Latest news with #WinstonPeters
Scoop
2 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
New Caledonian Delegates To Learn About NZ Economy
Rt Hon Winston Peters Minister of Foreign Affairs A New Caledonian delegation will tour New Zealand next week to learn about aspects of our economic development, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. 'As New Caledonia seeks to recover economically from a challenging period in its history, New Zealand is pleased to be sharing our own lessons and experiences. 'When visiting New Caledonia twice in the past year, we heard from businesses, including Kanak entrepreneurs, significant interest in New Zealand's economic development – including the Māori economy. 'We are therefore delighted to welcome this high-level delegation, which will be introduced to all aspects of our economic development – including the Māori economy and how Māori operate in key sectors like youth training, economic development, and technology. 'This study tour is an important element of New Zealand's commitment to New Caledonia's development through ongoing and constructive exchanges.' The programme includes a meeting with Māori policymakers and engagement with a range of iwi on areas such as youth, tourism, services and private sector partnerships. The study tour follows Mr Peters' visits over the last six months to Paris, Nice and Nouméa, where he has met France's President Emmanuel Macron, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, and Overseas Territories Minister Manuel Valls, as well as the new President of the Government of New Caledonia, Alcide Ponga. The 20-person study tour includes visits to Wellington, Hamilton, Tauranga, and Auckland. 'We have a shared interest in promoting economic development, good governance and regional security,' Mr Peters says. The delegation arrives in New Zealand on Sunday 29 June, will meet Mr Peters on Friday 4 July, before returning to Nouméa the following day.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Resignation Of New Zealand First List MP, Tanya Unkovich
After careful consideration, I have made the decision to resign as a Member of Parliament. Serving in the Public sector has been a great honour and a unique opportunity, for this I am grateful for the trust placed into me. I do believe however I can personally be of more service to New Zealanders through various avenues in the private sector, as well as coaching and consultancy. It has always been my deepest desire to serve mankind, and in my work as a Member of Parliament I have been privileged to be a voice to many in the community who need it the most. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the New Zealand First caucus, party members, and in particular the Rt Hon Winston Peters for his strong leadership and commitment towards a greater New Zealand.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
'Carried on behalf of all of us': Northland iwi Ngātiwai defends the mana of moko
Ngātiwai kaumātua Taipari Munro says moko speaks to the enduring mana of their ancestors, and to the fact that Māori are still here. Photo: Supplied / Pūkahakaha East 5B Trust Northland iwi Ngātiwai is encouraging te iwi Māori to take pride in their identity and wear their moko proudly, following Winston Peters' comments calling Rawiri Waititi's mataora "scribbles". Peters, who is of Ngātiwai descent, made the remark during a Parliamentary debate on the suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs, referring to Waititi as "the one in the cowboy hat" with "scribbles on his face." He was made to apologise by the Speaker of the House. Ngātiwai Kaumātua Taipari Munro said he wanted his people to understand that wearing moko mataora, moko kauae, or even moko rāpa puhoro were decisions made not just for the individual, but on behalf of whānau, hapū, and iwi. "You carry those markings because of you and your people," Munro told RNZ. "I was appalled that he [Peters] should do that. Because those moko marks are carried on behalf of all of us. Even though we mustn't have it on our own faces specifically, it's carried on behalf of all of us. "Winston had no right to say what he said. It was absolutely insulting and below the belt. "And also, you do that to your own people? I thought we'd come out of that quagmire, that we were at a place where we support and advocate for our people and for kaupapa Māori." Munro said the progress Māori had made over decades was being eroded under the current government. "And then you have a Māori stand up in the House and talk like that? No, that was absolutely disgraceful." Munro said moko was a living symbol for iwi, and seeing others wear them was a source of immense pride. "When I see those who carry moko, I know they carry it on behalf of myself, my whānau, my hapū - on behalf of Ngātiwai. "It's been carried for us. And so that's just the immense pride." "Waiho mā tō koutou iwi a Ngātiwai e mokohia kahore anō koutou kia haere mai ki kōnei ki te rapu i ēnei mākā mōu anahe erangi kua haere mai koutou ki te whiwhi i ngā māka o te tā moko hei tohu mō tātou katoa mō Ngātiwai whānui. "Let these sacred markings be received by you on behalf of Ngātiwai, not for yourself alone, but as a living symbol for us all, for the wider Ngātiwai whānui. They speak to our presence, to the enduring mana of our ancestors, and to the fact that we are still here."' Winston Peters speaks in the debate on the Privileges Committee's majority recommendation of parliamentary suspensions for three Te Pāti Māori MPs. