Hipkins accuses Luxon of calling National backbenchers 'Air New Zealand middle managers' — without proof

In Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins accused Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of privately telling Auckland businesspeople his own backbenchers were "no better than a bunch of Air New Zealand middle managers." Hipkins acknowledged he had no proof, relying on a second-hand account from "a couple of years ago." Luxon called the accusation "ridiculous," saying "It's not something I would say."