\n
The foreign minister is risking New Zealand\u2019s relationships with China and India, and the prime minister may be powerless to stop him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prime minister Christopher Luxon and foreign minister Winston Peters have fallen into the same dance many times this term: Peters, or another NZ First MP, says something controversial or insulting, Luxon distances himself from the comments but chooses not to take any action. Both men know the negotiating positions they hold: If Luxon cracks down on Peters too hard, the NZ First leader could leave the coalition and collapse the government. If Luxon doesn\u2019t stand strong enough, he looks weak or worse.<\/p>\n
Over the past few days, this dance has become even more complicated than Peters made it by railing against the India free trade agreement. He offended China by telling Chinese-New Zealand Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan to \u201cgo back to your own country\u201d and then went on to say that in China \u201cthey lie like flat fish\u201d.\u00a0His comments have made headlines across the world, and China\u2019s embassy has lodged formal diplomatic concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What should Luxon do about a foreign minister who risks damaging relationships with New Zealand\u2019s most important trading partners and large diaspora communities? The Spinoff asked some of the county\u2019s finest political minds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Helen Clark
\nFormer prime minister Helen Clark. Photograph: The Spinoff<\/p>\n
Former Labour prime minister Helen Clark, who governed with confidence and supply from NZ First from 2005-2008, thinks Peters is pushing it.\u201cI think Winston Peters and New Zealand First have been inviting a sacking for some time. Their statements on a whole range of issues have become more and more shrill,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
What should Luxon do? Clark says it\u2019s \u201ctoo late for the easy options\u201d. \u201cThe Implications are obvious for cohesion in New Zealand society. It will send a chill through New Zealand\u2019s migrant communities. And the foreign policy impact is that the New Zealand foreign minister has accused China of \u201clying like a flatfish\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, she acknowledges that Luxon is in a political bind. \u201cIf the prime minister were to act, he\u2019d be acting in the face of a d\u00e9marche and he won\u2019t want to be accused of responding because China has done a d\u00e9marche.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what can he say? \u2018Don\u2019t take any notice of the foreign minister, he doesn\u2019t speak for the country\u2019? It\u2019s a preposterous proposition. You have a foreign minister that doesn\u2019t appear to like foreigners, who is making outlandish statements, and when they\u2019re made about our biggest trade partner it poses an economic risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously the prime minister\u2019s strategy is to say \u2018I\u2019ve managed this difficult coalition for three years and we\u2019ve survived a full term\u2019. But is that the goal? Or do you want to maintain New Zealand\u2019s status as a harmonious society of people from different backgrounds, that deals with other countries in appropriate ways. You can take your choice: bat on in the face of social and external threats or you can act.\u201d<\/p>\n
She doesn\u2019t think Peters\u2019 comments in the house were premeditated: \u201cI think the interjection struck a nerve and Winston spun out. He\u2019s made a very serious mistake. I don\u2019t think it was calculated.\u201d Her advice to Peters was: \u201cOffer the appropriate apology and move on\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Peter Dunne\u00a0
\nPeter Dunne at Parliament in 2014. Photo: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Former United Future leader Peter Dunne says Peters\u2019 position as foreign minister is \u201cgetting close\u201d to the point of being untenable.\u00a0He suggests that Luxon \u201ccould simply fire him\u201d. \u201cHowever, that causes consequences that may not be good in the lead-up to an election. It would create chaos. But holding his tongue appears to sanction the behaviour. Really, the line he\u2019s taken so far is all he can do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the government returns, one point of negotiations could be whether Winston Peters remains as foreign minister. You could cite the strenuous travel as a reason,\u201d he suggested. \u201cI\u2019d be surprised if Luxon rushes into anything. He\u2019ll likely take a far more prominent role on foreign issues as prime minister as a way of pushing Peters into the background.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dunne doesn\u2019t think Peters is intentionally trying to break up the government. \u201cWhat he wants is martyrdom. Winston Peters is trying to appear as the wounded party, being punished by an uncaring government for speaking out. I doubt he intends to be fired, he just wants to be rebuked and chastened. The challenge for Luxon is how far he goes to make his disdain clear.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mike Munro\u00a0
\nMike Munro, former journalist, press secretary, chief of staff and government relations guy. Image: Supplied.<\/p>\n
