New Zealand Conservatives Seal the Deal to Form Government

Prime Minister elect Christopher Luxon has concluded negotiations with New Zealand First and ACT New Zealand

National leader Christopher Luxon (2L) his wife Amanda Luxon (2R) and children Olivia Luxon (L) and William Luxon (R) celebrate at Shed 10 in Auckland, New Zealand after winning the general election on Oct. 14, 2023. Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

Centre-right Prime Minister-elect Christopher Luxon has sealed a deal to form government with ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First.

The National Party leader led his party to a decisive result on election day Oct. 14, receiving the majority of votes.

The incoming prime minister told reporters he expects to hold a signing in ceremony on Nov. 24 following all three parties signing their deals on Nov. 23.

Mr. Luxon said he was pleased to announce negotiations with the respective parties have now concluded.

“Those agreements are now before the parties for ratification, which we hope to have this evening, at which point I will talk again to the governor general and formally confirm that we are able to form a government,” Mr. Luxon said in a press conference.

“I’m really proud of the negotiations.”

While Mr. Luxon was tight lipped for now on specific details of the deal, he promised “when you see the agreements tomorrow (Nov. 24) you'll see how comprehensive they are.”

“What New Zealanders have asked us to do is for these three parties to work together, to come together to deliver change, and to take the country forward.

“We have massive alignments around the goals, and I think we’ve got the right people in the right places to take us forward.”

All three leaders released a statement saying “negotiations to form a government that will deliver for all New Zealanders have concluded. Subject to agreement by all parties, a signing ceremony will take place tomorrow at Parliament.”

Swearing In Ceremony For Cabinet

A swearing in ceremony of a new cabinet is planned for Monday after an announcement on the makeup of the leadership team on Nov. 24 afternoon.

National Party won 48 seats at the election, ACT New Zealand won 11 seats and New Zealand First gained 8 seats.

Based on these results, a majority of 62 seats is required out of 122 seats in Parliament to form a government, requiring a deal between parties.

The Labour Party picked up 34 seats, Green Party won 15 seats and Te Pāti Māori got 6 seats at the election.

Deputy Prime Minister Still To Be Announced

At this stage, it is not clear whether ACT leader David Seymour or NZ First Winston Peters will take the Deputy Prime Minister position.

In a discussion with reporters on Nov. 23, Mr. Peters suggested it was unlikely the two party leaders would share the deputy role.

“We’ve never had a co-deputy prime minister ever,” Peters told reporters this afternoon. “Why would we [be] starting?” he said in quotes cited by Radio New Zealand.

Jim Bolger, a former National Party Prime Minister in New Zealand from 1990 to 1997, suggested Mr. Peters would be the best person for the role.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters (R) in the crowd as farmer lobby group Groundswell NZ gathers in Auckland to raise awareness and urge people to vote in the general election on October 14 at Ellerslie Racecourse on October 01, 2023 in Auckland, New Zealand. Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

“If I was Christopher Luxon, I'd be looking at my team saying none of them have had much experience in government, if any at all, and therefore maybe the best bet is to go for somebody who has had a lot of experience in government, and that has to be Winston,” he said on 1News.

“Winston Peters brings a lot of experience, there’s no question about it and David Seymour will still be learning the job, so I think on that balance you might say Winston Peters has the leading edge.”

National Party leader and Prime Minister elect Christopher Luxon (L) and his wife Amanda Luxon arrive to speak to media on October 15, 2023 in Auckland, New Zealand. Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

Mr. Peters has previously formed government with both Labour and the National Party in New Zealand, but prior to the 2023 vote, he vowed not to work with Labour.

The deal on the future government comes nearly six weeks after election day, after there was a delay while 500,000 “special votes” were counted.

The incoming prime minister, a former corporate executive, has been keeping details of negotiations behind closed doors rather than airing details in the media.

On election night, Labour leader Chris Hipkins, who took over from Jacinda Ardern, said “Labour is not in a position to form government.”

Labour lost close to half the seats it gained in the 2020 election, when Jacinda Ardern was able to declare a decisive victory with a clear majority of 65 seats.

Party leader of ACT New Zealand David Seymour during a press conference at Parliament on August 31, 2021 in Wellington, New Zealand.  Photo by Mark Mitchell - Pool/Getty Images

Winston Peters, 78, campaigned against vaccine mandates in the lead up to the 2023 election.

Mr. Luxon is a former Air New Zeland chief executive officer who served in senior executive roles in North America prior to entering parliament.

In 2021, he became leader of the National Party after entering Parliament in the 2020 election.