Summarised by Centrist
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says New Zealand needs a “mature conversation” about state ownership, hinting that the National Party will campaign on asset recycling at next year’s election.
This is when state-owned assets are sold, leased, or partially privatised to raise capital for new infrastructure projects.
“We need a more mature conversation than what we’ve historically had in this country about assets, because owning everything we own forever isn’t the right thing to do,” Luxon told Radio NZ. “Being able to sell an asset in order to create and build a new asset is actually probably a good thing.”
Luxon said his government would consider its approach to public asset ownership “over the course of the coming year” and expected to go to the 2026 election with policies in that space. While no asset sales are planned during this term, the Prime Minister made clear that rebalancing the state’s portfolio is on the table. “The government owns a lot of stuff,” he said. “Some of it we must own, but obviously over time you want to be able to cycle assets in and out of a portfolio of assets.”
The National Party has long supported reducing state ownership to attract outside investors and improve performance. However, coalition partner New Zealand First has blocked any sales this term, and the agreement remains in place.
Luxon said the goal is to use the Crown’s balance sheet “in smarter ways” to finance new infrastructure without adding debt.
