Christopher Luxon calls urgent party meeting amid leadership speculation

Herz — World Desk · 11 August 2026 at 06:11 · 30s summary · 2 min read

What we know

Christopher Luxon has called an urgent in-person meeting of the National Party caucus—the party’s group of lawmakers—in Wellington on Wednesday. ABC News reported that it will begin at 9:30 a.m. local time.

The prime minister said Tuesday that media reports and conversations were fuelling “increased speculation” about his leadership of the party.

The New Zealand Herald reported late Monday that National Party MPs had made calls to discuss a possible change of leader.

If the National Party replaced Luxon as its leader, he would also cease to be prime minister.

Meeting comes before the election

The meeting comes less than three months before New Zealand’s general election on November 7, 2026.

Most opinion polls put the National Party slightly behind the centre-left Labour Party. The contest remains too close to call under New Zealand’s proportional representation system.

The latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll cited by ABC News found that 23.2% of respondents preferred Luxon as prime minister, compared with 19.8% for opposition Labour leader Chris Hipkins.

Recent tensions

Last week, Luxon said during a live radio interview that he was open to a referendum on the country’s electoral system. He had not previously discussed the proposal with party colleagues.

He also apologised after telling the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce that businesses should “put their big boy pants on” rather than seek government help.

Support for the National Party has weakened as the economic recovery has struggled to gain momentum.

The economic backdrop

New Zealand’s unemployment rate reached 5.6% in the June quarter, its highest level in nearly 11 years.