Election 2026: Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins should resign after result – Richard Prebble

Résumé détaillé

New Zealanders do not want to be led by either Christopher or Chris. It is what voters told us at the last election and have been telling pollsters ever since. Christopher Luxon…

Labour leader Chris Hipkins (left) and National leader Christopher Luxon should both go, Richard Prebble writes.

Regardless of the final result, Saturday’s election delivered a clear verdict. New Zealanders do not want to be led by either Christopher or Chris.

It is what voters told us at the last election and have been telling pollsters ever since.

Christopher Luxon has been an unpopular Prime Minister and Chris Hipkins an unpopular Leader of the Opposition.

A problem is not solved by denial, nor by National MPs blaming vote splitting.

National won 42 electorates. Yet more than 700,000 supporters followed their leader’s advice and gave National their party vote, without electing one additional MP.

With 42 electorates, National needed a party vote of 36% to elect list MPs. All year, in every 1News–Verian poll, National has never reached 36%.

Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith and Gerry Brownlee should have persuaded or forced Luxon to resign.

Labour’s situation is worse. A party vote below 30% (albeit marginally higher than National’s), the loss of at least two urban seats to the Greens, Te Pāti Māori and the Greens’ performance in the Māori electorates and winning just 21 electorates – half of National’s haul. Labour is losing its base.

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