Hours out from today’s keynote speech, Luxon said he wouldn’t be announcing any new policy or an election date, but the latter was coming “very shortly”. Luxon had till today stayed silent on recent global events, including Trump’s plan to take over Greenland and the arrest of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Fixing basics, building futureThe National Party has been focused on “fixing the basics and building the future” since late last year. Luxon is not expected to reveal this year’s election date this morning; it’s likely to be unveiled on Wednesday at National’s annual caucus retreat in Christchurch. While events in New Zealand have been relatively quiet over the holiday period, Luxon is likely to address global events, which have been ramping up.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 18, 2026 18:36 UTC