Greens co-leader Marama Davidson says she will not apologise for comments that "white cis men" cause most violence in the world.
In Parliament this afternoon she repeatedly instead said she had clarified her words and their intent, despite repeated questioning from opposition MPs on the topic.
Davidson made the original comments to a representative from far-right website Counterspin, following a pro-transgender rights protest she attended, against controversial British activist Posie Parker.
Amongst wider comments supportive of the transgender community, Davidson said: "I am a prevention violence minister, and I know who causes violence in the world. It is white cis men... who cause violence."
"Cis" is short for cisgender, which is the opposite of transgender. The term relates to a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex assigned at birth.
The Green Party co-leader has admitted she should've chosen her words around "white cis men" and violence more carefully. (Source: 1News)
Davidson has since said her comments lacked clarity and violence was unacceptable in "any community".
She had also been hit by a motorcycle about half an hour before the exchange, an incident she received medical care for.
This morning, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said Davidson had apologised to him.
Today, Parliament sat for the first time since Davidson made the comments.
National MP Louise Upston asked why she made the original comment.
Davidson, who is the Minister for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, said to transform "generations of hurt and trauma" and to stop violence from happening in the first place, "we must have the hard and uncomfortable conversations".
"We need to talk about the power imbalances and gender narratives that underpins much of the violence that occurs in our country."
She said as the minister she would continue to have those conversations.
"I acknowledge that I could have been clearer in my remarks on Saturday. What I was doing was pushing back on the harmful and false narrative that trans people are one of the biggest risks to women. This is simply not true. Violence happens in every community. Any person can be a victim of violence, but we cannot get away from the fact that the perpetrators of sexual violence or family violence are mostly men."
Davidson began to say now she had clarified her statement she encouraged a discussion "about what to do next".
She was interrupted by Speaker Adrian Rurawhe, who said she had "well and truly answered" Upston's question and was "now going into a speech on the matter".
In a supplementary question, Upston asked if Hipkins had asked her to apologise publicly for the comments and if so when she was going to.
Davidson said it was important to her to "clarify" what she intended to say.
"In a public statement, I have appealed directly to the community, to the field experts and to victim-survivors, and clarified what I intended to say and affirmed and acknowledged victims and survivors who may not have seen themselves in my comments."
Rurawhe said Davidson had "definitely" not answered the question and awarded Upston two further supplementary questions. Upston repeated her question on whether Davidson would apologise.
Davidson replied "no".
Upston asked if Davidson agreed her "white cis men" statement had been incorrect.
Davidson again said she had "clarified" what she intended to say.
"Violence is enabled by socially accepted hierarchies of power that include sexism, racism towards minority communities, colonisation, ableism, ageism, homophobia, transphobia and classism.
"We must change those structures of inequality and power."
ACT Party MP Karen Chhour asked if Davidson accepted her words about "white cis men" were "offensive and highly inappropriate to victims of family and sexual violence".
"Will she apologise today to them, for making a mockery of such a serious issue?"
Davidson again said she had "clarified" what she intended to say.
Upston asked if Davidson stood by her statement in Te Aorerekura — the National Strategy to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence that "to enable safe communities where all people are respected".
"Why does she not accept that her words did not respect cis white men?"
Someone — likely an MP — was heard yelling "snowflake" to that comment.
Davidson said she stood by "every single word" in the document.
"This is why it was important for me to clarify what I intended to say."
Chhour asked if she could apologise to the prime minister, why could she not apologise "to the victims of family and sexual violence for belittling their trauma for political gain?"
Davidson said what she said to Hipkins "was that I clarified that those are not the words that I normally use".
Upston asked again why Davidson would not "apologise to New Zealanders for the offensive words that she has used?"
Davidson repeated similar sentiments she had clarified her statements and had made it clear what she intended.
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