No one at the APEC meeting in Peru has mentioned the haka performed in Parliament this week to protest the Treaty Principles Bill, the prime minister says
Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke was suspended for 24 hours and "named" for leading the haka during the first reading of the bill.
Speaker Gerry Brownlee said her conduct was appallingly disrespectful and grossly disorderly. Video of the incident has gone viral around the world.
Speaking to media in Peru on Saturday (NZ time), Christopher Luxon said the incident had not been raised with him at all.
He was not concerned that discord over the bill would affect New Zealand's international reputation.
The haka in Parliament has gotten global attention by media outlets such as the BBC and CNN.
There were "high tensions on all sides" of the Treaty debate and the issues surrounding it were "complex", he said.
"They've been built up over 184 years through good debate and discussion. We go forwards, we go backwards, we don't always agree, but actually it's made us a much better country.
"It's too simplistic with a stroke of a pen to say 'we're going to resolve 184 years of debate'."
National had made a coalition agreement with ACT to vote for the bill at its first reading, but "we do not support the bill", Luxon said.
However, he said New Zealanders expected certain standards from MPs in Parliament.
"Generally, irrespective of how emotional and difficult a topic may be to discuss in Parliament, all parties need to adhere to the standards of Parliament, otherwise it doesn't kind of work."
Ultimately, deciding whether an MP's conduct breached those standards was a call for the Speaker, Luxon said.
Labour's Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson was also ejected from the House on Thursday after he called ACT leader David Seymour a "liar" during the bill's first reading - breaking Parliament's rules.
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