Christopher Luxon

Education

In early August 2024, Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford announced plans to introduce a new mathematics curriculum from early 2025 with a focus on raising student standards and achievement. In response, the New Zealand Educational Institute expressed concerns that rapid changes to the maths and literacy curriculum and the short teaching training timeframe would strain the teaching workforce without delivering on its goals.

In early August 2025, Luxon and Stanford confirmed that the Government would scrap the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) secondary school qualification over the next five years.

Sex education

While Luxon regards sex education as important to the school curriculum, in February 2024 he stated that it should be age appropriate and that parents should be able to withdraw their children from sex education classes if they choose.

Health sector

New Zealand's health system faced severe strains before the coalition government came to power, primarily from workforce shortages, financial mismanagement, and long wait times for many services. Core problems included a significant shortage in the number of GPs leading to a massive increase in visits to hospital emergency departments plus financial mismanagement. Health NZ posted a $722 million deficit in 2023.

In response, the government replaced the board of Health NZ with a commissioner to improve performance and accountability. This was followed by multiple high-profile resignations, including the Director-General of Health, the Chief Executive of Health NZ, and the Director of Public Health. In January 2025, Luxon announced that Simeon Brown would replace Shane Reti as Minister of Health.

Under the coalition agreement with ACT and NZ First, Luxon controversially agreed to repeal New Zealand's smoke-free legislation that would have made it illegal for anyone born in 2008 or later to legally purchase tobacco. Researchers from the University of Otago warned that thousands of New Zealanders will die needlessly, and that the repeal "flies in the face of robust research evidence." Chris Hipkins suggested the government is "firmly in the pocket of the tobacco industry."

Luxon met his wife Amanda at a church youth group and they married on 8 January 1994 when he was 23. They have a son and daughter. The couple share the same faith, saying "it quietly guides what they care about".

In late July 2022, Luxon confirmed he was on a family holiday in Hawaii during the parliamentary recess when a Facebook video post published on 21 July implied he was visiting Te Puke at that time. Luxon attributed the confusion to a delay in his social media team updating his whereabouts over the previous week, which he said was a mistake.

Luxon had a Catholic upbringing, but describes himself as a non-denominational Christian. After he returned to New Zealand in 2011 he attended the Upper Room church in Auckland. He now does not go to a regular church, adding that he does not even go to church every Sunday. In his maiden speech in Parliament, he said "My faith is personal to me. It is not in itself a political agenda."

Luxon has said that he has never drunk alcohol. He made that decision at the age of about seven or eight and has cited his grandfather's drinking problems as his reason.

Luxon enjoys DIY, listening to country music, waterskiing and fishing. Luxon is a supporter of the Crusaders rugby union team and Auckland FC in association football. He attended Auckland FC's first ever match in the A-League Men in 2024, where he was pranked by an Auckland FC fan who flicked his nose while posing for a photo.

Luxon has a long-standing friendship with former Prime Minister John Key and used to ask Key questions about the pros and cons of being a prime minister. In 2017, while Luxon was chief executive at Air New Zealand, John Key was appointed as an Air New Zealand director. They both resigned from Air New Zealand in 2019.

Political positions

Luxon is an evangelical Christian who is recognised as a social conservative. In his maiden parliamentary speech, Luxon defined himself as centre-right and moderate; the government he leads has been described as conservative and right-wing, and one of the most so since the 1990s. Luxon supports low taxes, making cuts to the Ministry of Social Development, establishing military-style boot-camps for young offenders, and introducing stringent anti-gang legislation, and is opposed to welfare dependency and to co-governance with Māori.

In November 2019, Luxon said he was against abortion, euthanasia, and legalising recreational cannabis, though at the same time he supported medicinal use of cannabis. He also at the time supported a "no jab, no pay" policy for sanctioning welfare beneficiaries who did not vaccinate their children; however, following his election as leader of the National Party, Luxon said he did not support cutting the benefits of parents who do not vaccinate their children against COVID-19.

Abortion

Luxon's views on abortion received media attention following his election as National's leader. He confirmed that his personal views are anti-abortion, but said National will not contest the Abortion Legislation Act 2020 should he become prime minister. After previously declining to answer when asked if he believes abortion to be tantamount to murder, he said in an interview with Newshub that he is "a pro-life person," and when asked again about the murder comparison, he responded "that's what a pro-life position is."

Gaza war

In response to the Gaza war, Luxon stated that he was shocked and saddened by Hamas's October 7 attacks against Israel. Luxon condemned Hamas' attacks and stated that Israel had a right to defend itself.

He later committed New Zealand to active military support, saying "I want us to be in lockstep with our partners who have common interests and actually be right there with them at that time." In January 2024, he authorised deployment of 6 NZDF personnel to support military action against Houthi forces in the Red Sea, saying "it's about us standing up for things that we believe in, and we can either talk about them or we can actually do something about it as well and make sure that we put real capability alongside our words".

On 30 January 2024, Luxon announced that New Zealand would be suspending its annual NZ$1 million aid to UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East) following allegations that several UNRWA workers had participated in the 7 October attacks. His announcement followed a decision by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to review New Zealand's aid to UNRWA. On 29 February 2024, Luxon announced New Zealand's designation of Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist entity.

As the war on Gaza unfolded, Luxon's position changed. On 2 December 2024, Luxon confirmed that New Zealand would comply with an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant in the event that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited New Zealand. During a press conference, he stated, "We believe in the international rules-based system, we support the ICC, and we would be obligated to do so." In June 2025, he described New Zealand's sanctions on Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir as "entirely appropriate".

