1. Christopher Mark Luxon is a New Zealand politician and former business executive who has been serving as the 42nd prime minister of New Zealand since 2023, previously as leader of the Opposition from 2021 to 2023, and as leader of the National Party since 2021.
Christopher Luxon has been member of Parliament for Botany since 2020.
Christopher Luxon was the chief executive officer of Air New Zealand from 2012 to 2019.
Christopher Luxon worked for Unilever from 1993 and held senior roles at Unilever Canada in 2008, joining Air New Zealand as group general manager in 2011 and succeeding as CEO the following year.
Christopher Luxon won the pre-selection for the safe National Party seat of Botany in East Auckland in 2019, and retained the seat for National at the 2020 general election despite a landslide defeat for the party nationally.
Christopher Luxon was often touted as a potential National Party leader during the turbulent time for the party politically in the aftermath of the 2017 general election, even before becoming an MP.
Christopher Luxon won the leadership unopposed on 30 November 2021, a little more than eight months after he gave his maiden speech, after a party crisis caused the removal of previous leader Judith Collins.
Christopher Luxon led his party to win 15 seats and a plurality of 48 at the 2023 general election, following polls narrowing and then strongly favouring National from the middle of the year onwards.
Christopher Luxon was sworn in as prime minister on 27 November 2023, and leads the Sixth National Government, with the aid of two parties, ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First.
Christopher Mark Luxon was born in Christchurch on 19 July 1970, to a Roman Catholic family of Irish, Scottish and English descent.
Christopher Luxon lived in Christchurch until the age of seven, when his family moved to Howick in Auckland.
Christopher Luxon subsequently studied at the University of Canterbury from 1989 to 1992, gaining a Master of Commerce degree.
Christopher Luxon worked for Unilever from 1993 to 2011, starting in Wellington as a management trainee for two years, leaving for Sydney in 1995.
Christopher Luxon worked his way up in Unilever, working in Sydney until 2000, in London from 2000 to 2003, and then Chicago from 2003 to 2008, becoming "Global Deodorants and Grooming Category" Director.
Christopher Luxon joined Air New Zealand as group general manager in May 2011 and was named the chief executive officer on 19 June 2012, succeeding Rob Fyfe at the end of that year.
Christopher Luxon joined the board of the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand in April 2014.
On 20 June 2019, Christopher Luxon announced that he was resigning from Air New Zealand and hinted at a possible career with the National Party.
In February 2021, it was revealed that while Christopher Luxon was CEO of Air New Zealand, its contracting business unit Gas Turbines was assisting Royal Saudi Navy vessels, despite their blocking essential supplies like water, food and medical assistance from Yemen.
Christopher Luxon later said it "was a mistake" that Air New Zealand did not have a process whereby its chief executive would be told about all military contracts.
Christopher Luxon won in a selection contest with National Party list MP Agnes Loheni, Howick Local Board deputy chair Katrina Bungard, cancer drug campaigner Troy Elliott, and tech businessman Jake Bezzant, who was later selected as National's candidate for Upper Harbour.
Christopher Luxon was appointed as the spokesperson for local government, research, science, manufacturing and land information, as well as associate spokesperson for transport in the Shadow Cabinet of Judith Collins.
In early August 2022, Christopher Luxon accompanied Prime Minister Ardern, Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni and Minister of Pacific Peoples William Sio on a state visit to Samoa to mark the 60th anniversary of Samoa's independence and affirm bilateral relations between the two countries.
In late November 2023, Christopher Luxon announced the Government's 100-day plan, which consisted of 49 economic, cost of living, law and order, and public service issues the coalition government would focus on.
In mid-December 2023, Christopher Luxon acknowledged using public funding allocated to his budget as Leader of the Opposition to pay for Maori language lessons.
Christopher Luxon stated that his Government would focus on restoring the economy by reducing public spending and "red tape" while finding a balance between economic growth and environmental protection.
That same day, Christopher Luxon attended the annual Big Gay Out festival in the Auckland suburb of Point Chevalier but left early after encountering opposition from transgender rights and Palestinian solidarity protesters.
