Awkward moment as journalist calls Nicola Willis ‘Prime Minister’ during Beehive press conference

Video: Finance Minister Nicola Willis reacts after being mistakenly addressed as “Prime Minister” during a post-Cabinet press conference. (File / Courtesy of New Zealand Herald)

A Beehive press conference took an unexpected turn when Finance Minister Nicola Willis was briefly promoted to the top job by mistake.

The slip happened during a New Zealand Herald livestream of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s post-Cabinet press conference, where Luxon and Willis were taking questions about the sharp rise in global oil prices due to the conflict between US-Israel and Iran.

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Willis had just finished discussing the potential impact of higher jet fuel costs on airlines when a reporter jumped in with a question.

But instead of addressing Luxon, the journalist mistakenly began with: “Prime Minister… Nicola Willis..”

The comment hung in the air for a split second before the reporter realised the error and scrambled to correct it.

Standing beside the actual Prime Minister, Willis reacted instantly. Her wide-eyed look and tight-lipped smile suggested she knew exactly how awkward the moment was.

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The room quickly moved on as Luxon continued answering further questions. But the brief mix-up added a light moment to an otherwise serious briefing about global fuel costs and economic pressures.

For a second or two, though, Willis appeared to hold the country’s top job.

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