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith In an earlier statement to RNZ , NZ First leader Winston Peters said he was proud of his Ngātiwai whakapapa and his Tainui connections. He said he was also proud of his European ancestry and their culture. "And all of my ancestors who have worn traditional tā moko that have been rightly bestowed upon them - and I always have been. That is why I have fought for, and so often succeeded for, justifiable Māori causes, and have done more for Māori than all of those critics all put together." In the statement he did not directly address his use of the word 'scribbles', but instead criticised Te Pāti Māori. "Every Māori who understands tradition, respect, and heritage understands that it is not a right for anyone to decide for themselves one day to have a traditional tā moko tattoo," he said. "We now have a bunch of radical cultural elitists in the Māori Party who are claiming to represent all of Māoridom and think by wearing tā moko they have a monopoly of thought over all of our representation. "Pointing out the shallowness of their thinking is not racist, nor is it a reflection on any Māori in New Zealand - it is in fact the opposite." The front of the hīkoi marching over the Harbour Bridge. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Munro believed the insult was not just directed at Te Pāti Māori. "When he hurled that insult out, it went to all Māori, as far as I'm concerned," he said. "I don't know who sees those things as just being something individual. I hope that us Māori don't see it like that because those are proud markings that come from our ancestors." Now that Aotearoa has marked Matariki, Munro said it was time for Māori to stand firm in their identity and mana motuhake. "E te iwi Māori, kia manawanui,kia ū ki te mana Māori motuhake, i heke iho mai o tātou mātua tūpuna ki a tātou. "This is a call to all Māori, embrace your identity and take pride in who you are, honour our ancestors." "I'd be telling them, i roto i tō tātou reo, so that they truly understand that this is where this person, this rangatira here, is coming from." "Look forward to the new year, plan well, and bring the dreams and aspirations of our people to the floor." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
The House: Parliament's Reaction To The Middle East Crisis
Parliament's week began with an assurance that the safety of New Zealanders in the Middle East is the first priority. The tense situation in the Middle East, and indeed, intervention from one of our allies is something that no government could ignore, so when the sitting day began on Tuesday, the first item of business was not Question Time, but a Ministerial Statement from Foreign Minister Winston Peters, followed by debate and questions. Peters emphasised that the government's main focus amidst the tension in the region was to get New Zealanders out of harm's way. "The government is committed to supporting New Zealanders caught up in this crisis," Peters told the House. "Since the beginning of the conflict, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has provided around the clock, 24/7 consular support to New Zealanders in Israel and Iran-and to their families back home in New Zealand - and will continue to do so." The statement was also peppered with lines advocating for three D words: diplomacy, de-escalation, and dialogue - treading a delicate line of not signalling outright support for either side, citing New Zealand's limited influence in the Middle East. Perhaps as a reaction to accusations of fence-sitting in recent days, Peters finished the statement by offering a list of what New Zealand does and does not want in the region. "We want de-escalation and dialogue. We want a two-state solution, with Israelis and Palestinians living in security and peace side-by-side. We want humanitarian aid to get to those who need it. Ultimately, we want peace. "What we do not want is New Zealanders in harm's way. We do not want ever escalating rounds of military action. We do not want a nuclear Iran. We do not want Hamas holding hostages and terrorising Palestinian and Israeli civilians alike. And we do not want Israel occupying Palestinian land. "Ultimately, we do not want another generation of young people in the Middle East, scarred by conflict, replicating the enmities of today and yesterday. This cycle of conflict, now generations old, must end." Statement benefits Ministerial Statements are used by the government to brief Parliament-and by extension the public-on an unfolding situation or event and explain the government's plan of action in response to it. They resemble a press conference wherein a minister delivers a statement, followed by questions or comments from MPs from other parties, generally spokespersons on the relevant topic. There is a tactical benefit for governments in getting in first and delivering a Ministerial Statement (instead of waiting for the Opposition to request an Urgent Debate), in that you can lead the messaging, and so try to control it. Equally though, there is a benefit to the Opposition from Ministerial Statements - because they are able to both make comments