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The Jones-Mexican Ambassador saga may end with a shot of Tequila

“I bear no malice to any Latin American”- Shane Jones (RNZ Photo Reece Baker)

Giles Dexter (RNZ)
Wellington, February 1, 2025

Shane Jones says that he hopes to meet with Mexico’s Ambassador to New Zealand after the latter raised Jones’ “send the Mexicans home” comment with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The Ambassador’s involvement led to Jones’ (NZ First) Party Leader Winston Peters acknowledging the MP could have expressed himself differently.

But Mr Jones is refusing to say whether he agrees or disagrees with Peters’ rebuke.

Mr Jones’s outburst in the House on Tuesday (January 28) led Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March to write to the speaker and condemnation from New Zealand’s Latin American community.

The Ambassador, Alfredo Perez Bravo, told RNZ that he was pursuing the matter through diplomatic channels.

Winston Peters backs down

Despite initially backing his colleague’s comments, Mr Peters backed down after being made aware of the Ambassador’s concerns.

“In the heat of the moment in the robust environment of Parliament, sometimes some members say things when provoked that, on reflection, may have been expressed differently,” a spokesperson for Mr Peters said.

On Morning Report, Mr Jones repeatedly declined to address his comments, saying that Mr Peters had addressed the matter as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Leader of NZ First.

But speaking to the media on Friday (January 31) after releasing the government’s minerals strategy, Mr Jones brushed off the comments.

“I bear no malice to any Latin American, I have had some of the most exciting nocturnal experiences with the Latin American people,” he said.

Standing behind Mr Jones, Coromandel MP Scott Simpson raised his eyebrows.

Mr Jones was later asked whether he had been “gagged” by Mr Peters.

“Look, we are here today about minerals. I was surprised, how one colourful remark in Parliament has gathered such traction. But know this from me, these Green five-minute wonders, they will think twice before taking on the Matua again,” Mr Jones said.

But he would not say whether he disagreed with Mr Peters.

“No, that would end up shortening my life. Winston has addressed this issue as the rangatira of our party, and that’s all I say on the matter,” he said.

Meeting with Ambassador Bravo

In his statement on Thursday (January 30), Mr Peters said that he was looking forward to seeing the Ambassador at Waitangi next week to discuss the matter.

Mr Jones also said that he hoped to see the Ambassador.

“In the event I see the Mexican Ambassador, who is a valued member of the Diplomatic community, I will share a shot of tequila,” he said.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was again reluctant to address Mr Jones’ comments or his refusal to back down, instead directing all MPs from all parties to take a “beat between stimulus and response” and think about what they say.

Mr Luxon said that it was good that Mr Peters had acknowledged the comments and that he would be meeting with the Ambassador.

“It is good that they have taken responsibility for that, but ultimately everybody is responsible for their language. I am not the Language Police. I need to make sure that we are delivering for the New Zealand people, that is what we are focused on. But I am exhorting all members of Parliament to watch what they say,” he said.

Some background

After initially saying nothing was wrong with his and Shane Jones’ comments, Mr Peters backed down after the Mexican Ambassador raised concerns.

MPs were debating the Prime Minister’s Statement on Tuesday (January 28) when Mr Jones yelled “send the Mexicans home” across the floor.

Mr Peters then told Green MPs Lawrence Xu-Nan and Francisco Hernandez to “show some gratitude” for being in New Zealand.

The Green Party has written to the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the House calling for action, saying the comments were “outwardly racist and xenophobic.”

RNZ approached the Mexican Embassy, which confirmed it was “following up this matter through diplomatic channels.”

A spokesperson for Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mr Peters said that “on reflection” their comments could have been “expressed differently.”

“The Deputy Prime Minister has been made aware of concerns raised by the Mexican Ambassador with MFAT. He looks forward to seeing the Ambassador at Waitangi next week to discuss the matter,” the spokesperson said.

“The Deputy Prime Minister is a champion of the Mexico-New Zealand relationship, as demonstrated by his visit there last year. He feels nothing but friendship for the Mexican people. In the heat of the moment in the robust environment of Parliament, sometimes some members say things when provoked that, on reflection, may have been expressed differently,” he said.

Mexican community ‘offended’

President of the New Zealand arm of the Mexican Global Network Guillermo Ramírez said that politicians should not be using the Mexican community as “a target.’

“I can understand that there is a context and that the wording was made out of a heated debate. Maybe it was addressed to someone in particular, but they did not. They did not point it by name. They said Mexicans. Come on, that is a big basket they are putting us in. It feels racist and xenophobic,” he said.

Mr Ramírez said that he was concerned that the comments would foster discrimination against his community and he expected more from New Zealand MPs.

“We feel concerned. We feel offended, if I may say it. It is not easy. It is complicated at this time with what is happening in the rest of the world, mainly in the United States and Mexico. It feels like this is connected, in some way, to this feeling that is making Mexicans in the world feel not welcome,” he said.

NZ First doubled down, with Mr Jones saying that the Greens’ Mexico-born musterer Ricardo Menéndez March should “grow a pair.”

“He swaggers around in Parliament, been there five or 10 minutes and thinks he can tell Winston and me what to do; he brings alien ideas and woke-ism to New Zealand,” Mr Jones said.

NZ unrepentant

Ahead of Question Time, Mr Peters was also unrepentant, saying that Parliament was the sort of place where a lot of things were said, and were often “absolutely overreacted to.”

He said that Mexican Ambassador Bravo had thanked him within the past 48 hours for having visited the country last year, “then I hear this humbug from you guys in the mainstream media, stop wasting everybody’s time. What is wrong with the rhetoric .. it is an old political dictum, if you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he would not make the remarks himself and reminded all MPs to watch their rhetoric – refusing to single out NZ First.

Separately, the ACT Party has also called Te Pāti Māori “race fanatics” after Mariameno Kapa-Kingi said Children’s Minister Karen Chhour had a “gap of knowledge” and did not “understand the essence of being Māori.”

Giles Dexter is a Political Reporter at Radio New Zealand. The above Report and picture have been published under a special agreement with www.rnz.co.nz

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