Newstalk ZB
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is now denying he made a mistake in his office releasing emails to the Herald showing Prime Minister Christopher Luxon wanted to shift the Government’s position to show “explicit public support” for the US-led war in Iran days after it broke out. It follows Luxon claiming Peters had “clearly put politics ahead of the national interest” by releasing the emails and stating Peters had “acknowledged he made a mistake” during a meeting between the pair last night. The Herald today revealed emails, released under the Official Information Act, between Luxon’s advisors and Peters’ office in the days after war broke out when the United States and Israel struck targets in Iran. Asked at the time whether New Zealand supported the strikes, Luxon answered that New Zealand “acknowledge[d]”the strikes, but was silent on whether New Zealand supported them. This wording, emphasising acknowledgement but not support, was different from the likes of Australia, whose statements on the war emphasised the fact that country explicitly supported the strikes. Senior staff from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC), the public service agency that provides Luxon with policy advice, emailed Peters’ office suggesting Luxon’s talking points be updated to align with a statement from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The email noted that changing these talking points would have flow-on effects to New Zealand’s foreign policy, including the question of whether New Zealand believed the strikes were illegal under international law. There is an active debate over the war’s legality, with many observers thinking it is illegal. Michael Appleton, a foreign affairs adviser seconded from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) to Peters’ office, responded to the DPMC official. “I’ve discussed with MFA the PM’s preference for more explicit public support of the US’ action,” Appleton wrote, using MFA, an acronym for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. “MFA does *not* wish for NZ to move towards explicit support, like Australia/Canada have expressed,” he said. “He sees value, from a foreign policy perspective, in walking the careful line we established yesterday via the written statement and in his stand-up – which neither condemns nor gives explicit support to the US action.” Christopher Luxon (left) and Winston Peters met last night. Photo / Mark Mitchell A spokesman for Peters told the Herald that the minister, travelling in Latin America at the time, was “alerted via his staff to the Prime Minister’s wish for New Zealand to express explicit support for the US-led military strikes on Iran”. “As outlined in the documentation released, the minister considered this suggestion to be an imprudent course of action, which would run counter to New Zealand’s national interests. “He conveyed this view to the Prime Minister, via communications between his team and the Prime Minister’s,” he said. A spokesman for Luxon responded on Wednesday night, after the meeting, saying the emails “mischaracterise the PM’s position”. “As you’d expect, it is the PM’s job to always challenge the advice he receives and, in this case, he sought to test New Zealand’s position against that of Canada and Australia. “The public statements made by the Government reflect the PM’s position. If they didn’t, they would not have been made,” they said. Luxon’s spokesman said the decision by Peters’ office to release the emails “clearly put politics ahead of the national interest”. The spokesman said Luxon would have expected Peters to show “better judgment” after more than 40 years in politics. “The PM met with Mr Peters [Wednesday] evening to make that point and Mr Peters acknowledged he made a mistake,” the spokesman said. Speaking this morning to the Pacific Media Network, Peters confirmed he had admitted a mistake had been made when he spoke with Luxon last night but he had since changed his position. “I acknowledged I had made a mista...
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