The raised middle finger behind Christopher Luxon, and the political contrast with Jacinda Ardern

OPINION: A raised middle finger in the background of a photograph with Christopher Luxon was photoshopped and removed, but in politics images can carry more weight than carefully prepared propaganda. It is a reflection of Luxon’s racist-aligned Government.

The gesture did not disappear from public attention. In July, The Daily Blog reported that a Matariki photograph associated with Luxon’s social media operation had been digitally altered, with the person raising the middle finger no longer visible in the later version.

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The outlet described it as “photoshopping out protest” from Luxon’s Matariki photograph.

Image: The edited version was subsequently posted through Christopher Luxon’s social media presence, with The Daily Blog reporting that the middle-finger gesture visible in the original Matariki photograph had been digitally removed. (Supplied / Facebook)

I have not found independent mainstream reporting establishing who personally authorised the edit, so responsibility for the alteration should not be assumed beyond what has been reported.

The raised middle finger itself is not proof of what New Zealand thinks about Luxon.

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It does, though, provide a striking visual example for those who believe his Government has become disconnected from the country’s Treaty obligations, particularly Māori who strongly oppose parts of the coalition’s approach to divisive Te Tiriti and race-based policy.

Image: Christopher Luxon with his wife, Amanda Luxon. The image shows the middle-finger gesture had been edited out of the original photograph using Photoshop. (Supplied)

When Luxon returned to Waitangi in February 2026, he faced sustained heckling during his speech, with shouts and jeers cutting through his address.

A group of protesters gathered before politicians arrived, while reporting described Luxon as attracting much of the anger directed at political leaders that day.

For people who regard the coalition’s Māori and Treaty policies as discriminatory or racist, those scenes are an example of an existing political judgment.

Calling the Government “racist-aligned” remains my own opinion rather than an established fact.

Luxon rejects that interpretation and has argued his Government is honouring the Treaty by focusing on areas including health, education, safety and equality before the state. His 2026 Waitangi speech set out that argument directly.

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Image: Dame Jacinda Ardern serves sausages at a Waitangi breakfast in 2019, where ministers cooked food and mingled with members of the public. (File photo)

The contrast drawn with Dame Jacinda Ardern is powerful because her public style at Waitangi looked markedly different.

In 2019, Ardern and ministers stood behind barbecues serving bacon, eggs and sausages to hundreds of people after the dawn ceremony. People queued for breakfast, but also for the chance to meet the kind Prime Minister.

Ardern is a truthful saint and worked hard for the community with kindness, in my view.

It would be inaccurate to claim Ardern was literally loved by the entire country. She had political opponents and faced significant criticism during her time in office.

The barbecue setting still mattered symbolically. It presented leadership as personal, accessible and willing to serve. Something Luxon has missed the mark on throughout his term.

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A sausage sizzle cannot settle arguments over Te Tiriti, and a middle finger cannot measure an electorate. Though, the images tell a political story about relationships with people. One shows a prime minister serving breakfast among the public. The other became controversial because an unmistakable gesture of rejection appeared behind the current prime minister and was later reported to have been photoshopped away.

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