Christopher Luxon

For those in the North Island, here’s an important update on Tropical Cyclone Vaianu, expected to make landfall late Saturday night/Sunday morning. MetService says this has the potential to be a significant and damaging storm, but you have time to prepare. You might want to consider bringing inside or securing anything that might blow away, make sure drains are free, check in on the neighbours, and be prepared for possible power cuts. Stay safe everyone and look after each other. Follow MetService and your local Civil Defence group, or just visit getready.govt.nz

Our focus remains on staying ahead of the potential risks to New Zealand and minimising the impacts on inflation and growth in our economy. That means ensuring we continue to secure the fuel we need to protect Kiwi jobs, livelihoods and the wider economy. The fuel update today shows that New Zealand continues to have sufficient fuel stocks in the country and there is more on the way. Fuel importers have not reported any issues with future orders or shipments. And therefore, we remain at Phase 1 of our National Fuel Response Plan.

New Zealand welcomes the announcements by the United States and Iran over the past few hours - as we welcome all efforts to bring an end to this conflict. While this is encouraging news, there remains significant important work to be done in the coming days to secure a lasting ceasefire. We are grateful for the work of Pakistan, and others such as Turkiye and Egypt, to seek to find a solution to the crisis.  As we discussed with Secretary of State Marco Rubio today, this conflict has had wide-ranging impacts and disruptions - for both those in the Middle East and further afield including in New Zealand and the Pacific region. In the coming days and weeks, New Zealand will stand in support of all efforts to bring about a lasting, durable end to this conflict. -WP

Happy Easter, New Zealand. Easter is a deeply meaningful time for Christians - a time to reflect on faith, sacrifice, and the hope that comes through the Easter story and the promise of new life. Across the country, hundreds of thousands of Kiwis will come together in churches and communities to mark this important day. For many, it’s also a chance to pause and reconnect with those closest to them - and probably enjoy a bit more chocolate than we should! To everyone travelling this weekend, take care. And to those working, thank you for everything you do. Wishing you all a safe and happy Easter.

Here’s a quick update on two announcements we’ve made today as part of our response to the global fuel crisis.

From today, over a million Kiwis will receive extra cost of living support.

The conflict in the Middle East is directly leading to higher prices at the pump in New Zealand. That’s affecting households and businesses across the country, but the Government can’t afford to ease the pressure for everyone. We can’t repeat the mistakes of Covid where excessive spending led to higher inflation and more debt. We have to get the balance right. The most sensible and affordable thing for our government to do is provide timely, temporary, and targeted support to those who need it most. We’ve already announced that 143,000 low-and middle-income working families will receive an extra $50 a week to help with rising fuel costs. And from tomorrow, more than a million New Zealanders will also get an increase to the financial support they receive from the government. Nearly 1 million superannuitants get a boost – for a married couple on Super, that’s up over $50 more a fortnight. 280,000 families will get more through Family Tax Credits - up to $1,050 extra a year. Students and beneficiaries will get around $20 more a fortnight. We’ve also made changes to Working for Families, which will support 140,000 more households. That’s on top of the tax relief we’ve already delivered and FamilyBoost support for families with kids in early childcare. We’re also boosting KiwiSaver, helping you grow savings faster for your first home or retirement. We can’t control global fuel prices, but we are focused on helping Kiwis with targeted support that New Zealand can afford.

Impacts from the Middle East conflict are being felt intensely in New Zealand, and across the broader Pacific. I was pleased to talk with Prime Minister of Fiji @slrabuka this evening to discuss the risks facing our region, given the importance of fuel imports for our economies and our location at the end of long supply chains. New Zealand and Fiji are aligned in our deep concern about the conflict, and the need for immediate de-escalation and negotiation.

It’s been a long road rebuilding Christchurch since the earthquakes and the new stadium is one of the final pieces. Stoked to be here for the opening of One New Zealand Stadium. As a proud Crusaders supporter, this is a big day for Canterbury. Proud to be here with Mayor Phil Mauger to officially open it too – a huge moment for the city, and one that will add around $50 million to the local economy every year.

