Christopher Luxon has taken aim at “tough” policy choices he’ll soon pursue as Prime Minister, as he says his coalition is “a government of action” after 83 days in the job.
Addressing National Party faithful in Auckland this morning, he gave a “state of the nation” address to Kiwis, speaking to “our job to restore the spirit and the promise of New Zealand, that if you work hard – come what may – you can get ahead”.
Throughout his speech, he adopted new language in describing policy initiatives being pursued by his ministers that “won’t be popular with everyone”.
They included more sanctions for beneficiaries, a controversial new fast-track consenting process, and getting “government spending back under control”.
Luxon said in his speech: “The state of the nation is fragile.
“New Zealand has been stuck in a cycle of public services under strain, a government distracted from the basics, and an economy stuck in reverse.
“But our job is to restore the spirit and the promise of New Zealand, that if you work hard – come what may – you can get ahead.
“Our government was not elected to deliver more of the same.
“We were not elected to fiddle and tinker and tweak while the big problems go unsolved.”
He continued: “My government will not shy away from making those difficult choices we all know are necessary to deliver the future New Zealanders deserve.
“Tough choices aren’t cause for pessimism – in fact, exactly the opposite.”
Speaking to attendees, he listed the coalition government’s achievements as part of its 100-day plan.
Many of the items concerned repealing previous Labour government policies, like abolishing Fair Pay Agreements and cancelling the Auckland light rail project.
‘Won’t be popular with everyone’
Mixing well-trodden campaign rhetoric along with his government’s new achievements, Luxon took on new language in today’s speech, pointing to policy areas where he would push ahead with “tough choices” that “won’t be popular with everyone”.
“In my former life, it’s what I would have called a big turnaround job. On the campaign trail, it’s what we all just called getting New Zealand back on track.
“And I want to be upfront with you – achieving that will be difficult.
“It will mean making tough choices.”
Speaking to Q+A, new social development minister Louise Upston has said more beneficiaries will face sanctions under the Government’s new plans to shake-up welfare.
Luxon addressed the changes as one of his “tough choices” today.
“I won’t apologise for making tough choices to support young people off welfare and into work, because 24 years languishing on welfare means no hope. It means no opportunity. It means no dignity from work.
“I haven’t met a single young Kiwi whose ambition, creativity, and spark would be best served by a life on a benefit. So, I will not apologise for tough love.
“All Kiwis, of course, have a right to support when times are tough.
“But with that right also comes responsibility. The responsibility to look for a job, or to train for new opportunities.
“And if you don’t – make no mistake – there will be consequences. Our government will support you – but there will be sanctions if you don’t take that support seriously.”
‘New Zealand has become an obstruction economy’
He also pointed to his government’s plans to overhaul consenting processes, saying that New Zealand had become an “obstruction economy”.
“Just getting permission to build a new road or a wind farm can take years – even while Kiwis are stuck in traffic or trudging slowly towards net zero 2050. It’s simply got to stop.
“New Zealand has become an obstruction economy – where doing anything or building anything means mountains of paperwork and years of dithering and delay.
“Yes, we need to strike the right balance between protecting the environment and building for the future. But right now, our economy is stuck in reverse.”
Luxon said: “We’re designing a new fast-track consenting process and planning big changes to the RMA, so major projects can get consented faster and construction can begin sooner. That won’t be popular with everyone – I get it.
“For many, the status quo is acceptable – the steady climb in housing costs, the hours stuck in traffic, and the slow erosion of jobs and opportunity here at home.
“But I refuse to let New Zealand get stuck in the slow lane.
“We want more roads, we want more windfarms, more homes, more solar, more geothermal, more commerce, and more opportunity for New Zealanders to get building and get ahead under their own steam.”
Nats again take aim at Labour’s financial discipline
A longstanding talking point for Luxon, the PM again attacked the previous government’s financial discipline – saying he would return to “careful stewardship of public money”.
“We’re also going to make some tough choices to get government spending back under control – because the current trajectory isn’t sustainable.
“It just isn’t credible for government to remain so large and yet deliver so little.
“We need to get the public finances back in order.
“That means a return to the orthodoxy of tight budgets, careful stewardship of public money, and a determined focus to keep or return the books to surplus.
“Strong public finances aren’t enough of course to deliver a strong economy in their own right – but they are a critical prerequisite.
“We can’t build infrastructure if we can’t be trusted to borrow money. Businesses can’t attract investment if there’s no confidence in the value of our currency.
“And should disaster strike, we will need the financial freedom that low debt and healthy surpluses provide to fund the necessary rebuild.
“Now that won’t be popular with everyone – but it is necessary. More spending, more borrowing, and more taxes isn’t a pathway to prosperity, it’s a recipe for more of what we’ve seen from the last few years.”