National leader Christopher Luxon clarifies ‘wet, whiny’ remarks, says he’s a patriot

Luxon says his comments were referring to Labour Government and that NZ has amazing people. Photo / Alex Cairns

National leader Christopher Luxon has declared himself a patriot and distanced himself from his comments calling New Zealand a “wet, whiny” country.

Today, the Opposition leader sought to clarify the remarks uttered to a bystander during a visit to a West Auckland rural property where he announced his party’s agricultural emissions policy.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins criticised Luxon’s remarks, saying Luxon was “running down” New Zealand: “I guess it makes a change he is [doing it] in New Zealand rather than overseas”.

But when the Herald asked Luxon today what he was referring to when he said “we have become a very negative, wet, whiny, inward-looking country and we have lost the plot,” he said, “the Labour Government”.

“I think this is a country of endless potential. We have amazing people. We’re in a really exciting part of the world,” Luxon said.

“I am a big patriotic Kiwi.

“This Labour Government is blaming everybody else for its problems and not delivering for New Zealanders,” he said.

Luxon went on to blame the Government for higher crime rates, falling academic achievement and for “taking New Zealand backwards”.

Speaking to media alongside his party’s spokesman for Justice, Paul Goldsmith, Luxon said Ōpōtiki had been “shut down” by a large gang presence gathered for a funeral.

He criticised the Government for being “soft on crime” and said National would give police powers to disperse gangs from congregating in public.

The right to freedom of association is included in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (BORA).

Christopher Luxon on what he'd have done differently for Budget 2023

Section 17 of the BORA grants New Zealanders the right to freedom of association, while section 18 refers to the right to freedom of movement, and section 14 of the legislation is the right to freedom of expression.

When asked about how his policy may breach this right Luxon said: “I don’t care. Gangs are not nice people.

“They [gangsters] want the rights, but not the responsibilities,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s fair that everyday Kiwis trying to get the kids to school, trying to catch a bus, trying to go about their business should be feeling intimidated and scared.”

It is part of a continual push from National to introduce similar laws here to those in Western Australia (WA) where police could issue gangs with disperal notices.

Lawmakers in WA passed legislation banning the display in public places of gang insignia in 2021.

If caught showing gang colours in public, members of 46 alleged WA gangs can face up to a year in jail and fines between roughly NZ$13,000 to $67,000.

Luxon made announcements on banning gang patches and giving police power to issue dispersal notices in June last year.