A former political journalist and the chief press secretary to Clark and chief of staff to Jacinda Ardern, Mike Munro describes the situation as \u201cextraordinary\u201d. \u201cI can\u2019t recall anything like this from a foreign minister before. This is dangerous stuff. He\u2019s playing a dangerous game. China is not some small insignificant partner to New Zealand, it\u2019s an absolutely critical partner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think [Luxon] should sack him,\u201d Munro says, based on the deeply offensive and racist nature of it. \u201cWinston Peters is our chief diplomat. He leads foreign affairs. To come out with a statement like this shows his unfitness for the office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI also appreciate there will be all sorts of political issues at play which make it difficult. But purely based on what he said and the offence it caused to our critical partners, he should go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d think it was a no-brainer that [Luxon] has to get rid of him as foreign minister. But the consequences for him would be so dire politically that I can understand why he is hesitating to do that. The coalition has been increasingly ragged around the edges and this would be the end of it if he sacked foreign minister.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWinston Peters in the role of foreign minister has generally been quite responsible. He\u2019s had an emphasis on doing the right thing, building solid relationships, and he does an awful lot of travel. I can\u2019t believe what would come over him to come out with an outburst like this. He\u2019d do well to remind himself of the importance of the role he holds. New Zealand is a small vulnerable nation and these sorts of outbursts can cause a lot of damage to relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n
David Farrar
\nDavid Farrar<\/p>\n
National-aligned blogger and pollster David Farrar dismissed the latest controversy as business-as-usual from Peters. \u201cThis is nothing new for Winston. He\u2019s said similar stuff for 15 years. And it actually benefits him. It gets him publicity. He\u2019s not competing for 50% of the vote, he\u2019s competing for 15%,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He argued that there was a degree of tolerance for controversial comments made during the cut-and-thrust of debate in the house. \u201cIf one made such remarks in a prepared speech where it is entirely deliberate that would probably be more serious.\u201dHe said Luxon shouldn\u2019t overreact. \u201cThe appropriate response is nothing. If he wasn\u2019t sacked for opposing the China or India free trade agreements you won\u2019t sack him for this\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Farrar didn\u2019t think the controversy was a deliberate strategy from NZ First. \u201cPeters is instinctive, he says stuff like this in the house when foreign-born MPs get under his skin, and I don\u2019t remember him ever backing down,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s treating people as second-class citizens due to where they were born. And Lawrence [Xu-Nan] of all people is such a constructive, hard-working, diligent MP.\u201d<\/p>\n
Janet Wilson\u00a0
\nJanet Wilson (right) with Simon Pound on Newshub\u2019s AM Show.<\/p>\n
A longtime journalist before working for National during the 2020 election campaign, Janet Wilson says Luxon is stuck between \u201ca rock and a hard place\u201d because firing Peters as foreign minister could play right into his hands. \u201cSacking him would be the wrong thing to do as far as the Nats are concerned,\u201d she says. \u201cI think he\u2019s totally trying to get himself sacked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Luxon fires him, Winston goes off into the horizon and has three months to say \u2018we made a stand against this government\u2019. If Luxon does nothing and keeps him, then he ties himself to those kinds of racist remarks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Luxon\u2019s got to make a stand up and make some strong declarative statements about how [Peters\u2019 comments] don\u2019t represent National or New Zealand\u2026 It\u2019s a very tricky situation, but if I was in that office I\u2019d be calling for stronger language from Luxon rather than \u2018blah blah blah\u2019\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think by coming out harder against it he would have more people on his side. I think New Zealanders look at what Winston Peters said and are disgusted\u2026 if he was going to take a real stand he would say that we will form a coalition with New Zealand First but Winston Peters won\u2019t be foreign minister under my future government. That\u2019s not quite as risky as sacking him and dissolving the government\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ben Thomas
\nBen Thomas, left, with some friends. (Photo: Te Aihe Butler)<\/p>\n
Former National staffer, lobbyist, and Gone By Lunchtime podcaster Ben Thomas says that while it is legally possible for the prime minister to fire the foreign minister, \u201che won\u2019t sack him, obviously\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would not be acceptable to the government\u2019s support parties. That would rapidly lead to the end of the government, which would not be in the interests of National.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLuxon has ramped up his rhetoric in terms of criticising his comments. But going further is intolerable for both parties. They\u2019ll have to find a way to resolve things or live uneasily.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOutside of sacking him there\u2019s not a formal option he can take. It\u2019ll have to be resolved diplomatically. I can\u2019t imagine that this doesn\u2019t reflect badly on the coalition as a whole. You would hope that getting advisors in and hammering things out through the backchannels would be able to resolve this behind the scene.\u201dThomas believes Peters\u2019 comments about Xu-Nan were a strategic error. \u201cInflammatory rhetoric might resonate with some of their base but probably not the wider pool of voters. It seems like New Zealand First have made a mistake here by doubling down, tactically, but I guess time will tell\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The foreign minister is risking New Zealand\u2019s relationships with China and India, and the prime minister may be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":554743,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[607,11508,79983,105086,111,43,139,69,135,136],"class_list":["post-554742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-china","tag-christopher-luxon","tag-foreign-affairs","tag-helen-clark","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-politics","tag-winston-peters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=554742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/554743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=554742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=554742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=554742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}