“Amanda’s awesome. She can join us on a visit to Japan when the first lady’s invited her there and talk to women’s universities, and very comfortable doing that or an orphanage in Fiji or wherever, but equally then can get back to her life as well.
“So as a family where this will come and go, it doesn’t define who we are. It’s what I happen to do, but it’s not who I am. So ... I don’t think anything’s changed within our internal dynamic.”
Luxon said he wants to be fully engaged in what he’s doing at any given time, something that translates between work and home.
“So you and I are doing this conversation. There might be a gazillion emails, there might be other stuff going on, but we’re doing this and I always hate it when I used to see politicians actually trying to be at a meeting, but on their phone or not really there, or just tick-boxing their way through it.
“So it’s the same on holiday for me, which is I still get up early and I will do reading before everyone wakes up and so they don’t see me with my work and then I would maybe check something at lunchtime just very quickly and then I’ll check again in the evening when everyone’s gone to bed again. And that’s the way I did it with the kids growing up as well.
“I never wanted my kids to see me with a mobile phone on the weekend. I watched too many dads going to soccer games in the US and trying to do emails at the same time ... your kids pick it up and they know that dad’s not really paying attention to me.”
On a personal level, Luxon has also faced his fair share of criticism from both sides of the political divide.
He told Bennett that while he is aware of such criticism, he doesn’t pay much attention to it because it’d be difficult to get out of bed in the morning otherwise.
Does he want to be liked though?
" I think it’s a basic human thing," Luxon said. “But for me, I’m here to do the job. And I’m really determined that we are going to deliver and do things better than we have done. And so that means I’m not afraid to make the tough decisions and pull the trigger and make the hard calls.
“So I’m probably less hung up on being liked. But I think ultimately, at a personal level, I think we all want to be liked, right?”
Listen to the full episode for more from Christopher Luxon about how not being a career politician is an asset in this job,where his core values come from, how he survives on limited sleep each night, and how he has managed the strict security rules that come with the job.
Ask Me Anything is an NZ Herald podcast hosted by former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett. New episodes will return in March 2025.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
