This week’s 1-on-1 in 10 features NZ Herald columnist and political strategist Dr. Matthew Hooton, in a sharp and often hilarious discussion on the state of the National Party, Nicola Willis’ economic record, Luxon’s leadership fragility, and the real fiscal situation facing New Zealanders.
With Martyn Bradbury, Dr. Hooton dissects:
- Whether Nicola Willis is truly the “best finance minister” of all time
- The $120 billion debt, fiscal spin, and “magic money” of tax cuts
- What a leadership spill could look like, and how Bishop, Stanford, Brown & Willis fit
- Why backbenchers are taking numbers — and what threshold they must meet to dump Luxon
- Asset sales, offshore buyers, and the Future Fund as a bipartisan fix
- National’s internal factions — and why the Liberal vs Conservative balance matters
- Predictions for the 2026 election, including the possibility of new leaders on both sides



The fact that even Hooton has turned his back on this sick CoC must surely be a sign something is seriously amiss here! We don’t have a ‘runaway train’ we have a bunch of despotic lunatics on a train that has already ‘crashed’ and who are continuing to make ill-prepared, knee-jerking changes for the sake of change, while using them as a DISTRACTION! FGS Luxon is the WORST PM NZ has ever, ever had but there is no-one in their ranks any better – what does that tell you? They are a mad bunch of corrupt, liars, cheats, bullies and con-artists with enormous egos. How can normal folk watch this and not want to puke at the gall and effrontery. They are so unlike the Left MP’s, most of whom actually care about our country and its suffering people. Why, how, are some of you still voting for these unscrupulous fraudsters?