The deepest breach in the Luxon coalition, and a National reboot

The deepest breach in the Luxon coalition, and a National reboot

From Gone By Lunchtime by The Spinoff

May 6, 2026 · 56 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the political ramifications of a breach in the Luxon coalition and the evolving strategy of the National Party as elections approach.

Messages suggesting the prime minister sought to support the US-Israel attacks on Iran landed with more than one explosion. Not only did it undermine Luxon’s position on the war and its impact, it delivered the deepest fissure yet in the coalition, with the PM saying his foreign minister had put politics ahead of the national interest. Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire peer into that chasm to assess the severity of the wound and work out just what Winston Peters is playing at as the election draws closer. Plus: Is a new, rebooted, freshly assertive National Party strategy becoming clear? How wrong were we about Luxon’s pledges to secure a free trade deal with India? And a new, grumpy-parent style ultimatum has been issued to local councils: sort out your amalgamation or we’ll do it for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Guests: Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas, Toby Manhire

Topics covered

  • political coalition
  • foreign policy
  • National Party strategy
  • election dynamics
  • local government issues

Keywords

  • Luxon
  • coalition breach
  • Winston Peters
  • National Party
  • US-Israel
  • Iran
  • free trade deal
  • local councils
  • amalgamation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Party, US-Israel

Places: Iran, India

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