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ISSUE
Friday, May 8, 2026
Volume 17 . Issue 18
New Zealand is a proudly multi-cultural nation. Throughout our history, people have travelled from all over the world to make a home in Aotearoa, and the diversity that’s brought to our country is one of our greatest strengths.
It’s also why the rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric we’ve seen recently is so disappointing. I was shocked to meet with members of our local Indian community and hear first-hand about the racism they’ve recently been subjected to. That’s just not who we are as a nation.
I was alarmed to see senior Government Minister Shane Jones joining in and spouting racist comments and yet face no sanction or even reprimand from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
Our Indian communities deserve so much more. I’ve been very clear that Shane Jones’s comments were outright racism and have no place in New Zealand. If any Minister in a government I lead, regardless of which political party they are from, engaged in that kind of rhetoric they wouldn’t be a Minister for very long.
The language those in power use is incredibly important. It sets the tone for national conversations. It can promote unity or stoke division. I will choose unity every single time.
While racially charged incidents have become more prominent in recent weeks, we have to recognise that migrant communities have been putting up with discrimination for generations. It’s not OK, and we have more work to do to combat racism wherever we find it.
Earlier this year, I attended the New Zealand Indian Central Association’s 100-year centennial celebrations. Community leaders spoke about the historical discrimination endured over decades, the resilience of Kiwi Indians, and their eventual triumph in New Zealand.
Those I heard from at the event echoed a passion and love for our shared home of Aotearoa New Zealand. They embodied the resilient Kiwi spirit while remaining true to their ancestral roots. They were proud of their heritage and had a clear desire to take the country forward.
All communities deserve to feel safe, have a sense of belonging and be free to express and celebrate their cultural identities to the fullest.
Our Indian whānau are valued here in our shared home. No person or group has the right to say otherwise.
Our diversity is a taonga. A treasure to be protected for future generations. It’s what makes New Zealand so unique.
It’s why we launched the Ministry for Ethnic Communities to promote diversity and social cohesion, off the back of the inquiry into the March 15 attacks. A socially cohesive nation is a stronger one and we cannot go backwards.
My commitment is firm to our migrant communities. As Prime Minister, I will lead a Government that brings people together, not drives them apart.
Because the moment we stop calling racism out is the moment New Zealand starts going backwards.
New Zealand is a proudly multi-cultural nation. Throughout our history, people have travelled from all over the world to make a home in Aotearoa, and the diversity that’s brought to our country is one of our greatest strengths.It’s also why the rise in...
New Zealand is a proudly multi-cultural nation. Throughout our history, people have travelled from all over the world to make a home in Aotearoa, and the diversity that’s brought to our country is one of our greatest strengths.
It’s also why the rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric we’ve seen recently is so disappointing. I was shocked to meet with members of our local Indian community and hear first-hand about the racism they’ve recently been subjected to. That’s just not who we are as a nation.
I was alarmed to see senior Government Minister Shane Jones joining in and spouting racist comments and yet face no sanction or even reprimand from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
Our Indian communities deserve so much more. I’ve been very clear that Shane Jones’s comments were outright racism and have no place in New Zealand. If any Minister in a government I lead, regardless of which political party they are from, engaged in that kind of rhetoric they wouldn’t be a Minister for very long.
The language those in power use is incredibly important. It sets the tone for national conversations. It can promote unity or stoke division. I will choose unity every single time.
While racially charged incidents have become more prominent in recent weeks, we have to recognise that migrant communities have been putting up with discrimination for generations. It’s not OK, and we have more work to do to combat racism wherever we find it.
Earlier this year, I attended the New Zealand Indian Central Association’s 100-year centennial celebrations. Community leaders spoke about the historical discrimination endured over decades, the resilience of Kiwi Indians, and their eventual triumph in New Zealand.
Those I heard from at the event echoed a passion and love for our shared home of Aotearoa New Zealand. They embodied the resilient Kiwi spirit while remaining true to their ancestral roots. They were proud of their heritage and had a clear desire to take the country forward.
All communities deserve to feel safe, have a sense of belonging and be free to express and celebrate their cultural identities to the fullest.
Our Indian whānau are valued here in our shared home. No person or group has the right to say otherwise.
Our diversity is a taonga. A treasure to be protected for future generations. It’s what makes New Zealand so unique.
It’s why we launched the Ministry for Ethnic Communities to promote diversity and social cohesion, off the back of the inquiry into the March 15 attacks. A socially cohesive nation is a stronger one and we cannot go backwards.
My commitment is firm to our migrant communities. As Prime Minister, I will lead a Government that brings people together, not drives them apart.
Because the moment we stop calling racism out is the moment New Zealand starts going backwards.
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