New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he survived a leadership vote in his own party

Luxon survives another leadership vote months before New Zealand’s election 1 of 5 | New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks to reporters at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on Wednesday, Aug. 12 2026, after surviving a leadership vote among his own party’s lawmakers. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay) CORRECTION: Corrects date to Aug. 12, instead of Aug. 10 2 of 5 | New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, center, speaks to reporters at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on Wednesday, Aug. 12 2026, after a leadership vote among his own party’s lawmakers. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay) 3 of 5 | People walk past New Zealand’s Parliament buildings in Wellington, New Zealand on Monday, Aug. 10 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay) 4 of 5 | Vehicles move past an Electoral Commission billboard in central Wellington, New Zealand, encouraging voters to enroll, Monday Aug. 10 2026. (AP photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay) 5 of 5 | New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks at a news conference at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay, File) By Charlotte Graham-McLay Updated 4:10 AM MESZ, August 12, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Wellington, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Wednesday that he survived a leadership vote among his own party’s lawmakers less than three months before an election. The vote took place during a hastily convened meeting of Luxon’s center-right National Party lawmakers at Parliament in Wellington, which was held behind closed doors and ran for more than three hours. Luxon then emerged flanked by his lawmakers to give a brief statement and departed without taking any questions from reporters. “There was a confidence vote in my leadership this morning at our caucus meeting,” he said. “I had the full support of our caucus and our caucus is united and it is determined to win this election.” Luxon didn’t say how many lawmakers had voted for him to continue in the job, although such ballots are usually a secret. The vote was the second Luxon had called about his own leadership since April and leaves lingering questions coming so close to the election scheduled for Nov. 7. The April vote followed drops in polling for National, while this week’s followed recent public remarks Luxon had made on various issues that some in his party saw as gaffes. New Zealanders abroad urged to enroll for the election as new law locks out last-minute voters 1 MIN READ Steven Spielberg, Nicole Kidman and Cillian Murphy and more mourn the death of Sam Neill 2 MIN READ Sam Neill, New Zealand actor who starred in ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘The Piano,’ dies at 78 2 MIN READ On Tuesday, the leader took the rare step of disclosing on social media that he faced renewed rumblings about his leadership, and announcing he would call a meeting of his lawmakers Wednesday to resolve it. “It is my firm belief that division and disunity are a major distraction only 90 days out from the election,” he wrote on X. “I also believe this distraction is unfair to the New Zealand people, and dedicated National Party candidates, supporters and volunteers, when there is so much at stake.” National has led a right-wing coalition government since New Zealand’s 2023 election. Luxon, a former airline executive who entered Parliament in 2020, had led the party since 2021. Luxon’s remarks in recent weeks prompted fresh speculation Among the recent remarks that appeared to prompt renewed leadership murmurings were comments Luxon made to a business audience earlier this month, when he said some business leaders in the country had a “parent-child mentality” and too often looked to the government for direction. Luxon, who was once an executive at Unilever when he lived in the United States, has always sold himself as a business expert and has sometimes pointed out where he sees New Zealand as falling short of global trends. When elected, he pledged to use his experience to reverse New Zealand’s economic woes of recent years. This month’s remarks were lambasted, including by some in his own party, as being out of touch while the economy remained sluggish. He later apologized for the comments. In another episode, he was forced to divulge that he had used a military aircraft to return to Wellington after a political party fundraiser. Luxon also surprised his lawmakers this month when he promised a referendum on New Zealand’s electoral system if reelected – apparently without first telling his caucus. The episodes were seen among some in his party as an unwelcome distraction ahead of the election and revealing of Luxon’s relative political inexperience. Among Luxon’s lawmakers, details of who had prompted the leadership rumblings remained a mystery. Nobody publicly confirmed plans for a leadership bid or expressed intentions to oust their leader, and those whose names were reported speculatively by news outlets denied it. All who spoke to reporters as they left the lengthy meeting expressed support for the leader. Meanwhile, Luxon’s political opponents criticized the saga. “Backstabbing and infighting just means more delay and more distraction for New Zealand,” said Chris Hipkins, the opposition leader and leader of the center-left Labour party. “If National can’t govern itself, how can New Zealanders trust it to govern the country?” This version has corrected that Luxon entered Parliament in 2020, not 2000. Charlotte Graham-McLay Graham-McLay is an Associated Press reporter covering regional and national stories about New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands by putting them in a global context. She is based in Wellington. twitter mailto