Each item below links to the original news report. None of these are our assumptions or speculation, they are all on the public record.
During a general debate on New Zealand’s Covid-19 response, Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan heckled Winston Peters about his vaccination status. Peters replied: “I know you just came here five minutes ago. Go back to your own country. That’s where they lie like a flatfish, but they don’t lie like that here, all right? This is called democracy, unlike what you’re used to.”
Xu-Nan came to New Zealand in 1994 — thirty-two years ago. He arrived as a child, and he has sat in this Parliament since 2024.
Green and Labour MPs called on the Prime Minister to remove Peters from Cabinet. National’s own campaign chair, Simeon Brown, called the remarks “racist.” Peters dismissed the accusation as “drivel” and said he was defending New Zealand’s democracy.
Asked directly whether the remarks were racist, Christopher Luxon said “Yes, I do”, but in the same breath said he retained confidence in Peters and would not dismiss him. This was the moment the standard was set.
Helen Clark — Prime Minister of New Zealand for nine years, later head of the UN Development Programme — said Peters appeared to be “inviting a sacking.”
The exchange was picked up by Reuters, AFP, Al Jazeera, France24, The Independent, the South China Morning Post, the Straits Times and around twenty other outlets. This is now part of how New Zealand is being perceived abroad.
Chinese-New Zealanders described the effect in their own words, and some long-time voters said they were reconsidering who they support. This is the part that would not make the six o’clock news.
Members of the public started a Change.org petition calling for Winston Peters to be removed as Foreign Minister. It is not run by us and it is not what this site asks for — we ask the Prime Minister to apply the standard in the Cabinet Manual, not to reach a particular outcome about one person. We link it because it is part of the public record and you can decide for yourself.
Peters met the Prime Minister privately; neither would discuss what was said. Asked afterwards whether he would apologise, Peters answered: “I'm not apologising for them, most certainly not.”
Lawrence Xu-Nan questioned Peters directly in Question Time — around a dozen attempts to get a straight answer. Peters used procedural objections to avoid saying whether he stood by the words, said his comments were not racist, said he disagreed with the Prime Minister's criticism of them — and added that “somebody who's been in this Parliament five minutes has wasted so much of Parliament's time”. Speaker Gerry Brownlee rebuked him — an answer “doesn't need to be an insult to someone duly elected to the Parliament” — and said all MPs, “regardless of how long they've been here, are elected equally”.
The Economist covers the remarks under the headline “a detestable taunt” — a week on, international coverage is still growing rather than fading.
Stuff’s Pulse of the Nation snap poll (run by Ideally, 534 adults surveyed on 6 August, ±4.3%): 54% of voters say the Prime Minister should remove Peters as Foreign Minister; 29% say he should stay; 17% are unsure. The only age group backing him was 65+. The same report confirms the PM said Peters should apologise — but has not required it — while Peters said: “I’m not apologising for that, most certainly not.”
No consequence has followed. Winston Peters remains Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister for Racing and Minister for Rail — and has now said outright that he will not apologise. No disciplinary action has been taken. No standard has been set out if something similar happens again.
Links direct you to the original news reports. If you think anything here is inaccurate, tell us and we will correct it.