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3 Jun 2025

PM 'comfortable' with Chris Bishop's Overt Racism

The National Party’s ongoing disregard for New Zealand’s multiculturalism has been laid bare once again, this time by another profoundly unbecoming display of prejudice. At the Aotearoa Music Awards, Chris Bishop, the leader of the house, was recorded on camera deriding Stan Walker’s performance of Māori Ki Te Ao as “a load of crap,” a blatant act of cultural contempt he cannot deny. Despite that obviously inappropriate outburst, the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has dismissed Bishop's overt racism, which underscores the National Party’s persistent disregard for New Zealand’s multicultural values.

When questioned by RNZ, Luxon callously dismissed the incident with a laugh, declaring himself “comfortable” with Bishop’s feeble apology. In my opinion, such levity in the face of undeniable bigotry reveals a leader bereft of moral fortitude, unfit to uphold the values of an inclusive Aotearoa, and therefore unfit to hold office.


Today, RNZ reported:

 
Luxon 'comfortable' with Chris Bishop's response after Aotearoa Music Awards 'rant'

Luxon told Morning Report he spoke to Bishop over the weekend about this and other issues but there was no need to step in.

"I didn't have to say anything really. He'd already come out publicly and said he could have kept his thoughts to himself and I'm quite comfortable with that.

"I just got his side of the story about what he said and it was exactly as reported. He corrected it well before I got to him ... he just acknowledged he should have kept his thoughts to himself.

"The bottom line is your listeners aren't losing a lot of sleep over what a politician sharing his opinion on some music was about."

Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour defended Bishop's behaviour and said people would make up their own minds about the remarks.

"Just because you become a senior minister, it doesn't mean you should stop having opinions and it might well be that, based on [what] Chris saw in that moment, he was correct. It may be that people will agree with him."

 

Bishop’s recorded remarks cannot be dismissed as a mere lapse in judgement. His attempt to deflect blame, claiming his scorn targeted “political” Toitū te Tiriti flags, is a transparent ploy to obscure the cultural disdain embedded in his words. Veteran musician Don McGlashan, who witnessed Bishop’s tirade firsthand, described it as an attack on the very essence of the event, a celebration of New Zealand’s diverse musical heritage which has lead to domestic and international success.

Luxon’s decision to laugh off this racist incident, rather than condemn it, is not only unbecoming of a Prime Minister but a damning indictment of his leadership. By failing to hold Bishop to account, Luxon signals tacit approval of behaviour that undermines the dignity of Māori and, by extension, the multicultural fabric of our nation. This sorry episode isn’t just an aberration either, but a part of a troubling pattern within the National Party and its coalition partners, which consistently undermines New Zealand’s multicultural ethos.

Chris Luxon’s rhetoric condemning so-called Māorification, a term invoked to disparage Māori cultural resurgence, has fuelled hostility toward Māori rights, framing their cultural expressions as a threat to national identity. This sentiment was starkly evident in the unprecedented suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs, for performing a protest haka against the Treaty Principles Bill in November 2024. The haka, a profound expression of Māori identity, was deemed “intimidating” by a National-led Privileges Committee, resulting in unprecedented suspensions, the harshest penalties in New Zealand’s parliamentary history.

The Prime Minister’s flippant response to Bishop’s recorded racism, laughing as though it were a trivial matter, betrays a profound lack of moral courage. A leader of integrity would have publicly censured Bishop, recognising that such behaviour from a senior minister is an affront to all New Zealanders who value unity and respect. Instead, Luxon’s mirth emboldens other politicians within his government to be ever more overtly racist.

New Zealand deserves a Prime Minister who confronts racism with resolve, not one who laughs at its exposure. Luxon’s failure to lead with principle in this moment will be remembered as another stain on his tenure, a testament to a government more concerned with political expediency than the values that bind our diverse nation together.