Winston Peters, Bob Carr drama overshadows China speech
"This is not my first legal rodeo."
That was Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters on Friday following a formal threat of legal action over allegedly defamatory comments he made about former Australian politician Bob Carr.
Lawyers for Carr have written to the Foreign Affairs Minister, but Peters says he won't be cowed.
The political controversy overshadowed a speech Peters gave on Friday morning on China.
During it, he rolled out New Zealand's well-trodden lines about our differences with our biggest trading partner.
He raised "serious concerns about human rights abuses", "growing tensions and hardening rhetoric across the Taiwan Strait", and "increased engagement in Pacific security sectors" amongst other things.
But it's differences with former Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Carr that's stealing the limelight.
Carr's lawyers have written to Winston Peters regarding comments he made about the Australian on RNZ. Newshub's obtained the letter which says, "the statements are indefensibly defamatory of our client and have no basis in fact".
"We place you on notice that we are now in the process of instructing New Zealand lawyers to advise in relation to the immediate commencement in New Zealand of defamation proceedings against you."
Peters wasn't initially so keen to chat about it all right after his China speech.
"The purpose of this press conference is to talk about what I just talked about," he said.
But it didn't take long to get to Carr.
"I am not going to get deviated on this matter, but this is not my first legal rodeo either... I am not cowed like you are in standing up for the rights and principles of a free society."
Peters said he hadn't yet seen the legal letter and urged others not to rush to judgment about what happens next.
He continued to criticise Carr for appearing at Labour's anti-AUKUS event at Parliament last month.
"I would never go to another country and start telling them what to do on a major issue," he said.
Speaking on Thursday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Peters' remarks weren't ones he'd make, but they were made in the rough and tumble of politics. Labour has called them embarrassing for New Zealand and is doubling down on calls for Luxon to remove Peters from the Foreign Affairs role.
"Christopher Luxon needs to show some leadership. Winston Peters should not still be in that role," Chris Hipkins said on Friday.
"Ultimately Christopher Luxon should be putting the country's best interests first, not his own political interests first."
