New Zealand Today presenter Guy Williams was stunned after National leader Christopher Luxon refused to answer a direct question about whether he believed dinosaurs were real.
In a trailer posted online for the latest episode of his podcast to be released on Wednesday, Williams was seen approaching Luxon after he had received an anonymous tip-off that claimed Air New Zealand had turned down a safety video idea that contained dinosaurs "because the CEO didn't believe they were real."
Williams claimed the tip-off said the CEO at the time the video idea was refused was Christopher Luxon. Luxon was in charge of Air NZ from 2012 to 2020.
"Weird election tangent: I heard a rumour that Chris Luxon doesn't believe that Dinosaurs were real… so I went and asked him!" Williams wrote.
Footage from the video trailer showed Williams requesting interviews with Luxon's PR in July, before he was seen approaching Luxon as he was leaving an event.
"I had to find out if Chris Luxon believed dinosaurs were real," Williams said in the video.
After he got past security, Williams asked Luxon: "What's your favourite dinosaur?" to which he replied: "T-Rex."
"I heard a rumour that you don't believe in dinosaurs," Williams then said to Luxon.
"T-Rex is a great dinosaur," Luxon replied, before getting in the back of the car as he was asked again: "Do you believe dinosaurs are real?"
"See ya, bye," Luxon said as he got into the car and drove off.
At a stand-up in Blenheim on Tuesday afternoon, Luxon was asked directly if he believed dinosaurs roamed the earth.
"Absolutely," he said, a little taken aback before asking the reporter: "What kind of question is that?"
Luxon later shared Williams' social media video saying: "Of course dinosaurs are real! My favourite is the TaxReliefosaurus (it's not extinct but it hasn't been spotted for six long years)."
Labour leader and Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was also questioned over his dinosaur position while campaigning in Petone on Tuesday afternoon.
Asked if he believed if dinosaurs roamed the earth, Hipkins said: "Yes absolutely. I think that is a well-proven scientific fact."