On 9 August 2025, Luxon and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for a ceasefire in Gaza and opposed Israeli plans to occupy Gaza City. On 13 August 2025, Luxon made remarks in Parliament criticising Israel's conduct during the Gaza war, describing it as "utterly, utterly appalling." He also said that "I think Netanyahu has gone way too far. I think he has lost the plot."

COVID-19 pandemic

Although Luxon frequently criticised the Labour Government's strategy for managing the COVID-19 pandemic, on 8 January 2022, he stated that the National Party strongly supports COVID-19 vaccination, and described vaccination as the best protection for people and their families.

Defence and security

In response to US president Donald Trump's announcement during the 2025 APEC Summit that the United States would resume nuclear testing, Luxon expressed disapproval of US plans to resume nuclear testing and reiterated his commitment to New Zealand's nuclear-free policy.

Extending parliamentary term

On 20 September 2024, Luxon said that the coalition government was open to holding a referendum to extend the parliamentary term from three to four years at the 2026 general election. On 27 February 2025, the government introduced the Term of Parliament (Enabling 4-year Term) Legislation Amendment Bill to conduct a referendum.

Immigration

On 3 May 2023, Luxon acknowledged the historical sensitivity around the dawn raids of the 1970s which disproportionately targeted Pasifika New Zealanders. However, he stated that Immigration New Zealand needed to "reserve the option" to use police raids against individuals involved in serious criminal offending or who posed a security risk to New Zealand. Luxon also stated there were 14,000 overstayers in New Zealand. Luxon's remarks came in response to media coverage of the agency's recent dawn raid tactics against visa overstayers, which had attracted criticism from Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni for re-traumatising the Pasifika community.

On 11 December 2023, Luxon stated that New Zealand's 118,000 annual net migration rate was unsustainable and that infrastructure needed to be managed better to support growth. Luxon made these remarks after the Australian Government announced a new migration strategy to address pressure on housing and infrastructure in Australia.

Iran

Following the 2026 Iran war which began on 28 February 2026, Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters issued a joint statement defending the strikes as a response to Iranian "threats to international peace and security" and called for a resumption of negotiations and adherence to international law. On 3 March 2026, Luxon said he had misspoke when he said that New Zealand had long supported "any actions" to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. He subsequently clarified that he meant that New Zealand supported "action" to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Luxon later stated in Parliament that the New Zealand Government would take a "pragmatic approach" to visa holders whose travel plans has been disrupted by the Iran war in response to a question by Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.

Māori issues

In late January 2023, Luxon stated that National opposed co-governance in the delivery of public services such as health, education and critical infrastructure. Nevertheless, he expressed support for "self-driven" initiatives within the Māori community such as Whānau Ora, kohanga reo and charter schools. On 25 January, Luxon stated that the existence of Māori seats "doesn't make a lot of sense."

During Waitangi Day on 6 February 2023, Luxon described the Treaty of Waitangi as a "challenging, imperfect but ultimately inspiring document through which New Zealand had sought to understand what was intended by those who signed it." While acknowledging that the New Zealand Crown had not upheld the Treaty's promises and obligations, he expressed hope that the Treaty settlement process would be completed by 2030.

During a Question Time in Parliament on 20 August 2024, Luxon said that he believed that Māori ceded sovereignty to the New Zealand Crown by signing the Treaty of Waitangi. When questioned by Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick, Luxon reiterated that the Treaty was New Zealand's founding document and said that it had protected both Māori and Crown interests.

On 19 December 2024, Luxon confirmed that he would not be attending events at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds on 4 February 2025, stating that it was his intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around New Zealand with different iwi. National Waitangi Trust chairperson Pita Tipene expressed disappointment with Luxon's decision while Labour leader Chris Hipkins said that Luxon was "running away from problems of his own creation."

Monarchy

Luxon has described himself as a "soft republican" and believes that New Zealand will "ultimately" become a republic, but that the change would not happen "in my Government and in my time."

School meals

On 1 March 2025, Luxon said that the school lunch programme was experiencing "teething issues" in response to quality and delivery issues with the Government's new school lunch programme. He added that Associate Education Minister Seymour "will work his way through those issues... and I expect he will [find a solution]." On 4 March, Luxon stated during a press conference that parents who were dissatisfied with the school lunch programme should "make a marmite sandwich and put an apple in a bag". Luxon's remarks drew criticism from Hora Hora School principal and Tai Tokerau Principals' Association spokesman Pat Newman, Child Poverty Action Group executive officer Sarita Divis, East Otago High School principal Helen Newcombe, who argued that school lunches were needed to improve the health and educational outcomes of students and combat child poverty. In response to criticism, Luxon defended his remarks and reiterated the Government's commitment to addressing problems with the school lunch programme.

LGBTQ issues

In late November 2021, Luxon said the practice of conversion therapy was "abhorrent". In early February 2022, he said he supports New Zealand's LGBTQ community and announced that National MPs would be allowed a conscience vote on the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill. The Bill passed its third and final reading on 15 February 2022, with Luxon voting in favour of the Bill's passage.

When asked in March 2023 if anti-transgender activist Posie Parker should be allowed to enter New Zealand, Luxon said that he affirmed people's right to free speech but that he "absolutely" supported the rights of New Zealand's transgender community. In mid-August, Luxon said that he believes there is no need for laws specifying which toilets transgender people can use. During a TVNZ debate with Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in September, he said that the participation of transgender people in sports is an issue that should be left to sporting bodies.