NZ Deputy PM Unapologetic on ‘Nazi Germany’ Comparison

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has defended his comments on co-governance which he claims were taken taken out of context by Nz media. Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has stood his ground against media and other politicians who criticised him over comments he made in his State of the Nation speech last week, in which he responded to a statement allegedly made by a Maori party leader that Maori DNA was superior.

In his address to a crowd in the North Island town of Palmerston North on March 17, Mr. Peters, who is Maori, said the previous Labour-led government had allowed racial division to flourish by implying that those with Maori DNA were “somehow better than others.”

This was in reference to a statement allegedly said by Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi that Māori DNA was superior to Caucasian genes. The Maori Party were previously in coalition with Labour, which was led by former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

“I’ve seen that sort of philosophy before. I saw it in Nazi Germany. We all did. We’ve seen it elsewhere around the world in the horrors of history. But here right in our country and tolerated, by people whose job was to keep the system honest, this happened,” Mr. Peters said. 

Mr. Peters argued that local media wrongly framed the speech as comparing co-governance to the holocaust, with criticism addressing statements he never made.

The ruling National Party, which is in coalition with Mr. Peters-led NZ First Party is opposed to co-governance, an idea that the indigenous Māori should exercise self-determination over their own affairs while continuing to negotiate with the Crown over principles set down by the country’s founding document known as the Treaty of Waitangi.

Former Prime Minister and now Labour Party Leader Chris Hipkins was one of the politicians who heavily criticised Mr. Peter’s comments.

“Same old Winston Peters. Using racism and anti-media rhetoric to divide our country. He should be focusing on the real work of leading New Zealand forward, but that would require a plan and a vision. Sadly, this government is lacking in both,” he said.

“I ruled out working with Winston Peters before the election. Every day that goes by I feel more and more vindicated by that decision. Kiwis deserve better than a deputy prime minister who behaves like a drunk uncle at a wedding, ” Mr Hipkins added.

When pressed by RNZ on Monday, on whether he should rescind his comments, Mr. Peters stood by his statements. He also alleged the radio station had tried to make his speech hyperbolic by seeking comment from a spokesperson from the Jewish Community. 

“I’m sorry it won’t work; I’m not going back on my statements. The moment you argue that someone has got superior DNA to someone else, you’re leading to awful racial consequences. I want everybody in this country no matter whether they’re here for 1,000 years or here yesterday legally to be treated the same—equally as one people.”

Mr. Peters reaffirmed his stance last night by taking to X (Twitter) saying the mainstream media had “deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it.”

“The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance to the holocaust.’ This line has been repeated over again. The blatant misreporting and subsequent outrage from some journalists is not only a disgraceful example of journalism, but yet another example of blatant political bias,” Mr. Peters added.

Maori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi allegedly said that Maori DNA was "superior." Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Peters Questions the Lack of Scrutiny on Other Politicians

Mr. Peters questioned the media’s “clickbait low-grade journalism,” and  “inconsistency” when reporting on other politicians using inflammatory rhetoric, citing the example of Maori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa Packer, who, in her maiden parliamentary speech spoke of a genocide that had taken place against her ancestors.

“I stand here as a descendant of a people who survived a holocaust, a genocide, sponsored by the House and Members of Parliament,” she told Parliament.

In January, Ms. Ngarewa-Packer made public comments in which she said the current National government had “all the traits of typical white supremacists.”

Mr. Peters also took aim at words used by disgraced former Green MP Gholriz Gahraman, who said she was “so ready to fight the Nazis” whilst attending an event by women’s rights activist Parker Posie, who advocated against transgender people encroaching into women’s spaces.

On X, Mr. Peters again defended his speech saying he was simply explaining the danger that can emanate from comments like Mr. Waititi’s.

“I stated a fact that Waititi made public comments about a certain race and ethnicity having superior DNA to other races and ethnicities in our country—and that we had seen that before, knowing that is the seed of division, racism, and the ‘horrors of history.’ That statement I made is a fact,” Mr. Peters said.

“Not once in my speech did, I mention anything of, nor made comparisons to, the horrific holocaust or genocide, nor did I compare it to co-governance. The moment you argue that one race has superior DNA to other races you’re leading to awful racial consequences.”

“I make no apology for that.”

Prime Minister Chris Luxon said this morning he intends to speak with Mr. Peters over his comparisons to Nazi Germany, telling RNZ he does not agree with the comments before calling on politicians to tone down the use of inflammatory statements.