NZCTU launches election campaign targeting Prime Minister Luxon

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) has launched an election campaign titled ‘Don’t risk 6 years of Luxon’. The initiative aims to highlight the economic challenges faced by workers under the current National-led Government.

NZCTU President Sandra Grey stated that the campaign uses personal stories to warn against another term of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s leadership. The union cites several economic indicators to support its position, including a rise of 48,000 unemployed individuals since the government took office and a 130 percent increase in long-term unemployment (six months or longer).

The campaign also highlights that the minimum wage has decreased by 4 percent in real terms since 2023, leaving full-time minimum-wage workers approximately $2,076 a year worse off relative to inflation. Additionally, the NZCTU pointed to rising costs for essentials, such as energy, bread, milk, and meat, noting that hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders continue to face material hardship.