By Webfit News
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has condemned comments made by New Zealand First leader Winston Peters towards Green Party MP Lawrence Xu-Nan, describing them as “racist and offensive”.
However, Luxon says he has not yet spoken directly with Peters about the incident, despite the remarks attracting criticism in New Zealand and attention from international media.
Speaking to RNZ’s Morning Report on Monday, 3 August, Luxon said he expected to discuss the issue with Peters “at some point”, explaining that both leaders had been travelling.
The controversy began during a heated exchange in Parliament last week, when Peters responded to heckling by telling Xu-Nan, who was born in China and grew up in East Auckland, to go back to his own country. Xu-Nan is a Green Party list MP and holds several spokesperson responsibilities, including ethnic communities, education and justice.
Luxon rejects remarks but has not spoken to Peters
Luxon told RNZ that he had a firm view about the language used by Peters.
“I have a strong view about it. It is racist and offensive. That’s it,” Luxon said.
Despite the seriousness of that assessment, the prime minister confirmed he had not yet contacted Peters directly.
“I will talk to him at some point, I’m sure, about it. But the point is I’ve been on the road, he’s been on the road,” Luxon said.
The response is likely to raise questions about whether Luxon should have addressed the matter more urgently, particularly because Peters serves as foreign minister and deputy prime minister within the coalition government.
Although Luxon argued that Peters had been speaking in his capacity as New Zealand First leader, overseas reporting has referred to him by his senior government role.
That distinction may matter inside coalition politics, but it is unlikely to carry the same weight internationally. Foreign audiences generally see comments made by senior ministers as reflecting on the government and the country they represent.
Prime minister accuses Peters of seeking attention
Luxon also suggested the comments were part of a deliberate political strategy by Peters.
According to the prime minister, the New Zealand First leader was engaging in “deliberate attention seeking” by making provocative statements that shifted public attention towards himself.
Luxon said the controversy was taking attention away from issues affecting New Zealanders.
The criticism highlights an unusual tension within the coalition. Luxon is publicly condemning the conduct of one of his most senior ministers while continuing to govern alongside him.
It also demonstrates one of the central challenges of New Zealand’s Mixed Member Proportional electoral system. Coalition parties can work together on government policy while competing for attention, votes and political identity.
Questions over future coalition arrangements
Luxon was also asked whether National would rule out forming another government with New Zealand First.
He declined to make such a commitment.
“There’s a lot of hypotheticals. At the moment, I don’t want to work with anyone,” Luxon told RNZ.
Luxon said his preferred election outcome would be a National-led government capable of governing without relying heavily on coalition partners.
“My ideal situation is 20 National ministers in Cabinet. That would be the very best outcome for New Zealand.”
However, he also defended the coalition’s ability to operate despite disagreements between National, ACT and New Zealand First.
Luxon said National had shown it could find common ground with its partners even when the parties held different positions.
The comments indicate that while Luxon considers Peters’ statement unacceptable, National is not currently prepared to close the door on working with New Zealand First after the election.
Opportunity Party draws a line over Peters
The Opportunity Party has taken a stronger position, saying it would not support a government that appointed Peters as foreign minister.
The party has not previously entered Parliament and National has already ruled out working with it. However, its leader, Qiulae Wong, told RNZ’s Midday Report that Peters’ position as foreign minister had become untenable.
Wong said the issue was not based on a single comment but what she described as repeated behaviour.
“Given that this is repeated behaviour, we’ve seen these kinds of comments happen on multiple occasions, I don’t think that it’s the kind of behaviour that we should expect, particularly of a foreign minister,” she said.
Wong said Opportunity could find common ground with New Zealand First on economic matters, including reforms involving the supermarket and energy sectors.
However, she argued that Peters’ language was not compatible with the kind of leadership New Zealand needed.
“That leadership role at the international level, I just don’t think is acceptable,” she said.
She added that joining a government in which Peters remained foreign minister could be interpreted as endorsing his conduct.
Why the foreign affairs role matters
The controversy is particularly sensitive because the foreign minister represents New Zealand in diplomatic meetings, trade negotiations and international forums.
Remarks directed at an MP because of their country of birth can carry consequences beyond domestic political debate.
New Zealand presents itself internationally as a diverse democracy with close economic, cultural and diplomatic links across Asia. China is also one of the country’s most important international relationships.
Even when comments are made during heated parliamentary exchanges, they can influence perceptions of New Zealand’s political leadership overseas.
Luxon’s attempt to separate Peters’ position as New Zealand First leader from his responsibilities as foreign minister may therefore prove difficult to maintain.
Senior ministers do not stop being government representatives when speaking as political party leaders, particularly when their remarks are reported internationally.
Political provocation or leadership failure?
Peters has built much of his political career around blunt language, combative parliamentary performances and criticism of political opponents.
Supporters may regard his style as direct and unapologetic. Critics argue that comments targeting a person’s birthplace cross the line from political confrontation into racial hostility.
Luxon has clearly placed himself in the second camp by calling the remarks racist.
The unresolved issue is what follows that condemnation.
Calling a statement offensive is one thing. Addressing the conduct of a senior minister within the coalition is another.
The delay in speaking to Peters risks creating the impression that the prime minister is willing to criticise the remarks publicly but reluctant to confront the political consequences privately.
A test for coalition leadership
The episode has become more than a disagreement between two MPs.
It is now a test of Luxon’s authority, Peters’ responsibilities as foreign minister and the standards expected from senior members of the government.
Luxon has made his personal position clear, but New Zealanders may reasonably ask whether a conversation “at some point” is an adequate response when the prime minister himself has described the comments as racist.
The matter may also follow National into the election campaign.
Luxon wants voters to give National enough support to govern with fewer coalition complications. However, unless National wins that level of support, the party may again need partners such as New Zealand First.
That political reality explains Luxon’s careful response, but it does not remove the underlying question.
Can the prime minister strongly condemn a minister’s behaviour while continuing to treat the political relationship as business as usual?
For now, the conversation between Luxon and Peters has still not taken place. The public debate, however, is already well underway.
Source and references
This article is based primarily on reporting by Radio New Zealand, Morning Report and Midday Report, published Monday, 3 August 2026, and distributed through Scoop Media.
Additional background information on Lawrence Xu-Nan’s parliamentary role was checked through the New Zealand Parliament and Green Party profiles.
