PM Luxon tells National Party faithful getting NZ ‘back on track’ is ‘exactly what we’re doing’

Saturday, 3 August 2024

The National Party has kicked off its annual conference with a celebration of its election win, but also a call to recruit new members so it can remain “relevant, strong, and successful”.

“We made a little promise to New Zealand, and it was on thousands of signs that I saw up and down the country … We promised to get New Zealand back on track,” said Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, in an opening rally cry to party members.

“That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

National Party faithful gathered at Manukau’s Due Drop Event centre on Saturday morning for the two-day annual meeting, where the party would elect its board and hear from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and ministers about their work in Government since winning the election in October.

As the venue began to fill on Saturday morning, Luxon chatted with members and took selfies before an announcer opened the event in the manner of a rugby or basketball match. Logos for the corporate sponsors of the event, including online trading platform Tiger Trade and bed manufacturer Slumberzone, were beamed on big screens. Numerous police officers were on hand for security.

Luxon shook hands or hugged each of the party’s MPs as they walked on stage before his opening remarks, in which he emphasised a greatest hits of the past eight months in Government - including the tax cut package that came into effect this week.

“This time last year, the country was in a mess. Reckless spending and high inflation, interest rates have gone through the roof, a wave of ram-raids, violent crime, and a Government that put criminals first and victims last,” he said.

“The country wanted changes and ultimately the country voted for change.

“Folks, I have to say, what a difference a year has made. We get results.”

National Party president Sylvia Wood, who is running for re-election as the party’s out-of-Parliament leader, said the National Party’s recent election campaign was so successful it was being emulated “across the globe”.

“How good does it feel to to be here as the largest party in Government?”

But she said for the party to remain “relevant, strong, and successful” it needed to modernise and grow its membership. She announced various efforts to encourage members to recruit first from friends, and then friends-of-friends.

“We will not survive by renewals alone, we must engage and enlist new members.”

The party, in its report to members, said it had 23,222 paying members and had obtained a record $10.2 million in fundraising in the past year.

While the party had obtained 38.06% of the vote at the October election, short of its 45% goal, it called this a “historic swing” away from Labour (considering its opposition won an outright majority in 2020).

Willis, the party’s deputy leader, gave the main speech of the day’s programme, reiterating, “How good does it feel to be in Government?”.

“National has proven, we are the party of lower taxes. Now Labour had six years to lower taxes, and they never, never did,” she said.

“We stand with working people, we trust them with their own wages … This is the party of the worker.”

Willis quipped that, under National’s watch, there were be fewer people “wearing lanyards on Lambton Quay” but more people wearing hi-vis and hard hats.

Her speech was followed by a panel discussion on the economy with ministers Chris Bishop, Simon Watts, and Andrew Bayly.

On Saturday afternoon, Luxon would talk with a “special guest” - former prime minister John Key - on stage during a closed event for members only.