Follow the podcast on

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis arriving for their update on the Iran conflict and fuel supplies, Parliament, Wellington, New Zealand, April 08, 2026. Herald photograph by Mark Mitchell

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: What took National's leadership team so long here?

Author: Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2026, 7:28pm

The fightback has started, hasn’t it?

National’s leadership team have clearly come out of yesterday’s caucus meeting with very clear instructions: get the National Party vote back off New Zealand First. And they’ve come out hard.

It started with Nicola Willis on Mike Hosking just after 7am, warning that Winston Peters might pick Labour after the next election. The attack from her on that show was so pointed I was actually surprised - because these two are mates. They drink together, they work together, they’re on the same floor as each other in the Beehive.

But then, five hours later, the Prime Minister is on The Country with Jamie Mackay, saying almost exactly the same thing. Which tells you Nicola didn’t just react in the heat of the moment, coming off the high of what happened in caucus. These are the lines they’ve decided to go out with.

They have decided to attack New Zealand First. The question is: what took them so long?

Because this is what they needed to do months ago, when it became obvious they were bleeding votes to New Zealand First. That is what’s happening here. New Zealand First - and Winston - are going up and the National Party is going down because National voters are shifting across to New Zealand First.

Right now, 52 percent of Winston’s supporters voted National at the last election.

This is exactly the right strategy Nicola Willis and Chris Luxon should be taking - because it’s true. There is a risk that New Zealand First goes with Labour. Even though Winston says it ain’t going to happen, there is a risk.

He’s done it before. In 1996 he told voters to help him put, quote, “Jim Bolger in opposition where he belongs”. And who did he pick after that election? He picked Jim Bolger.
Of course, Winston’s not going to admit he’s open to Labour - even if he is - because then he can’t rely on stealing all of those National Party voters. They’re not going to go to him if they think he’s going to put Jacinda’s lot back in charge.

This is exactly the attack Luxon and Willis need to launch on New Zealand First if they want to keep their jobs by keeping the polling up.

So let’s see if it works. I reckon it might.

Watch the next poll. Watch for National going up and New Zealand First either going down or plateauing. That will tell us whether the fightback is working.

LISTEN ABOVE