Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has promised two referendums if National is re-elected in November: one on the voting system, MMP, and another on extending the parliamentary term from three years to four.

Luxon told Newstalk ZB on Thursday morning that an MMP referendum is "something we should consider" and that he wants it to happen next year. He also urged voters to back National on November 7 so he wouldn't have to form a coalition with parties that don't share his values.

NZ First leader Winston Peters called the MMP referendum "inexplicable" and a "power grab." In a Facebook post, he said moving to MMP broke the grip that two big parties had on power, and now those parties want to change the rules to help themselves.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said there's no need for a referendum. He pointed out that in 2011, voters were already asked whether to keep MMP, and 58 percent said yes.

New Zealand has changed its voting system before. Under the old system, called first-past-the-post, the candidate with the most votes in each area won a seat, even if most people voted for someone else. That often let one party win nearly all the seats. In 1993, voters chose to switch to MMP, a system where a party's share of seats in Parliament roughly matches its share of the national vote. More than eighty percent of voters in that year wanted change.

Luxon's own view of MMP has shifted over time. At a press conference on 9 September 2024, he said New Zealand operates under MMP, that voters chose it, and that a compromise was made. A government review released in January 2024 had already ruled out ideas like lowering the voting age to 16 and letting all prisoners vote.

The broader context here is that the governing relationship between National and NZ First has been strained for months. Peters said in April that Luxon calling a vote on his own leadership "promotes doubt" and could invite more challenges. Peters has also said NZ First is headed for a "massive victory" at the 2026 election, and has criticised Labour, National and the Greens. NZ First has put forward its own bill to guarantee a binding referendum on the Māori seats.

Luxon's message to voters is simple: vote National on November 7 so he can govern alone. Both referendums would reopen questions voters have already settled — the voting system in 1993 and 2011, and the length of the parliamentary term. Whether voters go along with that pitch, and whether the promise survives coalition talks after November 7, are the open questions now.