‘I’m not apologising’: Peters stands by ‘racist’ comments, Swarbrick booted from House

Author: Adam Pearse,
Publish Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2026, 3:16pm

Foreign Minister Winston Peters says he will not apologise for comments that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is condemning as “racist”.

Peters is also refusing to detail his conversation with Luxon over the comments, directed at Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan, claiming it was “private”.

It comes as Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick was ordered to leave the House by Speaker Gerry Brownlee after she accused him of “double standards” regarding Peters’ behaviour in the debating chamber.

Peters has received significant flak for his comments last week, with MPs from across the House deeming them racist.

Some have called for his sacking as Foreign Minister, including Labour leader Chris Hipkins, who today ruled out Peters holding the portfolio in a Hipkins-led Government, despite Peters previously ruling out working with Labour.

The New Zealand First leader didn’t stick around to be asked about Hipkins’ statement, walking past reporters at Parliament after less than a minute of taking questions, when he was asked whether he had embarrassed the country with his comments.

During Peters’ general debate speech about the Covid pandemic in the House last week, Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan heckled the New Zealand First leader by asking him if he was vaccinated.

Peters shot back, telling Xu-Nan to “go back to your own country”.

“That’s where they lie like a flatfish, but they don’t lie like that here, all right?” he said.

Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan was the target of Peters' comments. Photo / VNP

Peters went on: “Go back to where you’ve come from, you loudmouth, and maybe you’ll learn something about the political system of New Zealand”.

Xu-Nan was born in China and moved to New Zealand as a child in 1994.

Peters’ comments drew the attention of international media when China’s Embassy in New Zealand condemned them and indicated they were not conducive to the two countries’ trade relationship.

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson confirmed the party had written to Brownlee over Peters’ comments.

“We have outlined that racism is not acceptable. The Speaker has an obligation to uphold standards and safety across the House and at the very least, Mr Peters should withdraw and apologise.”

The letter opens the door to the Speaker referring the remarks to the Privileges Committee if he believes it is a matter of privilege.

Asked what action they wanted the Speaker to take, the Greens said “at the very least” they wanted Peters to withdraw and apologise.

Brownlee last week said the remarks were unparliamentary but hadn’t addressed them at the time as it was part of a “tit-for-tat” exchange and no formal objection was made.

Brownlee did not address the Green Party’s letter in the House today.

Peters’ comments have been widely criticised by Luxon, National MPs and Opposition parties as racist and offensive.

Luxon yesterday said he had spoken with Peters and expressed his view, but did not feel it warranted removing Peters from the foreign affairs portfolio, noting the election was only months away.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has said the comments were racist and offensive. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Peters told reporters before Question Time he had met Luxon but refused to elaborate.

“It’s private and that’s the end of it.”

Peters said he would not apologise for the remarks.

“I’m not apologising, most certainly not.

“I’m not apologising on behalf of all those people who are victims [of] the way they are treated during Covid.”

Asked by one reporter if he had embarrassed the country, Peters laughed and walked off.

National deputy leader Nicola Willis said it was “disappointing” Peters wouldn’t apologise, given how “grossly offensive” the comments had been to a significant portion of New Zealanders born elsewhere in the world.

“To question the validity of someone’s ability to speak, based on their country of birth, is really unreasonable.”

Willis and senior National MP Mark Mitchell today pointed to the need to retain a stable Government, when asked if Luxon sanctioning Peters would risk the NZ First leader withdrawing support for the Government.

The Cabinet Manual states all ministers must always uphold high ethical and behavioural standards, which the Prime Minister is responsible for establishing.

Asked why Luxon wouldn’t use the Cabinet Manual to reprimand Peters, Willis said: “It’s always been part of the Cabinet Manual that the Prime Minister is the ultimate judge of how the Cabinet Manual is interpreted”.

Brownlee ejects Swarbrick after ‘double standards’ accusation

Today’s Question Time featured sparring between Peters and Opposition members over Peters’ comments and the Prime Minister’s response to them.

Hipkins and Peters were involved in a verbal spat, which included Peters demanding Brownlee request Hipkins withdraw a “false” statement related to former PM Helen Clark’s management of Peters in her Cabinet.

Swarbrick soon after pointed out to Brownlee how she had previously been sanctioned by him for claiming Government ministers had made false statements, which is prohibited by the Speaker’s rules as it inferred a member was lying.

Brownlee did not act on Swarbrick’s point. Later in Question Time, Swarbrick accused Brownlee of double standards, which prompted Brownlee to order her from the House.

Speaking after she had left the House, Swarbrick claimed Brownlee’s double standards were “pretty well-documented”.

“You just saw today that Winston was allowed off the hook for accusing the other side of lying.

“This is something which Gerry Brownlee has consistently told me that I have to stand up, withdraw, and apologise for, and a standard that he’s also applied to Labour members of the House.”

She accepted Brownlee had a “difficult job” but said it was a “baseline expectation” that the rules were applied fairly.

“Winston Peters is being treated differently to everybody else.

“I’ve raised it directly with the Speaker before, he said that [Peters is] basically just a part of the institution so therefore the rules kind of don’t really seem to apply to him.”

Speaker of the House Gerry Brownlee ejected the Green Party co-leader from the House today. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Peters, who normally exits the House across Parliament’s black and white tiles where journalists ask questions, did not do so today.

However, Peters later told the Herald Swarbrick’s claim was “nonsense” and claimed she “didn’t understand the standards”.

Noting his experience in the House, Peters insisted he understood the rules better than anyone.

Brownlee’s office has been contacted for comment.

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.