Sawt Falasteen - New Zealand PM survives leadership challenge months from election

Luxon has led New Zealand since 2023 but has been unable to reverse his party's slide in the polls, with a series of gaffes, divisions within his ruling coalition, and rising living costs and unemployment denting his popularity.

He called an emergency meeting on Tuesday after media reported growing speculation that his leadership was no longer tenable.

Following hours of closed-door talks with party grandees, Luxon said he had secured their backing.

"There was a confidence vote in my leadership this morning at our caucus meeting, and I have the full support of our caucus," he told journalists.

"Our caucus is united, and it is determined to win this election," he said.

"We're going back to work, and we're moving on."

Wednesday's was the second challenge to his leadership this year.

In April, Luxon made it through a vote after reports National members were displeased with the party polling under 30 percent.

Luxon was flanked by two rumoured leadership contenders as he fronted journalists -- ministers Chris Bishop and Erica Stanford.

Immigration Minister Stanford had appeared to have growing support to take on the leadership and would not pledge her support to Luxon in recent days.

And ex-tobacco lobbyist Bishop has long been said to have interest in the top job, but told reporters on Tuesday he backed Luxon as leader.

Leaving the caucus meeting, members said they were "united" and "100 percent behind the prime minister", but as in April they would not say if Luxon had unanimous support.

- Troubled premiership -

The former Air New Zealand boss led the centre-right party to election victory in 2023 vowing to tame inflation and bring down interest rates.

The teetotal millionaire touted himself as a master negotiator from previous business experience.

But it took over six weeks for him to broker a three-way coalition government with populist New Zealand First and right-wing libertarian ACT, a marriage of convenience he has struggled to manage throughout his premiership.

His political savvy became a long-running concern with a series of gaffes and miscommunications, and his inability to rein in coalition partners hurt his popularity.

An example came when foreign minister and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters sparked an international incident last month, telling a Chinese-born lawmaker during a parliamentary debate to "go back to your own country" where "they lie like flatfish".

Beijing complained about the comments and while Luxon condemned them as offensive and racist, he did not sanction his coalition partner.

Peters dismissed the leadership vote on Wednesday as "much ado about nothing".

"This pivotal election is less than three months away and we need to give voters a clear and unified message -- that we are going to win and make New Zealand great again," he wrote on X.

Luxon also drew ire with an attack on small-business owners, a key part of his base, saying they had a "parent-child mentality" towards the government.

And he topped off last week by calling for a referendum of New Zealand's mixed-member proportional representation, a wildly unpopular suggestion that caught many in his own government off-guard.

Polling has suggested some of Luxon's most senior ministers could be turfed out of parliament when New Zealanders vote on November 7.

G.AbuGhazaleh--SF-PST