His failure to recognise Palestinian statehood can only be described as morally reprehensible.
At a moment when much of the world is taking decisive steps, New Zealand shrinks into embarrassing timidity, somehow claiming we are "not ready".
The government’s decision flies in the face of many months of regular protests across the country including Dunedin, where numbers have recently swelled to near 500 people.
Little surprise, given the solidarity we feel with our Palestinian community here in Ōtepoti and the sheer angst and desperation they are feeling for their loved ones back in Gaza — the ones this heartless government refuses to help with visas.
Luxon hides behind process and timing, while history is being written without us.
The result: a government that postures as principled but is woefully adrift, unwilling to show moral leadership when it matters most.
If the international stage exposes the government’s lack of compass, the economy shows its lack of competence.
GDP has just fallen by 0.9% — nearly double the expected contraction.
Ten of 16 industries are in decline and in the year to date, more than 73,400 people have left New Zealand for greener pastures overseas.
That’s a new record which effectively makes New Zealand the taxpayer-funded university for Australia, given the exodus of graduands in particular.
Year-on-year, the economy is down 1.1%.
These aren’t abstract numbers: they are jobs lost, businesses struggling, households buckling under mortgages and groceries.
The result is a horrendous cost of living, with food prices in particular punishing families — and where Finance Minister Nicola Willis promised to act, she has failed to rein in the supermarket duopoly.
Even the corporate elite, the constituency Luxon most courts, has delivered its verdict: in the Mood of the Boardroom survey, Luxon and Willis rank among the least impressive ministers in Cabinet.
Business leaders describe a government without a clear economic narrative, slow to deliver and aloof from the realities of enterprise.
Luxon’s reply? A breezy "I’m the captain” — arrogance masquerading as resolve.
At home and overseas, the pattern is the same. When pressed for action, Luxon shrugs. When challenged on values, he hedges. When faced with evidence of failure, he deflects. A PM that refuses to see what is in front of him cannot claim to lead.
New Zealanders deserve better than a captain asleep at the wheel.
Luxon’s administration is not steering the nation; it is drifting — economically fragile, morally compromised and dangerously out of touch. We need this year to be their last in power, before they make things even worse.