and ask questions. Ministerial Statements are more flexible than either Question Time or Urgent Debates. The Q & A Labour leader Chris Hipkins generally agreed with Peters' advocation for diplomacy over the conflict saying "there is much in the statement by our Minister of Foreign Affairs that I completely agree with". "We also welcome the possibility of a ceasefire. We also endorse the non-expulsion of ambassadors from countries who have taken actions that we disagree with. "If we want international diplomacy, if we want international dialogue, the role of diplomats has never been more important. We also want to acknowledge the New Zealand Defence Force deployment, and they go with our full support." Opinions diverged over whether New Zealand should have called the US strike on Iran a violation of the UN Charter, with Hipkins asking Peters whether the government believed the strike was in line with the Charter's clause on the right to self defence. Peter continued to tread a delicate line in his reply. "Unlike some, we wait till we get the evidence, and we've said it constantly day-after-day that instead of rushing to judgement, as we were asked this morning by the media, 'Has peace broken out?' - 'No,' we said, 'We're going to trust but verify,' and when we sought to verify we found that what they were saying by way of questioning was wrong. "And in this case, we're going to find out the facts as time goes by. There'll be some days yet-maybe sometime yet-before we can establish as to the immediacy of the problem and the level of deterioration with respect to the Iran position on gaining nuclear capability in terms of weapons." While Hipkins wasn't quite able to milk the committal he wanted from Peters, the two weren't especially adversarial in their exchange. That mood wasn't to last though, with Green co-leader Marama Davidson the other opposition MP to question the minister. After a speech advocating upholding the rules-based order, Davidson asked whether the minister would condemn the Israeli and American strikes on Iran. This question seemed to open the floodgates for a shouting match between the two parties, which perhaps is a lot easier with the new seating configuration in the House (New Zealand First are now close to the Greens, having swapped with ACT to allow the new deputy prime minister to sit next to the prime minister). A Ministerial Statement which began in a relatively statesmanlike fashion then morphed into a political tit-for-tat. "I have to say when it comes to the proxies for Iran that have committed so much terrorism and the loss of thousands of lives, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, with respect to Iran-when it comes to that, the Greens have been not a syllable, not a sound, not a mutter, not a murmur, no condemnation whatsoever," Peters said. "We've condemned all parties, and shouting out like that typically just disposes me to point to that member and say that member's only got one side, and, for the first time ever, she's mentioned Iran's people. Yes, Iran's people have been under 40 years of desperation." After a few minutes of back and forth and argy-bargy, Speaker Gerry Brownlee blew his metaphorical whistle. "Neither party here is displaying the sort of decorum that you'd expect out of Parliament. I refer both sides to Speaker's ruling 150/1, which means that neither side of the House has carte blanche to say whatever they like as a result of a ministerial statement." *RNZ's The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
New Zealanders In Israel Not Taking Assistance To Leave
New Zealanders in Israel are not taking up the opportunity to leave, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). The message to New Zealanders in Iran and Israel has been to do everything they can to leave, if they can find a safe route. But a MFAT spokesperson said the ministry was not receiving requests from New Zealanders in Israel seeking to depart. "We arranged a land evacuation option for New Zealanders in Israel yesterday, however, no New Zealanders took up that option," they said. A New Zealand Defence Force C130-J is enroute to the Middle East to assist New Zealanders stranded in Iran and Israel. Where the plane will be based is not being disclosed for security reasons, but it is expected to arrive by Friday local time. The plane is a contingency for when airspace in the region reopens. The number of New Zealanders registered on SafeTravel as being in Iran is 139, while 110 are registered in Israel. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said there were "more coming out of the woodwork in Iran". "But then [in] Israel, we're seeing a lack of desire to move, so we maybe should be focused far more on Iran's circumstances," Peters said. Peters said New Zealanders in Israel wanted to "stay in situ" but noted their circumstances had changed. Defence Minister Judith Collins reiterated the message for people to leave if they could. "If people don't want to leave, they have to understand that we can't go in and get them out," she said. Acting Prime Minister David Seymour said it was currently "very challenging" to get people out of Iran. There were also ongoing disruption to phone and internet connectivity, although MFAT would continue to attempt to contact people registered with SafeTravel by phone, email, and WhatsApp.
