Christopher Luxon won’t criticise US over Maduro abduction or Greenland threats ‒ but says NZ still has voice

Tuesday, 20 January 2026

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says New Zealand is able to articulate its principles where it matters, as he refused to directly criticise the United States’ abduction of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro or its push to annex Greenland.

The US administration was clear that New Zealand was not a fan of tariffs, he said, but our position would have no impact on the US actually enacting them and it was important to retain a constructive relationship with President Donald Trump.

One expert told The Post his comments suggested the Government was still not sure how to talk about a world where the United States was the main force for disruption.

Luxon was speaking to Auckland Business Chamber CEO and former National leader Simon Bridges following his state of the nation speech in Auckland.

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Without naming the US, the speech noted “tariff shocks and global uncertainty” last year had “cut down” an economic recovery.

Bridges asked Luxon whether in a global environment featuring conflict and tension in Venezuela, Iran and Ukraine, New Zealand should “sit there quietly, let it play out because we're small and remote, or do we take a big, bold values based kind of proposition and shout about it?”

Luxon answered that New Zealand must “find a third way through”.

He said the rules-based trade order that had served New Zealand well for 70 years had “ruptured” but we shouldn’t be “fearful” or “paralysed” by this.

New Zealand would continue to advocate for its values by allying with like-minded countries and trade blocs on matters such as the response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the importance of rules-based trading.

“But equally, we should take control of what we can control and what we can control in building a better, stronger New Zealand here at home.

“So yes, when the US introduces tariffs, we don't like tariffs. We're pretty clear with the US administration about that, but it doesn't matter what we think at the end of the day, because the American system is going to change its trade policy.”

“We still want to have a very constructive, positive relationship with the American government, as you've seen, and we do have that. We don't like their policy on tariffs. We don't think that's the right way forward. We don't think that's good for the world. We'll continue to make the case for that, but we've got to crack on and be pragmatic about how we actually get business growing in America.”

Luxon was speaking after several weeks of international controversy driven by the Trump administration.

Early in the new year US special forces abducted Maduro from his country.

And in recent days Trump has said it will place tariffs on European countries until Denmark agrees to allow it to annex Greenland, currently an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

Asked by media about Maduro’s abduction, Luxon said New Zealand was not a fan of Maduro’s administration and saw his last election as illegitimate. As to whether the US were right to abduct him, Luxon said he expected “every country to be compliant with international law - ultimately that’s up to the US to make that determination”.

On Greenland, Luxon said it was clear that the people of Greenland wanted to be a part of Denmark, but again declined to directly critique the US, instead saying he was not keen on more tariffs.

“It's in New Zealand's interest to see a healthy transatlantic relationship in place.”

Labour: Government could be far stronger

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the New Zealand Government could have been more visible in recent weeks on these issues and made clear the abduction was not legal.

“Standing up for international laws and international rules is something New Zealand has been very principled on in the past and we should continue to do so,” he said.

Asked about the abduction, Hipkins said he had “no time” for Maduro’s Government but it was “clearly contrary to international law”.

“Taking over a country with no international law backing you is a very big step for the United States to take, and for New Zealand to say nothing about that has been an abrogation of what has previously been a very principled foreign policy position by New Zealand.”

Expert: Govt not yet sure how to talk about Trump

David Capie, Director at the Centre for Strategic Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, said Luxon was using language developed for concerns around other world disruptions, and it seemed the Government wasn’t clear about how to talk about the US as a major disruptor.

“It’s all very well to talk about wanting to have a constructive relationship with the Trump administration, but at some point we will need to talk about how some US actions are profoundly challenging to NZ’s interests, and not just in trade.

“These are hard problems - after all the US is a vital partner as well - but we need to face them square on.”