Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is yet to pick up the phone to Winston Peters after his tirade towards a Chinese-born MP in Parliament last week, saying he will talk to the foreign minister "at some point".
New Zealand First's leader responded to heckling in the House on Wednesday by attacking the Greens' Lawrence Xu-Nan, telling him to go back to his own country.
Luxon told RNZ's Morning Report this morning that the comments were racist, but he had not yet spoken with Peters about it.
"This is him talking in his New Zealand First capacity," Luxon said.
Multiple international media outlets have published Peters' comments, referring to him as New Zealand's foreign minister.
Luxon said he had made his position clear in previous comments to the media.
"I will talk to him at some point, I'm sure, about it. But the point is I've been on the road, he's been on the road," he said.
NZ First leader, who is also Foreign Minister, made the remark responding to heckling during a speech in the House. (Source: 1News)
"I have a strong view about it. It is racist and offensive. That's it."
Luxon said he was calling out Peters' game-playing.
"It is deliberate attention seeking to push buttons to get the attention on himself... rather than issues that matter to Kiwis."
Luxon was asked whether he would rule out forming another coalition with NZ First.
Lawrence Xu-Nan has spoken to Breakfast after he was told by Winston Peters to "go back to your own country" in the House yesterday. (Source: Breakfast)
"There's a lot of hypotheticals - at the moment, I don't want to work with anyone," he said.
"My ideal situation is 20 National ministers in Cabinet would be the very best outcome for New Zealand."
But Luxon said National had proven it could find common ground with coalition partners, ACT and NZ First, despite disagreeing with them on some things.
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including another earthquake wakes thousands, a Kiwi runner sets an ultramarathon record, and the lucky escape for a New York scooter rider. (Source: 1News)
That was the nature of MMP politics, he said.
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