Posting for Air NZ’s Luxon is a masterstroke

There aren’t many rock star chief executives in New Zealand.

Christopher Luxon is one. He’s proven he can deliver big commercial results in good and bad times and is politically savvy.

His appointment as the chair of the prime minister’s Business Advisory Council is about political pragmatism for Jacinda Ardern. Getting a proven performer in the tent helps bridge what is perceived to be a gap between the Beehive and the business community.

Being associated with winners like Luxon and Air New Zealand does no harm, as Ardern would have enjoyed at the Bledisloe Cup triumph on Saturday night.

For Luxon it’s a good move too. He’s a believer in “supercharging New Zealand’s economy”, a phrase he drops into nearly every presentation and thinks his airline can be at the vanguard of. Even greater access to the Government helps that.

He’s regularly talked about as a possible National Party candidate. For years has cheerfully laughed off suggestions he would follow the John Key track into politics.

Ardern has cleverly reached across the political divide — perceived or real — to get him on board.

Luxon is commercially relentless. The airline was, in the last year, able to squeeze $104 million out of spending and increased revenue to hit earnings targets it had promised.

There’s also another dimension. He’s a committed Christian and recently joined the board of Christian aid group Tearfund.

It’s hard to know how often Luxon will have to roll up his sleeves for the new council — some of these advisory groups are more cosmetic.

But extra duties won’t be too much of a problem for the 48-year-old who has a formidable appetite for work.