Every election campaign has its defining moments.
Sometimes they are moments of hope. Sometimes they are moments of vision. And sometimes they are moments that leave us asking whether we have learned anything at all.
This week, New Zealand found itself in the middle of one of those moments.
Winston Peters’ remarks in Parliament telling Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan to “go back to your own country” have dominated headlines, drawn criticism from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, prompted a diplomatic protest from China, and once again shifted political debate away from the issues New Zealanders actually care about.
Whether you support Winston Peters or oppose him is almost beside the point.
The question is far simpler.
Does language like this make New Zealand a stronger country?
I don’t believe it does.
There is a legitimate national conversation to be had about immigration. There is room for debate around visa settings, border management, population growth, labour shortages, housing pressures and whether our immigration system is delivering the right outcomes for New Zealand. Equally, there are difficult conversations to be had about those who overstay visas and ensuring our laws are applied fairly and consistently.
Those are real policy debates.
But telling someone to “go back to your own country” is not policy.
It is not leadership.
And it certainly is not the sort of language that helps build trust between communities.
New Zealand has spent generations trying to become a nation that acknowledges difference while finding common purpose. We haven’t always succeeded. Māori know that better than anyone.
History reminds us that whenever political rhetoric starts dividing people into “us” and “them”, the damage lasts far longer than the election campaign that created it.
Words matter.
Especially when they come from senior Ministers of the Crown.
This is not about protecting politicians from criticism. Parliament should be robust. Members should challenge each other. Democracy is healthier when ideas are contested vigorously.
But there is a line between challenging someone’s ideas and questioning whether they belong here at all.
That line should never become blurred.
It is also worth remembering that many New Zealanders with migrant backgrounds are raising families, paying taxes, serving in our Defence Force, working in our hospitals, teaching in our schools and contributing to our economy every single day. Many have become citizens. Many have called this country home for decades.
Disagreement with someone’s politics should never become disagreement with their right to belong.
For Māori, this conversation carries another layer.
As tangata whenua, we understand what it means to belong to this land through whakapapa. But we also understand manaakitanga — the responsibility to treat others with dignity and respect.
Those values are not contradictory.
In fact, they strengthen one another.
The challenge facing New Zealand today is not whether we can disagree. We absolutely should.
The challenge is whether we can disagree without reducing each other to race, ethnicity or birthplace.
That is the standard our politics should aspire to.
At a time when social media rewards outrage, when international politics seems increasingly polarised, and when many communities already feel anxious about the future, political leaders should be lowering the temperature — not raising it.
Strong leadership is measured not by how loudly you divide people, but by how confidently you can unite them while still standing firm on principle.
New Zealand deserves a serious debate about immigration.
It deserves a serious debate about productivity, housing, infrastructure and economic growth.
It deserves serious debate about constitutional issues, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the future direction of our country.
But none of those conversations become stronger when they are wrapped in rhetoric that tells someone they do not belong.
We are capable of doing better than that.
Our politics should reflect the best of who we are, not the worst instincts of an election campaign.
Because, ultimately, we are all judged not only by the arguments we make—but by the way we make them.
And New Zealand is better than this.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Radio Waatea. We welcome respectful discussion and diverse viewpoints that contribute constructively to public debate.
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