Luxon was responding to Western Bay of Plenty Deputy Mayor Margaret Murray-Benge, who asked what Luxon was going to do with Peters.
“He [Peters] may think he’s Nigel Farage, Marine Le Pen, Pauline Hanson, and Donald Trump,” Luxon said.
It followed Labour and Green Party MPs calling for the NZ First leader to be sacked for his remarks toward Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan.
During Peters’ general debate speech about the Covid pandemic in the House on Thursday, Xu-Nan heckled him by asking him if he was vaccinated.
Peters told Xu-Nan to “go back to your own country”.
NZ First leader Winston Peters told Chinese-born Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan to “go back to your own country”. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
“That’s where they lie like a flatfish, but they don’t lie like that here, all right? This is called a democracy,” Peters said.
“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 but moved to New Zealand as a child in 1994.
Peters later denied accusations he had been racist, saying those claims were “drivel”.
“I’m defending our democracy and I’m proud of it.
“China doesn’t have one. If the ambassador wants to talk to me about that, I’m happy to share it with him as well.”
A statement issued by Luxon on Thursday condemned Peters’ remarks but stopped short of calling them racist.
Luxon told media in Tauranga that Peters’ comments were “very offensive and completely inappropriate”.
He said he was proud of the Chinese Kiwi immigrant community and what they had contributed to New Zealand.
“Lawrence Xu-Nan is a full, equal Kiwi, as much of a Kiwi as Winston Peters, and he deserves to be able to say whatever he wants to say in Parliament in the same way Winston Peters says what he says.”
Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan. Photo / VNP / Phil Smith
Peters’ comments caused China to urge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to value the relationship between the two countries.
The Bay of Plenty Times asked Luxon if he would sack Peters if China wanted him to.
Luxon said New Zealand had a “strong relationship” with China.
“We’ve seen spats between ambassadors and the Foreign Minister before.
“Kiwis get to decide what happens next.”
Luxon was asked if he would sack Peters had he been a National minister.
The Prime Minister said Peters was drawing attention to himself.
“The bottom line here is, let’s just call out the game that’s going on because it is a game about drawing attention to himself rather than focusing on the things Kiwis care about.”
Luxon said Peters had a “pretty bad week with New Zealand First”.
New Zealand First’s former candidate for Napier, Stuart Nash, resigned after “sexist” comments. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The party’s candidate for Napier, Stuart Nash resigned after making comments about National MP Katie Nimon.
NZ First deputy leader Shane Jones faced criticism for saying political leaders needed to “take off your kneepads” when hosting foreign leaders.
Luxon said: “We’re beyond the distractions and the sideshows, and I’ve called on all leaders to watch their rhetoric”.
In the public meeting, Luxon urged voters to “party vote National”.
He outlined the party’s achievements in Government in a similar speech to the one he gave in Rotorua the night before.
“I want as many of those 20 Cabinet seats to be filled by National Party ministers, rather than numpties from other parties in a coalition.”
Asked about the comment by media later, Luxon denied he was calling coalition Cabinet ministers numpties.
Luxon: “I didn’t say that. What I said is numpties from other parties around the table.”
The Prime Minister was in Tauranga as part of his national roadshow.
Members of Parliament Todd McClay, Sam Uffindell and Tom Rutherford also attended.
Bijou Johnson is a multimedia journalist based in Bay of Plenty. A passionate writer and reader, she grew up in Tauranga and developed a love for journalism while exploring various disciplines at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.