National's unresolved coalition tensions surface in Brown's candid remarks

Simeon Brown's 2024 speech to National Party membership revealed a disconnect between the party's public and private stance on its coalition partners. Likening ACT and New Zealand First to "children" and discouraging strategic voting for them, Brown's remarks expose whether National views the coalition as a necessary arrangement to manage or a genuine governing partnership. Senior ministers have publicly maintained a collegial tone about the arrangement; Brown's comments suggest the private calculus differs.