'He cannot represent NZ': Hipkins rules out Peters as foreign minister
New Zealand Labour leader Chris Hipkins has ruled out any future political cooperation with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters. Hipkins cited Peters' recent controversial comments as the primary reason he is unfit to serve as foreign minister or represent the country.
Why it matters
This highlights ongoing political instability and polarization in New Zealand's government, affecting coalition building and international representation.
<p>Labour leader Chris Hipkins has ruled out working with New Zealand First's Winston Peters at the next election.</p> <p>New Zealand First's leader responded to heckling in the House on Wednesday last week by <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/07/31/peters-inviting-a-sacking-with-attack-on-chinese-born-mp-helen-clark/" target="_blank">attacking the Greens'</a> Lawrence Xu-Nan, telling him to go back to his "own country".</p> <p>Hipkins said in an interview with RNZ that Winston Peters' position as foreign affairs minister was completely untenable.</p> <p>"He's making international headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in