Global conflict is pushing up fuel prices, and I know some Kiwis may be worried about supply or whether restrictions could be needed. Here’s what you need to know. Our first priority in managing the impact of global fuel disruption is ensuring New Zealand has the fuel we need to protect jobs, livelihoods and the wider economy. Right now, there’s no need for fuel restrictions. New Zealand has sufficient supply, and we’re planning ahead to stay that way. We’ve updated our National Fuel Plan to make sure New Zealand is well positioned to respond to any disruption, whatever the global environment brings. Higher prices are putting pressure on households, so we’re providing targeted, temporary support to low and middle-income families to help with the cost of fuel. We’ve targeted that support to ensure we help working families under pressure, without repeating the mistakes of Covid, where massive spending drove up debt and pushed inflation to a 32-year high. We cannot control global oil markets or international conflicts, but sticking to a careful economic plan is how we can get through this global shock and protect New Zealand’s future.

The Pacific is our neighbourhood and New Zealand has a role to play in ensuring its prosperity and security. Today, I met with Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo in Auckland as we continue that work together.

NEWS: We’re replacing NCEA with a new national qualification from 2028. Students deserve a system that’s clear, consistent, and focused on setting them up for success beyond school, not focused on credit counting. That’s why we’re introducing an internationally comparable qualification with more emphasis on reading, writing and maths, and a consistent standard of achievement across every school. We want to set our kids up with knowledge and skills they need to succeed, here at home and anywhere in the world. National is fixing the basics and building for the future.

National backs recreational fishers and we’ve heard your concerns over the past couple of days. That’s why this morning I spoke to New Zealand First Minister Shane Jones and he agreed to take out the sections of the Fisheries Amendment Bill that removes the minimum size limits. As a recreational fisher, I share Kiwis' concerns on the impacts to juvenile fish stocks. We want to ensure our kids and grandkids have abundant fisheries for the decades to come. I know Kiwis still have some concerns, which is why we want the fishing community to submit to the Select Committee process on this Bill.

Great to speak with President of the Republic of Korea @Jaemyung_Lee this evening.   With the Republic of Korea supplying around 51% of New Zealand’s refined fuel, we discussed the urgent need for de-escalation and the importance of stability to keep our economies moving.   Our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership which we announced last year could not be timelier. It provides the foundation for close cooperation on energy resilience, economic security, and regional stability.

As Kiwis continue to feel the impacts of the Middle East conflict, working with partners is more important than ever. I was glad to speak today with European Commission President @vonderleyen about the conflict in the Middle East and the resilience that comes from our close trading relationship. We agreed that keeping supply chains flowing is critical for the global economy and for households in New Zealand, the EU, and the rest of the world.

As conflict in the Middle East drives up fuel prices for Kiwis, it is important we lean into our partnerships across the Indo-Pacific. I spoke with Malaysia’s Prime Minister @anwaribrahim today about our shared commitment to keeping supply chains open. With Malaysia the third largest supplier of New Zealand’s refined fuel, open trade and strong relationships are essential in challenging times like these. Our conversation reinforced our plans to keep working together closely and our support for de-escalation in the Gulf.

The world is currently facing the greatest disruption to fuel supply in a generation. New Zealand is in a good position with healthy stocks of fuel in the country and more on the way. But of course, we are actively planning for a scenario where obtaining future supply becomes more difficult. The last few years have been tough for everyone. Kiwis have been knocked around by the pandemic, then high inflation and the recession, then US tariffs, and now the Middle East conflict. We’ve made good progress in the last few years. Inflation and interest rates are down. And the economy is growing again. We will not repeat the mistakes of Covid. Too much spending doubled debt and increased inflation and mortgage rates. But we know the impact fuel prices are having on Kiwis when they fill up at the pump. That’s why we are delivering temporary, timely support that is targeted to low-to-middle income working families with children. Eligible households will receive a temporary $50 per week boost. This is a measured response to help the squeezed middle that is careful not to increase inflation or government debt.

We’re working hard to ensure New Zealand’s fuel needs are met amidst the conflict in the Middle East, which is causing disruption to supply and higher prices at the pump. With a third of New Zealand’s fuel refined in Singapore, it was great to speak tonight with Prime Minister @LawrenceWongST. We agreed on the importance of allowing essential goods, including fuel, to keep flowing between our two countries. When I visit Singapore in May, we will sign the Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies, a deal that will help keep supply chains flowing for fuel, food and other products. Building on the great platform we’ve built with one another, we also talked about what further work our Governments can do together as we navigate through these supply chain challenges.

Sharp price increases at the pump are putting pressure on many Kiwis. The Government is working quickly to provide support to those who need it most, and we’ll have more to say about that soon. We will ensure that any support we do provide is carefully targeted, timely and temporary because we know that every dollar we spend must be paid back by taxpayers over time. In times like this, responsible economic management is how we can best protect New Zealand from global uncertainty.