Source: Radio New Zealand
Winston Peters and Phil Goff.
Former Foreign Minister Phil Goff says he believes Winston Peters is undermining coalition partner National, with the release of discussions between Peters and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon over New Zealand’s stance on the Iran war.
The spat between the two leaders broke out over the release of emails that show Luxon, within days of the US-Israel war in Iran starting, wanted to move the government’s position to showing “explicit public support” for the US and Israeli strikes, which included allegedly hitting a girls’ school, killing scores of children.
Peters had been travelling in Latin America when he was alerted to the prime minister’s “wish” to express explicit support for the US-led military strikes.
“The minister considered this suggestion to be an imprudent course of action, which would run counter to New Zealand’s national interests,” a spokesperson for Peters said. “Experience matters in foreign policy.”
Speaking to Midday Report on Thursday, Goff – who served as foreign minister under Helen Clark – said usually a foreign minister that “deliberately sought to undermine the prime minister would be immediately sacked”.
“The fact Luxon won’t do that shows his weakness in relation to his coalition partner,” Goff said.
As leader of NZ First, Peters’ support is crucial for the ongoing viability of the coalition government. Goff said the “extraordinary” disagreement between Peters and Luxon raised questions about whether the coalition would last until the election, scheduled for November.
Luxon’s office said the released emails – released after a request via the Official Information Act – misrepresented his position, and said Peters acknowledged he made a mistake, the NZ Herald reported. Goff called that “nonsense”.
Christopher Luxon. RNZ / Louis Dunham
“There was no mistake about Winston Peters’ comments at all. He knew that exposing Luxon’s view would be damaging to Luxon and he wanted it to be. So this was quite deliberate.
“I’ve been in government long enough to know that if the first thing, a foreign minister would contact the prime minister and say, ‘Look, I’ve been asked for this email, what do you think? They would.’”
Goff said polls showed the New Zealand public was against the war, “which shows that the New Zealand public are somewhat smarter than Luxon and his Cabinet and his caucus”.
“But look, it’s not surprising that Luxon held that view. This is the same view that both Don Brash and John Key had over the Iraq War, when New Zealand sensibly decided not to be part of the invasion in 2003. Both Brash and Key were saying we should be in there, we should be supporting our allies. The same thing over the nuclear-free New Zealand policy and the Vietnam War.
“National has always had a track record of following the United States in every instance, rather than independently expressing New Zealand’s values and interests.”
Goff said National was losing votes to New Zealand First, and Peters’ party was happy to “cannibalise more of them” by associating Luxon with support of the US attack on Iran.
“You can get differences between the prime minister and the foreign minister, but normally they are handled appropriately and are sorted out. In this case, they have been deliberately exposed to public scrutiny and international scrutiny.”
Goff was sacked from his last formal government role last year, by Peters, after criticising US President Donald Trump.
David Seymour. RNZ / Mark Papalii
‘Isn’t the most relevant thing’ – Seymour
Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour, who heads the third party in the coalition, ACT, called the clash a “storm in a teacup, sensationalised by headline writers”.
“You can report on it, but I wouldn’t,” he told Midday Report. “I mean, you can report whatever you like, by the way. I believe in press freedom.
“But I just make the comment that in terms of things that will make the boat go faster and improve New Zealanders’ lives, this isn’t the most relevant thing today.”
He said Peters should have given Luxon’s office a heads-up before releasing the emails.
“If he’s bound by the Official Information Act to release information, then he has to follow the law. Usually, for example, if I get an Official Information Act request, of course I can comply with the law and release the information that’s legally required.
“But if it concerns another minister either because it affects their area of responsibility or indeed it might be documentation or correspondence that wholly or partly originated from them, then of course you’ve got to be a team player and be collegial.”
Asked if Peters put politics ahead of the national interest, Seymour said: “That’s something that they can have out between them.”
Luxon declined an interview with RNZ on Thursday morning.
In a statement to RNZ, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said Luxon “blamed this war for our current fuel woes, when all along he backed it”.
“At first he said ‘all actions are justified’ which he claimed was a mistake, when clearly it was his view all along.”
Luxon’s actual line was “any actions”. He later said he misspoke.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
