35411 (2026). Vanushi Walters to the Minister of Foreign Affairs

35411 (2026). Vanushi Walters to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Does he consider that statements made publicly by a Minister of Foreign Affairs about another country are capable of being understood by the government of that country as reflecting the position of the New Zealand Government, irrespective of the capacity in which those statements were made?

Rt Hon Winston Peters: In my experience, foreign governments are quite capable of distinguishing between statements of foreign policy and domestic political debates.