Three weeks ago Jones yelled "send the Mexicans home" and Peters told Green migrant MPs to "show some gratitude." Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
New Zealand First MPs Winston Peters and Shane Jones have once again attacked Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March for being a migrant - this time because he referred to the country's name as Aotearoa during Question Time.
Rather than apologise, Peters has indicated he will seek to update Parliament's standing orders.
The Greens have criticised the Prime Minister for a lack of accountability, and said he was still yet to respond to a letter they wrote him the last time Menéndez March was attacked three weeks ago.
In a question to immigration minister Erica Stanford regarding the case of Daman Kumar, Menéndez March referred to the country as Aotearoa, causing Peters to raise a point of order.
"Why is someone who applied to come to this country in 2006 allowed to ask a question of this Parliament that changes this country's name without the referendum and sanction of the New Zealand people?" Peters asked.
Speaker Gerry Brownlee reminded Peters that Menéndez March was an elected member of the House, and if someone was using a name others found unacceptable he could not do much about that.
However, Brownlee later encouraged MPs to use Aotearoa-New Zealand instead of Aotearoa by itself.
"It's probably not an unreasonable thing to perhaps use, if you want to, the two names Aotearoa-New Zealand, but not just the one. Quite clearly, the minister is sworn in as a minister of government in New Zealand. Simple as that."
This point was challenged by Labour's Kieran McAnulty, who said in any other instance a direct translation from English to te reo Māori was permissible.
Brownlee acknowledged that Standing Orders made it clear that MPs could address the House in te reo or in English.
"The issue around the geographic naming of New Zealand is a slightly different thing, and I'll take some time to think about that and come back to the House," he said.
McAnulty also asked whether it was acceptable for a MP to question the legitimacy of the presence of another MP to make a political point.
Menéndez March was born in Mexico, but like all MPs is a New Zealand citizen.
Peters' New Zealand First colleague Jones chimed in with a question of his own.
"Can you also contemplate the appropriateness of recent immigrants telling Māori what the name of our country should be?" Jones retorted.
Speaking after Question Time had finished, Menéndez March said New Zealand First was once again launching attacks on migrant communities.
Three weeks ago Jones yelled "send the Mexicans home" and Peters told Green migrant MPs to "show some gratitude."
Menéndez March said the Prime Minister was "too scared" to keep his ministers in line and hold them to account.
"Winston Peters has no regard for the rules of the House, but at the end of the day what we have actually is language from the Deputy Prime Minister that has not been addressed by the Prime Minister, language that can actually reverberate outside of these four walls," he said.
"He can't keep showing up to migrant community events and pretend this government supports migrant communities when he's got his own Deputy Prime Minister launching explicit attacks on migrants."
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the Prime Minister was still yet to respond to the last letter the Greens wrote to him about Peters and Jones three weeks ago.
The party planned to write to Christopher Luxon again, but Swarbrick did not expect anything to happen.
"We can keep writing these letters, but what you're seeing is the Prime Minister is completely missing in action," she said.
Peters said it was "totally appropriate" to challenge Menéndez March for referring to the country as Aotearoa without the mandate of the New Zealand people.
"If the name is going to change, we're going to ask the New Zealand people first, not have a few radicals deciding they're going to change it," he said.
Peters said he would seek a change to the standing orders to prevent MPs referring to the country as Aotearoa.
He denied what he said in the House was an attack on immigrants.
ACT leader David Seymour said the arguments over Menéndez March's arrival were ridiculous, and it was time people stopped obsessing over when people arrived in New Zealand.
"People in Parliament can bring up whatever they like, but it's not a comment I would make. I believe in the principle that no matter whether you came here on a waka, a sailing ship, or a 747 - if you're here legally, you're a Kiwi and you should be treated equally," he said.
Seymour pointed out that Standing Orders say a member may speak in English or Māori.
"There's a Māori word for New Zealand, there's obviously New Zealand. The Māori word Aotearoa is on our money, and it's on our passport, so I would just make the argument that while I prefer to use New Zealand, I'm not here to stop other people using Aotearoa."
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