Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he is encouraged by talks at this week’s infrastructure and investment summit.

He has also confirmed New Zealand has been invited to take part in talks of the mooted ‘Coalition of the Willing’ aimed at securing peace in Ukraine.

Luxon told reporters this afternoon he had been invited by British PM Keir Starmer to take part in a phone conversation with other international leaders about the proposed military coalition.

It could lead to the creation of a multi-national peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

And his upbeat mood ahead of departing on a trade mission to India couldn’t be dented by again having to field questions about the quality of some free lunches being dished up around the country.

Luxon has reaffirmed why it is so important for New Zealand to improve its economy and many people in the country have been doing it tough financially.

That could improve by getting money flowing “into the country”, he said this afternoon.

Potential investors who were at this week’s summit “were engaged” and excited about what the future could hold for them business-wise in New Zealand.

While riding high on optimism after the summit, and before his trip to India, Luxon again had to field questions regarding the free school lunch scheme.

Luxon said he expected improvements to be made ahead of the second school term and added that David Seymour was accountable for the quality of the service.

He added he constantly held Seymour accountable for how the programme was progressing after a raft of complaints from parents and schools about the quality of the free food service.

The media standup comes as the Government has asked for international help in funding and building the next harbour crossing and is taking soundings about building it as a public-private partnership.

Christopher Luxon with India's PM Narendra Modi at October's East Asia Summit. Photo / Supplied

Last night, the conference heard from New Zealand-American Chris Liddell, who served as White House deputy chief of staff in Donald Trump’s first term. It represented a bringing in from the cold for Liddell, who was slammed by then-National leader Judith Collins in 2021 following the Capitol riot.

The Government had been making noises about building the new crossing, among other new roads, as a PPP for some time. Infrastructure and Transport Minister Chris Bishop confirmed the Government would be looking at a PPP model at the Government’s Infrastructure Investment Summit.

Bishop said there had been “lots of debates” about whether the crossing would be a bridge or a tunnel, and the Government would finalise its preferred option in the next 18 months.

Bishop said that soon there would be a “barge in the harbour” doing geotech work sounding out the feasibility of a tunnel versus a bridge.

Bishop said he was “almost certain” tolling would be a part of the bridge. Market soundings suggested tolling could raise a decent portion of the cost of the bridge.

Chris Liddell was deputy chief of staff for former President Donald Trump. Photo / NZME

José Manuel Entrecanales, chief executive of Spanish infrastructure group, Acciona said he was “definitely” interested in being a part of the next harbour crossing.

Acciona is part of the Northern Express Group, a consortium of private firms including Morrison’s and ACC, which successfully bid to build and operate the Puhoi to Warkworth expressway, one of the last generation of PPPs.

He said he would “most likely” bid for the first stage of the Northern Expressway, from Warkworth to Te Hana if it met his requirements.

He confirmed he was looking at that project as part of a consortium. He said this was a different consortium to the other group bidding for the project, which included Australian firm Plenary and Italy’s Webuild.

Luxon opened the conference this morning and thanked Liddell for his speech last night.

“I just want to say, how good was Chris Liddell last night? I thought he was excellent,” Luxon said.

“I just want to say mate, thank you so much for what I thought, mate, was a very thoughtful, very considered presentation,” he said

That represents something of a reversal from National’s position in the past. In 2021, when Liddell was running to head up the OECD in Paris with the support of the outgoing Trump administration, Collins said National did not support his candidacy - after earlier backing him.

“Mr Liddell’s ties to the Trump Administration cannot be overlooked here, making it difficult to see how he would be suitable to uphold the OECD’s strong commitment to democracy,” Collins said in a statement at the time.

“The rioting that took place in the US Capitol was a disgraceful attack on democracy that has rightly tarnished those who incited and enabled the violence,” she said.

Thomas Coughlan is Deputy Political Editor and covers politics from Parliament. He has worked for the Herald since 2021 and has worked in the press gallery since 2018.