Members Of NZ's Latin American Community Shocked, Offended By NZ First MPs' Comments

Friday, 31 January 2025, 8:02 pm
Article: RNZ

Rayssa Almeida, Reporter

Members of New Zealand's Latin American community are shocked and offended by comments made in Parliament this week by high-ranking NZ First MPs.

During a debate on Tuesday, Shane Jones yelled "send the Mexicans home" across the floor.

Winston Peters then told Green MPs Lawrence Xu-Nan and Francisco Hernandez to "show some gratitude" for being in New Zealand.

Both Peters and Jones doubled down on their comments in the days that followed.

However, after the Mexican Embassy raised concerns, Peters backtracked, saying the remarks could have been "expressed differently".

Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March said the change of tone from Peters after the embassy got involved showed a failure by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to take a stand against anti-migrant sentiment from his own ministers.

"Winston Peters' comments are another chapter in his political career which has included blaming migrants for chronic underinvestment in infrastructure like hospitals, public housing, and public transport.

"Government politicians are threatened by the fact that more migrants are working with Māori to protect te Tiriti o Waitangi, and that challenges the politics of division they stand for."

Guillermo Ramírez, the president of the New Zealand leg of the Mexican Global Network, said the comments should not have been made in the first place.

"It feels racist and xenophobic. They didn't point it out by name; they said 'Mexicans'. Come on, that's a big basket they are putting us in."

He said comments such as those fostered discrimination against his community.

Ramírez also noted the backdrop of rising anti-Mexican sentiment in other parts of the world, including the United States.

"We feel concerned; we feel offended."

Ramírez's sentiments were echoed by Yibeth Morales, a refugee advocate from Colombia who arrived in New Zealand over a decade ago.

"When you make sweeping generalisations like that, it's not just words; it's the message they send. It's about how the community feels after hearing them," she said.

"And this is not just about one group - it reflects poorly on the entire nation's values of inclusivity."

The generalisation of Latin American people as "Mexicans" also fuelled discrimination, Morales said.

"All of us get generalised as Mexicans. If you've noticed that, maybe as a Latin American, it's like they're constantly attacking Mexico for some reason.

"And the impact his comments have on our community doesn't just raise huge red flags when it comes to the older community in New Zealand, but also for younger generations, who are left to deal with the fallout."

She said the comments made by Peters and Jones seemed out of place.

"We should be beyond this."

Peters' eventual backpedalling, after the Mexican Embassy intervened, was seen by some as a political move rather than a genuine admission of wrongdoing, she said.

"I think he knows the weight of his actions now. His career could be going down from this. His mindset is stuck in a non-progressive, racist, and sexist place that's holding New Zealand back."

In a statement, a spokesperson for Peters said he had been made aware of concerns raised by the Mexican Ambassador with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and looked forward to seeing the ambassador at Waitangi next week to discuss the matter.

Peters felt nothing but friendship for the Mexican people, the statement said.

"In the heat of the moment, in the robust environment of Parliament, sometimes some members say things when provoked that, on reflection, may have been expressed differently."

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