Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has publicly criticised Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters over controversial comments directed at a Green MP, describing them as “inappropriate attention-seeking comments” in a rare public rebuke of one of his coalition partners.
The comments add to a series of increasingly contentious interventions by the New Zealand First leader as the 2026 General Election campaign gathers momentum, with Peters also coming under fire for describing trade unions as “prostitutes for the Labour Party” during an interview on Radio Waatea.
The latest controversy erupted after Peters told Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan, who was born in China and raised in Auckland, to “go back to your own country” during a heated exchange in Parliament. Luxon distanced himself from the remarks, saying they were inappropriate and unnecessary, while reiterating his support for Chinese New Zealanders and calling for political debate to remain respectful.
The Prime Minister’s comments are significant given his usual reluctance to publicly criticise coalition partners, highlighting the political sensitivity surrounding race, immigration and campaign rhetoric in the lead-up to polling day.
The parliamentary exchange has also drawn wider criticism, including from China’s Ambassador to New Zealand, adding an international dimension to what began as a domestic political confrontation.
The dispute comes just one day after Peters intensified his criticism of organised labour during an interview with Radio Waatea, accusing unions of acting as political extensions of the Labour Party and claiming they owed New Zealand First an apology.
Those remarks have triggered a wave of responses from across the political spectrum.
The Labour Party accused Peters of insulting ordinary working New Zealanders, saying union members include nurses, teachers, firefighters, builders, cleaners and public servants who deserve respect rather than political abuse.
The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) also rejected Peters’ comments, with President Sandra Grey saying the remarks reflected more about the state of the New Zealand First campaign than the union movement itself.
Grey said unions represent hundreds of thousands of working New Zealanders and would not apologise for advocating on behalf of workers, regardless of which party is in government. She also stressed that the NZCTU is not affiliated with any political party and has a history of challenging governments of all political persuasions when workers’ rights are at stake.
For his part, Peters has defended his rhetoric as part of a broader campaign against what New Zealand First sees as political activism within public institutions, trade unions and sections of the public service.
The party has built much of its election platform around constitutional reform, opposition to co-governance, immigration controls, law and order, and what it describes as restoring equal citizenship under a literal interpretation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Political observers say the latest exchanges illustrate the increasingly combative tone of the election campaign, with coalition partners at times publicly diverging while continuing to govern together.
While Luxon’s criticism signals there are limits to what National is prepared to defend publicly, it also underscores the balancing act facing the Prime Minister as he seeks to maintain coalition stability while distancing himself from comments that risk overshadowing the Government’s broader election message.
With just months until New Zealanders head to the polls, the disputes over political language, race, workers’ rights and constitutional issues are expected to remain defining features of an increasingly polarised campaign.
#ChristopherLuxon #WinstonPeters #NZFirst #National #Election2026 #NZPolitics #LawrenceXuNan #TradeUnions #NZCTU #SandraGrey #LabourParty #CoalitionGovernment #Parliament #TeTiriti #RaceRelations #RadioWaatea #WaateaNews #Aotearoa
