The activist and actor who shared Winston Peters' street address online says she regrets the "oversight" but claims the NZ First leader is now using it as a "diversion tactic".
One NZ earlier said it would remove Acacia O'Connor from its ad campaign after revelations she publicised Peters' personal address online last week and encouraged people to join a pro-Palestine protest outside his house.
A window was smashed at Peters' home yesterday. A 29-year-old man has since been charged with burglary and will appear in Auckland District Court on Friday.
Winston Peters says activism has gone too far after a crowbar was used to smash a window. (Source: 1News)
Speaking to RNZ, O'Connor said it was "a real shame" One NZ had terminated her contract.
"We're a completely peaceful protest. I would never support violence of any kind. And I was saddened to hear that Winston Peters' ... window was broken. That's not OK, not what we stand for."
O'Connor said she did not take responsibility for the vandalism but accepted that sharing Peters' home address had inflamed the situation.
"I feel regret about revealing the street. I do not want any violence to be escalating," she said. "In hindsight, I wouldn't mention the street again.
"At the time, Israel had three of our friends and had said that they weren't worried about casualties, so it was an oversight."
Pressed over whether she would apologise to Peters, O'Connor eventually did so: "Winston Peters, I'm really sorry that your house was attacked. I agree with you that New Zealanders should live in safe homes, absolutely."
O'Connor said her intention had been to encourage protesters to come together and share aroha: "We were singing and we were holding signs.
"I'm a humble, loving actor... I have nothing against Winston Peters personally."
However, she accused Peters of now trying to shift the focus away "from the genocide in Gaza" and the treatment of the people detained by Israel.
"It's very beneficial to him," she said. "It's a diversion tactic of Winston Peters to be making such a big deal. Hana Rawhiti [Maipi Clarke's] house was vandalised. It was not such a uproar. This is a really clear diversion tactic."
Willis: One NZ made its own choice
In a statement released this afternoon, One NZ said: "We don't back any behaviour that puts people's safety at risk. What's happened doesn't line up with our values, so we're taking the character out of our marketing."
O'Connor, also a spokesperson for Global Movement to Gaza, had been a featured character in the telco's Let's Get Connected ad series.
She livestreamed an Instagram video on Thursday of a pro-Palestine protest outside Peters' home and shared the name of the street.
Her actions came under increased scrutiny this week after she took part in media conference alongside Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick on Monday.
On Tuesday morning, National's Nicola Willis had suggested One NZ "take another look" at the actor's involvement in its ads given her actions.
Speaking later in the day, Willis said One NZ had ultimately made its own judgement.
"They've made their own choice," she said. "Clearly, they condemn the behaviour of that individual and I think most New Zealanders would.
"That individual conducted herself in a way that I think lacked basic humanity. It is completely inappropriate to give people's private addresses out on social media and to protest outside people's homes in the way that she did."
Speaking at Parliament on Tuesday afternoon, Peters told reporters he thought One NZ had done the right thing.
Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick accuses Government ministers of bullying
Swarbrick told reporters it was "not appropriate" to share politicians' addresses online but she also questioned the focus of Government ministers.
"We have New Zealanders who are currently exercising their legal right to protest, who are being bullied by some of the most powerful people in the country, and that is resulting in them, I guess, losing their income."
Asked about O'Connor's involvement in the Greens' media conference yesterday, Swarbrick said she had "no idea" O'Connor would be there in advance. She said O'Connor had no formal role in the event.
"That press stand up was largely arranged by the community itself. We helped to facilitate things."
Swarbrick said she could not be expected to know "absolutely everything about everybody" she stood next to, but acknowledged, with hindsight, it was an oversight not to be more fully briefed.
"Sure, but let's also be honest about the fact that this was something that was organised by a community who is in an immense amount of heartbreak because their family members have been illegally kidnapped by Israel."
Swarbrick had also criticised Willis' earlier use of the phrase – "call the dogs off" – in relation to the protesters.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins agreed that such inflammatory language was very unhelpful: "Now is the time to dial back the rhetoric."
In response, Willis said she was clearly using a metaphor as part of political speech: "How precious do we have to be?... That is a phrase that actually has its origins in Shakespeare."
Swarbrick also implored reporters to put questions to Peters about "the role he may have had in inflaming rhetoric" which led to former Green MP Benjamin Doyle's resignation.
Peters rejected any suggestion of hypocrisy and said Doyle had already been receiving abuse before he drew attention to Doyle's old social media posts.
"Go look at the chronology and try get a bit of research behind your question."
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