change.
"Turn on the six o'clock news and you see things like countries that used to be friends with each other actually squabbling and fighting... wars in Ukraine in the middle of Europe, but also in the Middle East, we see trade wars flaring between countries that we thought were friends and alliance partners.
"We had a similar experience after World War I; after World War II; certainly after the fall of the [Berlin] Wall in 1989; and I put it to you, since 2024. The world has been changing in terms of how it deals with each other and works together or doesn't."
He pitched himself as an "outside politician" who had "watched them for years just boil the ocean, lots of bumper stickers, lots of promises", when people wanted "delivery".
Several questions Luxon answered effectively but with the usual party lines, or asking audience members to "watch this space" for future party policy announcements.
FENZ in firing line
Perhaps the most heated was about why - given Labour sorted union negotiations out with firefighters after the first ever nationwide strike - National hasn't done the same after 54; and why a community centre burned down about 550 metres from the previous fire station that got shut down.
Bishop said Fire and Emergency (FENZ) was a "shocker" at managing their assets.
"I have been pushing them and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Brooke van Velden, very hard to say what is the plan around the Hutt City fire station, and I just get crickets in response because you've got an incompetent governence and management there... I'm furious about it."
Luxon said the "bottom line is, they have money. They have enough money".
The prime minister refused to commit to not lowering funding for kindergartens, but again said there would be more policy to come.
When asked how National could help conservative voices in local government to oppose Labour and Green councillors, Luxon said "if only 30% of you bother to vote in a local body election, you kind of get what you deserve".
In response to questions about removing climate change from curriculums, he said the first thing was getting kids to school, then teaching them to read and do maths, before giving them the foundations to engage in science and climate change.
Bishop kept the last question for himself to ask Luxon about his connection to the Hutt Valley, saying few people may know he began at Unilever in Petone.
"I am a Crusaders supporter, you know that and we've just lost the whole room now," Luxon quipped.
"That business, they had a big factory down the bottom end of Jackson Street and so I came here as the brand manager for Sunlight dishwash liquid, Jif cream cleanser and Handy Andy... as a 22, 24 year old.
"It was an amazing place to live, and I'm really grateful for the start that business gave me, but also the city gave me that then led me to live overseas for 16 years doing some other things with that same business."
He finished with a joke about hearing a "massive rumble" after moving to Sydney and getting under his desk thinking it was an earthquake, but the Australian marketing director said it was just a truck from the factory.
Luxon and Bishop then spoke to those in attendance and took selfies for about another half hour.
Those in attendance had mixed views of the discussion, with some National supporters saying it was great, and good to hear from the prime minister with full context rather than in soundbites.
Several undecided voters who spoke to RNZ remained unconvinced, saying their votes had not been swayed at all.
Luxon and Bishop alike will surely be hoping to have changed some minds at least, and to have put talk of party disunity and leadership challenges to bed.
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