On 2 April 2024, Christopher Luxon announced a 36-point full second quarter action plan for the next three months, focusing on the economy and cost of living, law and order, and public services.
In late April 2024, Christopher Luxon stripped Melissa Lee of her Media and Communications ministerial portfolio and Penny Simmonds of her Disability Issues portfolio during a cabinet reshuffle.
Christopher Luxon appointed Paul Goldsmith to the Media and Communications portfolio, Louise Upston to the Disability Issues portfolio and promoted Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts to the Cabinet.
Christopher Luxon dismissed the polls, saying "what we're here to do is not always easy and nice, but we're here to make the tough and necessary decisions".
Christopher Luxon criticised so-called "nice to have projects" such as the Takina convention centre.
Christopher Luxon confirmed that Cabinet had agreed to revise the Local Government Act and scrap the four wellbeing provisions in that legislation.
On 19 December 2024, Christopher 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.
On 20 December 2023, Christopher Luxon made his first state visit as head of government to Sydney where he met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Christopher Luxon stated that New Zealand was keen to do its share of "heavy lifting" in the Australia-New Zealand defence relationship.
On 30 January 2024, Christopher Luxon announced that New Zealand would be suspending its annual NZ$1 million aid to UNRWA following allegations that several UNRWA workers had participated in the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.
Christopher Luxon's announcement followed a decision by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to review New Zealand's aid to UNRWA.
On 29 February 2024, Christopher Luxon announced New Zealand's designation of Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist entity.
In mid-April 2024, Christopher Luxon undertook a tour of Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines as part of a "very deliberate" foreign policy reset meant to shore up Southeast Asia's strategic and commercial importance to New Zealand.
In early June 2024, Christopher Luxon visited Premier of Niue Dalton Tagelagi.
On 9 July 2024, Christopher Luxon left New Zealand for Washington, DC to attend the 2024 Washington summit as an Indo-Pacific ally.
Later that day, Christopher Luxon met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles during an Indo-Pacific 4 meeting to express solidarity with Ukraine.
On 2 September 2024, Christopher Luxon arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in a three days official visit where he met with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in discussing strategic partnership.
Christopher Luxon accepted an invitation from Xi to visit China in early 2025.
Christopher Luxon met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss defence and security cooperation, and signed a bilateral defence agreement.
Christopher Luxon is an evangelical Christian who is recognised as a social conservative.
In November 2019, Christopher Luxon said he was against abortion, euthanasia, and legalising recreational cannabis, though at the same time he supported medicinal use of cannabis.
Christopher Luxon has firmly stood against efforts to reform New Zealand's water system.
Christopher Luxon confirmed that his personal views are anti-abortion, but said National will not contest the Abortion Legislation Act 2020 should he become prime minister.
Christopher Luxon was questioned about being one of only 15 MPs to vote against the first reading of a member's bill that would establish safe access zones around abortion facilities.
Christopher Luxon said that he was now able to support the bill following changes to it at the select committee stage that made it compliant with the New Zealand Bill of Rights.
In late November 2021, Christopher Luxon reiterated support for National's vote against the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill, but said the practice was "abhorrent".
In early February 2022, Christopher Luxon announced that National MPs would be allowed a conscience vote on the conversion practices legislation; abandoning Collins' "bloc-voting" position.
Christopher Luxon reversed his earlier opposition to the legislation, stating that he supported New Zealand's LGBT+ community.
On 8 December 2021, Christopher Luxon called for the lifting of Auckland's border restrictions with Northland after The New Zealand Herald reported that the Ministry of Health had proposed that the Auckland border should be lifted in tandem with the country's transition into the COVID-19 Protection Framework on 3 December.
On 8 January 2022, Christopher Luxon talked to National MP Harete Hipango about a photo that she had posted on social media, which showed her posing with members of the anti-vaccination group Voices for Freedom.
In early February 2022, Christopher Luxon called for rapid antigen testing to be conducted in schools twice a week for both students and teachers, citing the examples of New South Wales and Victoria.
On 9 February 2022, Christopher Luxon called for the Government to issue a clear timeline for ending vaccine mandates.
However, Christopher Luxon claimed he doubted the party would enter parliament.
