New Zealand prime minister-elect will not attend APEC, government says

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand Prime Minister-elect Christopher Luxon will not attend APEC in San Francisco and instead the country’s caretaker trade minister will represent the country, the political parties confirmed on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the caretaker government said Damien O’Connor, who remains the country’s trade minister until a new government is sworn in, will attend the APEC meeting on behalf of the government this week.

The conservative National Party won the largest share of votes in the Oct. 14 general election but needs the support of both right-wing ACT New Zealand and the populist New Zealand First Parties to form a majority government. Negotiations are ongoing.

The former Labour government is operating in caretaker mode until a government can be formed.

Luxon had said he would like to attend APEC talks but his spokesperson said on Tuesday that he would not be attending the meeting as negotiations are ongoing. The National Party will not send an observer.

New Zealand operates a mixed-member proportional system, which means coalition governments are the norm and historically it takes roughly a month for a government to be formed, but it can take longer.

Parliament must meet with six weeks of the official election result but there is no date for when a government must be formed.

(Reporting by Lucy Craymer. Editing by Gerry Doyle)