'He's wrong': Luxon disagrees with Winston Peters' Māori comments

Christopher Luxon disagrees with Winston Peters' comments that Māori are "not indigenous" but has again stopped short of saying whether he'll rule in or out a post-election coalition with New Zealand First.

It comes as polls show the minor party is within spitting distance of entering Parliament.

According to Stuff, Peters told a Nelson audience yesterday: "Here's the rub if you are Māori. We're not indigenous".

He said: "We come from Hawai-iki. Where’s our Hawai-iki? We think it is in the Cook Islands. We think it’s in Rarotonga ... but we’re not from here. And you go back 5000 years, we came with our DNA from China. Not like 55,000 years in Australia."

The party leader then reportedly told a Stuff reporter: "Excuse me, I am from that background […] We know we’re not indigenous, and we don’t believe in bulldust."

Luxon was questioned today about Peters' remarks.

When asked whether Māori were New Zealand's indigenous people, the National leader responded with a one-word answer: "Absolutely."

Then asked about Peters' comments, Luxon said: "He's wrong. They are."

The New Zealand First leader's comments about Māori indigeneity come after his party has taken on a string of controversial positions.

They include policies focusing on transgender people and bathrooms, people affected by Covid-19 vaccine mandates, and "woke" bilingual government agency names.

At the same time, the most recent 1News Verian poll from August shows Winston Peters' party on 4% — just one per cent off the threshold needed to enter Parliament.

When pushed today, Luxon continued his refusal to indicate whether he would negotiate with New Zealand First if it entered Parliament.

"I'm not worried about Winston Peters. He's not in Parliament. He's below the threshold. I'm focused on building a National Party vote," he told media.

"I'm just not talking or thinking about him. I'm focused on the National Party."

He said his disagreement with Peters on indigeneity was "pretty simple for me", but was also adamant he wasn't thinking about the possibility of a New Zealand First comeback.

"He's not in government. He's not above the threshold. I'm not talking about Winston Peters," the National leader said.

"We have a major set of economic challenges in New Zealand. That's what everyone should be focused on right now."

He added: "That's what people should be talking about."

National has previously ruled out working with some other political parties.

In May, Luxon ruled out working with Te Pati Māori because "we believe in very different things" and that "the bridge between National and Te Pāti Māori is too wide to close."

Last year, he ruled out working with Brian Tamaki's Freedoms NZ coalition.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has himself ruled out working with New Zealand First and has used National's position on Peters to attack Luxon.

He said in a media release last night: "Given Mr Seymour has already indicated he could not work with Winston Peters in Cabinet, and Winston Peters has said he would sit on the cross benches if does not get what he wants, Christopher Luxon would be trying to form the most unstable government in New Zealand’s history."

"This is where Christopher Luxon’s inexperience will be exposed.

"With two chaos merchants like Seymour and Peters required to make a government possible, they will run rings around him."

Hipkins' attack came after Seymour said he was looking into "novel" governing arrangements in any possible post-election negotiations, which could see ACT refuse to enter into a traditional confidence-and-supply deal with National.

Luxon said today: "I just don't think that's going to be a reality at all."

"David Seymour and I have a good personal relationship. We're going to have a good constructive relationship in government.

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"I've got every confidence in that."

Seymour has previously accused Hipkins of launching a "campaign of fear" over coalition talks with Winston Peters: "Labour is resorting to a desperate campaign of fear because his Government has no record to run on and New Zealanders know it."