Winston Peters has refused to apologise for telling Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan to "go back to where you've come from" during a heated moment in Parliament last week. The prime minister and others have called the comments racist (RNZ).

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon raised the matter with Peters in a private meeting on Monday. Luxon had already criticised the remarks publicly. But he would not say what was discussed behind closed doors. Peters would not say either, telling reporters: "We had a meeting with the prime minister. It's private and that's the end of it" (RNZ).

The clash began on Wednesday, 29 July 2026, during a debate in Parliament. According to the official written record of what is said in Parliament, Xu-Nan interrupted Peters' speech by shouting: "Are you vaccinated?" Peters replied: "I'm not making it up, sunshine. I noticed you came here five minutes ago" (Hansard).

Peters stood by what he said, arguing it was justified because he was being heckled. He said he would not apologise on behalf of victims of what he called a cover-up related to the Covid inquiry. When a reporter asked whether he had embarrassed New Zealand, Peters ended the questions and walked into the debating chamber (RNZ).

Nicola Willis, the deputy leader of the National Party, said she was disappointed Peters would not apologise. "Ultimately it is a matter for Winston Peters to be accountable for his words in Parliament," she said. She said Peters had not met the standards expected of MPs, because he had questioned whether someone deserved to speak based on where they were born (RNZ).

Green co-leader Marama Davidson said her party had written to the Speaker of the House, Gerry Brownlee, asking him to make Peters formally take back his comment and apologise. The Speaker is the MP who runs proceedings in Parliament and can enforce its rules. Davidson said the racism aimed at Xu-Nan was unacceptable and also put migrant communities across Aotearoa at risk. She said the Greens would never go into government with New Zealand First (RNZ).

The fallout has spread beyond Parliament. The Chinese embassy in Wellington released a statement saying it had formally complained to the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs about Peters' comments to Xu-Nan (The Spinoff). Beijing protested after Peters insulted the Chinese-born MP, and Peters refused to back down (New York Times).

The broader context here is that Luxon's refusal to say what happened in his meeting with Peters means we do not know whether any consequence was raised or considered. The coalition agreement between National and New Zealand First limits what the prime minister can do. Peters is not just any MP; he is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Willis's decision to treat the matter as something Peters personally needs to answer for, rather than something requiring government action, points to the government's preferred approach.

The referral to the Speaker shifts the issue from the government to Parliament itself. Brownlee has rules he can use to deal with bad language in the House, but deciding whether to force an MP to withdraw and apologise, especially for something said in the heat of debate, is largely up to him. His response will be watched for the standard it sets.

Peters' mention of the Covid inquiry and his refusal to apologise "on behalf of victims" connects the exchange to his long-standing political complaints. He is trying to frame a remark about where Xu-Nan comes from as a defence of free speech on pandemic accountability. Whether that reframing works with the public and with his own supporters is something opinion polls will eventually show.