Calls growing to sack Winston Peters after his ‘go back to your own country’ remarks to MP

Opposition parties say Winston Peters can no longer serve as New Zealand’s Foreign Minister after telling Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan to "go back to your own country".

The opposition warns the remarks risk damaging relations with one of New Zealand's biggest trading partners and a key Pacific partner.

The comments, made during Question Time in Parliament last week, have drawn criticism from Beijing and reignited debate over whether New Zealand's top diplomat can continue in the role. Peters made the remarks while responding to an interjection from Xu-Nan during a debate about the previous government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"No, I'm not making it up, sunshine. Go back to your own country. You only came here just five minutes ago. Go back to your own country, that's where they lie like a flat fish. But they don't lie like that here, alright, this is what we call democracy," Peters said.

Xu-Nan, who was born in Tianjin, China, has lived in New Zealand since 1994.

Speaking with Andre Fa’aoso on PMN’s Pacific Mornings, Labour Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni said Peters’ comments were unacceptable for someone responsible for New Zealand’s international relationships.

Winston Peters made the remarks while responding to an interjection from Xu-Nan during a debate about the previous government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo/Facebook/PMN Composite

"There's no way that you can continue in that role when you are criticising our biggest trade partner, that being China, calling them a country of liars," Sepuloni said.

"There's a level of diplomacy that's expected in the role of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister has slipped in that regard."

Sepuloni says Pacific communities understand the harm caused by telling someone to "go back to your own country".

The opposition warns the remarks risk damaging relations with one of New Zealand's biggest trading partners and a key Pacific partner. Photo/PMN Composite

“They would be unacceptable if they were aimed towards any of us, and they're certainly unacceptable if they're aimed towards a Chinese New Zealander."

Green MP Teanau Tuiono said the fallout had extended well beyond New Zealand politics.

“It has gone viral, not just here, but also over in China,” he told Fa’aoso.

“It points to me that this is a massive diplomatic failure on his part. Having the Minister for Foreign Affairs say those sorts of things about the Chinese community has had negative implications for us as well.”

Tuiono said the comments carried extra weight because they came from the minister responsible for New Zealand's foreign relations.

Watch the parliamentary debate by Winston Peters below.

"This is the Minister for Foreign Affairs insulting our largest trading partner and one of the emerging superpowers in the world,” he said.

“The Ministry for Foreign Affairs in China itself has rebuked these comments. So it is a failure of diplomacy."

Both Labour and the Greens say the controversy reflects poorly on Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's leadership.

Sepuloni says Peters’ position has become untenable.

“There's just no way that you could be expected to go on, or that a leader should allow them to continue in that role."

Tuiono says Luxon had failed to his ministers to account.

Watch Green PM Lawrence Xu-Nan's reaction to Winston Peter's remarks below.

“It's just another example of weak leadership,” he says. “The Prime Minister is directly responsible for his ministers.”

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has ruled out appointing Peters as Foreign Affairs Minister in any future government, while Labour campaign chair Kieran McAnulty has also called for Peters to be removed from the role.

Luxon has confirmed he spoke with Peters following the incident but has declined to reveal the details of their conversation.

"My conversation will stay between Winston and me. I've addressed it," the Prime Minister told reporters.

Luxon has described the comments as offensive and said Peters should apologise, although he said the decision ultimately rests with the Foreign Minister

Winston Peters has not apologised.