"It's game on." That's the message from National Leader Christopher Luxon in his speech to MPs at the party's caucus retreat in Queenstown.
Luxon will hope to use the weekend to reset the mood of the caucus after years of factional infighting.
The retreat will focus on topics Luxon thinks will be important: the economy, Covid-19 and Māori.
On why the retreat was held in Queenstown, Luxon said the town typified current economic problems, as seen in its battered tourist and hospitality industry.
Luxon said he'd recently visited a few other towns where people outlined concerns.
"Lots of New Zealand's doing it tough."
Hardworking Kiwis were suffering from a rising cost of living outstripping wage growth, Luxon said in his speech today.
"But it's not enough to just oppose," he said.
He said he wanted to focus on outcomes and to allow every person to reach the "Kiwi dream".
National had to show Kiwis how and why the party had ideas to help people improve their lives, he said, and the party must broaden its focus beyond economic issues.
"The economy, the society and our environment are all interlinked."
"We care deeply about people. That's why we're here."
He said "lower rungs on the ladder of social mobility seem to be breaking down" and National could make powerful, targeted interventions to help people achieve more.
"It's not caring and it's not kind to people... just to write them off."
He said National wanted to improve access to education and help people aspire to be more than beneficiaries.
Luxon said it was not enough to tell people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
He told MPs the party would not be successful unless it leaders got out of the Wellington beltway and meaningfully engaged with voters.
Time was of the essence, and National had to demonstrate its centre-right principles could help improve society.
Luxon said National will be fired-up when it becomes the Government, and MPs would have to be ready to govern immediately.
He recited a few mantras: "Game on, change to win, and ultimately build a high-performance team."
'Look at the books'
Government spending was out of control and, if the current trajectory continued, austerity measures would be necessary, Luxon believed.
"The people that get hurt the most are the poor and vulnerable as a consequence."
Luxon said Government spending was up about 68 per cent in five years. "At the end of the day, those borrowings have to be repaid."
He said National wanted to invest in social initiatives, but not waste money, and it must be spent in places which delivered the best outcomes.
"Hey, listen, wake up, look at the books."
A failure to adjust soon would minimise economic choices in future, he believed.
"I think the Government did a really good job in 2020... But 2021 was a shambles."
Luxon said one in nine people were on a benefit, and others had varying degrees of welfare dependency.
"We're not going to consign you to that inter-generational welfare."
He suggested income tax credits might be implemented to assist people move from welfare to work.
Luxon said the Government had ignored advice to get people "work-ready" and instead was funnelling more cash into a bloated, inefficient welfare system. Education was also a priority, he said. "It's not working at the moment, Our standards are slipping."
Asked how he would get voters to associate National with environmental issues, he said New Zealand was falling behind meaningful renewable energy goals.
He said Labour had made "big sweeping declarations" but minimal progress on the environment.
On the Greens, he said: "I think only three of their ten MPs actually care about the environment."
He said National MPs had a moral responsibility to care about policies which could improve the lives of people.
Asked about former leader Judith Collins, he said: "I'm not going to go there today. We're moving forward, we're turning the page."
Most of the retreat is closed to public and media - as is the case with every party caucus retreat.
Positive polls
Luxon goes into the retreat buoyed by some positive polling. Last week's 1 News-Kantar poll showed National still trailing Labour, and not in a position to form a Government, but the party has cracked the 30 per cent ceiling that it had not breached since the last election.
The gap between the Labour-Green and National-Act blocs has narrowed to just six points, closer than at any time since the election - a four-point swing would tilt the balance in favour of National.
Luxon is also beating Ardern's approval rating; the same 1 News-Kantar Poll had Luxon's approval at +22, with Ardern's at just +15, her lowest since 1 News began polling approval in 2019.
The poll showed Ardern to be a more polarising figure. More people approved of her, than approved of Luxon, but more people disapproved of her too. Luxon's rating was propped up by a large numbers of people (37 per cent) who didn't know whether they liked him or not.
Fifty-two per cent of people approved of Ardern versus 42 per cent for Luxon, but 37 per cent of people said they disapproved of Ardern - nearly twice as many as Luxon.
