Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he has made it "pretty clear" to his ministers how they should handle correspondence with the United Nations, as the coalition's letter-writing saga drags on.
Appearing at his post-Cabinet media conference on Monday, Luxon was pressed on RNZ's revelations that Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith had been consulted before David Seymour issued a forthright reply to the UN in July.
"I'm not going to get into that," Luxon told RNZ. "We've canvassed that before."
Luxon reiterated his "very clear position" that Winston Peters, as foreign minister, was responsible for coordinating all responses to the UN.
Asked what it said about his Cabinet that multiple ministers appeared to misunderstand that process, Luxon was blunt.
"It's pretty clear to them now," he said. "I've made it pretty clear."
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
However, new correspondence - as reported by RNZ on Saturday - show Seymour's staff stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's preferred approach was actually for a joint reply from "relevant ministers" Seymour, Goldsmith and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka.
The controversy stems from a June letter from UN special rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples Albert K Barume, who flagged concerns that Seymour's Regulatory Standards Bill excluded Māori traditions and failed to uphold Treaty of Waitangi principles.
Seymour, writing as regulations minister, fired back a response in early July, describing the critique as "presumptive, condescending and wholly misplaced" and "an affront to New Zealand's sovereignty".
That letter was later withdrawn and both Luxon and Peters publicly rebuked Seymour for bypassing proper process.
Peters eventually sent a government-wide response in August, striking a softer tone and expressing regret for the "breakdown in protocol".
On Saturday, RNZ revealed new documents, obtained under the Official Information Act, which showed Seymour had run his draft past Goldsmith beforehand and been told his colleague was "happy for us to send it".
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