New Zealand Foreign Minister and NZ First MP Winston Peters speaks to reporters at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on June 25 2026. Photo: VCG

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters' racist remarks, in which he told a lawmaker of Chinese descent to "go back to your own country," have drawn criticism from netizens and invoked a response from the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand. The embassy lodged solemn representations with Wellington and urged it to create an open, inclusive and non-discriminatory environment for members of the Chinese community in New Zealand to study, live and work in New Zealand.

During a debate about New Zealand's response to the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday, populist NZ First leader Peters was asked by China-born Green Party member Lawrence Xu-Nan: "Are you vaccinated?" per AFP.

In response, Peters said the lawmaker, who was born in the Chinese city of Tianjin but grew up in Auckland, had "come here five minutes ago," AFP reported.

Peters launched a tirade against Xu-Nan, rudely claiming "Go back to your own country. That's where they lie like a flatfish, but they don't lie like that here." 

"This is called a democracy, unlike what you're used to. Go back to where you've come from, you loudmouth," he said. 

Later on Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand said on X that "a relevant official in charge of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand lodged solemn representations with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade over the negative China-related remarks made by a certain politician in the New Zealand Parliament."

The Embassy side urged the New Zealand side to value the equal and mutually beneficial relationship between China and New Zealand and to do more things conducive to bilateral relations rather than the other way around, said the embassy. 

When asked to comment on Peters' remarks, Mao Ning, spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday that parliamentary debates in New Zealand are New Zealand's internal affairs. China will not comment on that.

"We have noted that people from various sectors in New Zealand, including Prime Minister Christopher Luxon have criticized the remarks made by the individual you mentioned," Mao said. 

"China respects the development paths, systems and models independently chosen by the people of all countries, and opposes all forms of discrimination and prejudice. It is hoped that relevant individual in New Zealand will do more things that contribute to the friendship between our two countries, and refrain from making China an issue in domestic politics," Mao added.

Approached for comment, a spokesperson for Luxon issued a statement in his role as National Party leader.

"Winston Peters has a long track record of inappropriate attention-seeking comments designed to get the media and other politicians to talk about him instead of the issues Kiwis are facing. This is another example of that," Luxon said, according to Radio New Zealand. 

Labour deputy Carmel Sepuloni said Luxon should sack Peters as foreign minister for such "explicitly racist" language.

"Those comments are so incredibly racist and offensive, and you cannot make those types of comments as a Cabinet Minister, but particularly as the Minister for Foreign Affairs," Radio New Zealand reported. 

The New Zealand foreign minister's remarks also provoke ire from netizens. "When they resort to such crude racist attacks and hurl insults in parliament, the democratic system they claim to uphold has already lost," a Chinese netizen under the name of wotinghaoqi wrote on Sina Weibo on Thursday.

An X user, tagging New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, wrote, "In any other workplace environment, Peters' comments would have led to extreme censure, if not dismissal. What are you going to do about this embarrassment, if not downright danger, of a Foreign Minister, Mr Luxon?"

As the leader of the New Zealand First party, Peters has consistently championed issues such as "New Zealanders first" and tighter immigration controls, using identity politics to appeal to voters and deepen divisions between "us" and "them," Chen Hong, director of New Zealand Studies Centre, East China Normal University, told the Global Times. 

He said the foreign minister's remarks had turned a policy debate into an identity-based attack, and that such a move could appeal to some conservative and nationalist voters. While such tactics may generate attention in the short term, they risk further deepening social divisions in the long run, he noted. 

It is not the first time Peters has been embroiled in controversy over racist comments.

In 2025, Peters and his deputy, Shane Jones, were forced to back down after the deputy yelled "send the Mexicans home" at Mexican-born MP Francisco Hernandez during a debate, according to AFP. 

Chen emphasized that Peters' racist remarks have exposed the lingering undercurrents of xenophobia and racism in New Zealand's political circle, despite the country's long-standing promotion of diversity and tolerance. He said that, as New Zealand heads into an election year, anti-foreigner sentiments and doubts over the identity of Asian communities, particularly Chinese people, tend to resurface whenever political, economic and social pressures mount, especially amid heightened political competition.