OPINION: National Party leader Christopher Luxon had every opportunity to control the narrative as MPs returned to Wellington this week. Instead, he’s been left explaining an avoidable social media gaffe.
This is not the way the Opposition leader would have planned to kick off the new sitting block after an extended recess.
He should have come out swinging, hitting the Government where it hurts on mounting crises: cost of living, health, education, rising crime.
On Tuesday, Luxon was forced to admit it was a mistake to post on social media suggesting he was in Te Puke when he was holidaying in Hawaii. Luckily, he stopped just shy of repeating the mistake of his predecessor, Simon Bridges, who blamed an online faux pas on an “emotional junior staffer”.
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* National Party leader Christopher Luxon says social media post while on holiday was a ‘mistake’
* Hawaii or Te Puke: Where should you go on your next holiday?
“We made a mistake, we own up to it and front it,” Luxon said on Tuesday afternoon. He was forced to repeat this admission on Wednesday morning, during his weekly media slots.
The sun was shining, Christopher Luxon could have made hay. Instead, he was left explaining a silly social media faux pas.
A social media gaffe may not sound like a big deal, especially for a relatively new leader, who is still learning the intricacies and nuances of the job.
But this speaks to Luxon’s credibility – something he can’t afford to have called into question when he’s asking New Zealand to elect him as the country’s next leader.
It’s one of those situations where it matters less what actually happened (a mistake around the captioning of a social media post), than what it looks like (the leader of the National Party being less than honest).
Add to this the fact that Luxon was on holiday with his family in Hawaii, while back home, people are struggling to pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on.
ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff
Jacinda Ardern is back in Parliament, following a jam-packed international itinerary.
No-one would deny the man and his family some time off to recharge and reconnect – the past few months have been brutal for everyone, politicians included. But the optics of a political leader, jetting off overseas are somewhat off.
While not directly comparable, former Australian leader Scott Morrison could tell Luxon a thing or two about what can happen when a leader takes a holiday at an inopportune time.
This should have been the week when Jacinda Ardern and her government were forced to answer hard questions.
The prime minister used the mega-recess to meet with world leaders in Europe, the Pacific and Australia. And she experienced a welcome reception from her overseas counterparts, when talking on issues of trade, climate change, the Ukraine conflict and nuclear arms, even immigration.
Meanwhile, at home, dissatisfaction has been on the rise thanks to the cost of living crisis, the healthcare worker crisis, and a looming crisis in the education sector.
Of course, many of the drivers have been outside Ardern’s control, including the macroeconomic headwinds pushing up inflation, and the unfortunate timing of the ‘twindemic’ during a winter when the healthcare system is suffering from a lack of staff after two years of closed borders.
But when the going gets tough, it’s on the government of the day to take responsibility for the things hurting people the most.
Luxon didn’t need to do much to score points against the Government this week. He really just needed not to stuff up.
But between Luxon’s social media faux pas, and James Shaw (at least temporarily) losing his job as Green Party co-leader, Jacinda Ardern has managed to avoid the intense scrutiny she should be under given the current climate.
While the rain may have been pouring across the motu, the sun was figuratively shining for the National Party, and so far, it’s failed to make hay.
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