Shane Jones blames media 'wokeism' for response to 'kneepads' remark

Author: Adam Pearse,
Publish Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2026, 2:54pm

New Zealand First deputy leader Shane Jones is blaming a “virus of wokeism” in the media for condemnation of his remark that politicians need to “take off your kneepads” when hosting foreign leaders.

Jones denies he was being crass when he stated at his party convention on Saturday, “Labour Party, National Party, Act Party, Green Party, the next time you go to an ethno-nationalist rally to receive a foreign leader, take off your kneepads” – an apparent dig at Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Matariki weekend.

Luxon has said he believed the comment was “crass and unprofessional” but added the New Zealand First MP should be “responsible for his language and his comments”.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said yesterday he would have sacked Jones for his comment, had he been a Labour MP, and restated his commitment that Jones would never be a minister under a Government he led. NZ First has ruled out working with Labour after the election.

Jones told reporters at Parliament today his comment was a “colourful expression” and was dismayed by how it had been interpreted.

“Sadly people have read luridity into it, whereas all I was meaning is that when you go to an event hosted for ethno-national purposes for a foreign leader; number one, don’t bow down.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were in Auckland last weekend. Photo / Dean Purcell

Asked whether it was crass, Jones replied: “I think that’s a comment on the wokeism that riddles the modern media, that a harmless and innocuous expression that could have been to do with gardening, volleyball has been turned into some risqué trope.”

On being reminded Luxon had deemed it crass, Jones said Luxon was “responding to media questions”.

“Those questions are being driven by this ongoing virus of wokeism that the Matua doesn’t like,” Jones said, referring to himself.

NZ First is an opponent to the free trade agreement (FTA) signed between New Zealand and India. Modi’s visit to New Zealand was the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 40 years.

Hipkins on Monday said the comments were “completely inappropriate, somewhat desperate, and a reminder that a re-elected Government with Shane Jones, Winston Peters, David Seymour and Christopher Luxon all sitting around the Cabinet table is going to be more chaos, more bickering and less progress for New Zealand”.

Hipkins said he wouldn’t “tolerate that language from any minister sitting around the Cabinet table, whether they were in my party or not”.

Luxon said it was important to present New Zealand well on an international stage.

“It’s a bit hypocritical, frankly. I know NZ First is a bit bent out of shape by the India FTA. But their colleague Mark Patterson, the associate Minister of Agriculture, has been up in India recently advocating for selling New Zealand strong wool into the second biggest textile market as post the Indian FTA, we are going to have 0% tariffs on wool.”

Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.