During Peters\u2019 general debate speech about the Covid pandemic in the House on Thursday, Xu-Nan heckled him by asking him if he was vaccinated.<\/p>\n
Peters told Xu-Nan to \u201cgo back to your own country\u201d.<\/p>\n
NZ First leader Winston Peters told Chinese-born Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan to “go back to your own country”. Photo \/ Sylvie Whinray <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where they lie like a flatfish, but they don\u2019t lie like that here, all right? This is called a democracy,\u201d Peters said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo back to where you\u2019ve come from, you loudmouth, and maybe you\u2019ll learn something about the political system of New Zealand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Xu-Nan was born in China but moved to New Zealand as a child in 1994.<\/p>\n
Peters later denied accusations he had been racist, saying those claims were \u201cdrivel\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m defending our democracy and I\u2019m proud of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina doesn\u2019t have one. If the ambassador wants to talk to me about that, I\u2019m happy to share it with him as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
A statement issued by Luxon on Thursday condemned Peters\u2019 remarks but stopped short of calling them racist.<\/p>\n
Luxon told media in Tauranga that Peters\u2019 comments were \u201cvery offensive and completely inappropriate\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said he was proud of the Chinese Kiwi immigrant community and what they had contributed to New Zealand.<\/p>\n
\u201cLawrence 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan. Photo \/ VNP \/ Phil Smith<\/p>\n
Peters\u2019 comments caused China to urge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs<\/a> to value the relationship between the two countries.<\/p>\n The Bay of Plenty Times asked Luxon if he would sack Peters if China wanted him to. <\/p>\n Luxon said New Zealand had a \u201cstrong relationship\u201d with China.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen spats between ambassadors and the Foreign Minister before.<\/p>\n \u201cKiwis get to decide what happens next.\u201d<\/p>\n Luxon was asked if he would sack Peters had he been a National minister.<\/p>\n The Prime Minister said Peters was drawing attention to himself.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bottom line here is, let\u2019s just call out the game that\u2019s going on because it is a game about drawing attention to himself rather than focusing on the things Kiwis care about.\u201d<\/p>\n Luxon said Peters had a \u201cpretty bad week with New Zealand First\u201d.<\/p>\n The party\u2019s candidate for Napier, Stuart Nash resigned after making comments about National MP Katie Nimon<\/a>.<\/p>\n NZ First deputy leader Shane Jones faced criticism for saying political leaders needed to \u201ctake off your kneepads\u201d<\/a> when hosting foreign leaders.<\/p>\n Luxon said: \u201cWe\u2019re beyond the distractions and the sideshows, and I\u2019ve called on all leaders to watch their rhetoric\u201d.<\/p>\n In the public meeting, Luxon urged voters to \u201cparty vote National\u201d.<\/p>\n He outlined the party\u2019s achievements in Government in a similar speech to the one he gave in Rotorua<\/a> the night before.<\/p>\n \u201cI want as many of those 20 Cabinet seats to be filled by National Party ministers, rather than numpties from other parties in a coalition.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about the comment by media later, Luxon denied he was calling coalition Cabinet ministers numpties. <\/p>\n Luxon: \u201cI didn\u2019t say that. What I said is numpties from other parties around the table.\u201d<\/p>\n The Prime Minister was in Tauranga as part of his national roadshow.<\/p>\n Members of Parliament Todd McClay, Sam Uffindell and Tom Rutherford also attended.<\/p>\nNew Zealand First\u2019s former candidate for Napier, Stuart Nash, resigned after “sexist” comments. Photo \/ Mark Mitchell<\/p>\n