PremiumOpinionOpinion byThomas CoughlanPolitical Editor·NZ Herald·7 Aug, 2026 05:00 PM10 mins to readThomas Coughlan, Political Editor at the New Zealand Herald, loves applying a political lens to people's stories and explaining the way things like transport and finance touch our lives. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has had a very bad week. Photo / Mark MitchellTHREE FACTSPrime Minister Christopher Luxon apologised for remarks made about small businesses.Luxon defended his use of NZ Defence Force aircraft after a National Party fundraiser. He described remarks made by Winston Peters about Lawrence Xu-Nan as “racist”.Less than 100 days out from the election, the central question of New Zealand politics is not who will win it, but whether Christopher Luxon will even contest it.
This is a remarkable fact. Before most elections, the biggest question isn’t even who will win, much