Paul Spoonley, a sociology lecturer at Massey University agreed with Christopher Luxon's remarks, stating that New Zealand's population growth had reached below replacement level of 2.1, with a birth rate of 1.6.
Christopher Luxon condemned Hamas' attacks and stated that Israel had a right to defend itself.
In late August 2024, Christopher Luxon expressed support for Taiwan's participation in the Pacific Islands Forum in response to Chinese plans to lobby for member states to exclude Taiwan from attending the Forum's 2025 event.
On 2 December 2024, Christopher Luxon confirmed that New Zealand would comply with an International Criminal Court arrest warrant in the event that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited New Zealand.
In mid-June 2022, Christopher Luxon announced that the National Party if elected into government would introduce several pieces of anti-gang legislation based on Australian anti-gang legislation.
Christopher Luxon unveiled National's new law and order policies at a time when gang violence was 'in the headlines' and the police's count of gang members had increased over four years.
On 3 May 2023, Christopher Luxon acknowledged the historical sensitivity around the dawn raids of the 1970s which disproportionately targeted Pasifika New Zealanders.
Christopher 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, Christopher 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.
Christopher Luxon made these remarks after the Australian Government announced a new migration strategy to address pressure on housing and infrastructure in Australia.
In late January 2023, Christopher Luxon stated that National opposed co-governance in the delivery of public services such as health, education and critical infrastructure.
Christopher Luxon clarified that National was not opposed to Maori involvement in decision-making and expressed support for "self-driven" initiatives within the Maori community such as Whanau Ora, kohanga reo and charter schools.
On 25 January, Christopher Luxon stated that the existence of Maori seats "doesn't make a lot of sense" but reiterated an earlier commitment in March 2022 that the National Party would stand candidates in one or two of them.
On 10 May 2023, Christopher Luxon ruled out working with Te Pati Maori if National formed the next government after the 2023 general election.
Christopher Luxon cited National's disagreement with the Maori Party's support for co-governance in public services and alleged separatism.
Christopher Luxon criticised Te Pati Maori's MPs Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi for staging a haka welcoming for Labour MP Meka Whaitiri when Parliament was welcoming the coronation of Charles III.
When questioned by Green co-leader Chloe Swarbrick, Christopher Luxon reiterated that the Treaty was New Zealand's founding document and said that it had protected both Maori and Crown interests.
In early May 2023, Christopher Luxon accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Chris Hipkins to attend the coronation of Charles III as part of the official New Zealand delegation.
On 20 September 2024, Christopher 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 1 March 2025, Christopher 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.
Christopher 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 mid April 2024, Christopher Luxon said he was open to revisiting the tax-exempt status of churches and charities.
In early July 2022, Christopher Luxon stated that a future National Government would work with community providers to sponsor job coaches for young people under the age of 25 years who have been on the Jobseeker benefit for three months.
Christopher Luxon further stated National would make sweeping cuts to the Ministry of Social Development in favour of privatised employment agencies and "not keep funding failure".
In mid November 2022, Christopher Luxon announced that the National Party's youth crime policies would include creating a new Young Serious Offender category for juvenile offenders and establishing boot camps known as Youth Offender Military Academies.
Christopher Luxon met his wife Amanda at a church youth group and they married on 8 January 1994 when he was 23.
In late July 2022, Christopher 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.
Christopher 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.
Christopher Luxon had a Catholic upbringing, describes himself as a Christian or non-denominational Christian, and has been described as an evangelical Christian.
Christopher Luxon has attended a Baptist church in Auckland as a child, a Presbyterian church in Australia, an Anglican church in England, and non-denominational churches in the United States, Canada and New Zealand.
Christopher Luxon enjoys DIY, listening to country music, waterskiing and fishing.
Christopher Luxon is a supporter of the Crusaders rugby union team and Auckland FC in association football.
Christopher Luxon 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.
Christopher Luxon was apparently unaware of the total value of his properties until Newshub asked him about it directly.
In March 2024, Christopher Luxon was criticised for claiming a $52,000 living allowance while residing at his own mortgage-free Wellington apartment.
Christopher Luxon was the first Prime Minister in 34 years to claim what he described as an "entitlement".