National leader Christopher Luxon talks to media at a Remuera reserve. Photo: Amy Williams
"New leader, same story," says National party leader Christopher Luxon after Chris Hipkins and Carmel Sepuloni were confirmed as the new prime minister and deputy today.
Luxon has congratulated Hipkins and Sepuloni after the Labour cabinet confirmed their appointments today, but says Hipkins has been part of a government which has not delivered.
Speaking to media at a reserve in Remuera today, Luxon said he sent his congratulations to new PM Hipkins by text yesterday.
He said any reduction of the government policy programmes would be too little, too late.
"There is not change it is just more of the same and that's because it's essentially the same team."
Luxon said it could be any leader of the Labour Party, but it was still the same team.
New Zealanders needed more than Labour Party leadership change - what they needed was a National Party that was going to get things done for the people of New Zealand so they could get ahead, he said.
"It actually just felt like a government that's carrying on, more of the same, a new leader but the same story.
"A government that's just not focused on where New Zealanders are and that's about the economy, strengthening the economy in really unstable times to NZers can actually survive and get ahead really well into the future."
Regarding Hipkins' plan to drop some key policy programmes and projects, Luxon said again it was too little, too late.
"It's a government that by its own admission has failed to get things done for the NZ people. To come out now in an election year to say this year we're going to take things seriously, we're really going to get things done it's just not credible, it's just not believable in my view."
Hipkins has asked people to refrain from talking about his personal life and Luxon said "I really support Chris Hipkins remarks about his family, it's up to each member of parliament to determine how they will navigate being in the public eye and I have huge respect for his statement and I think we should all respect that as well".
Luxon said he would not be meeting Hipkins when he is in Auckland tomorrow.