As if to prove his point, Peters is interrupted during our interview when he notices his daughter, Crystianna slipping all manner of random items into his bag. They're on a shopping trip at the dollar store and while he's distracted, she's nabbed a large fake flower, a heart of some kind and even a goldfish.
It could well be a joke in the making, but while she may inform much of Peters' comedy, Crystianna is definitely still not allowed to listen to it - it hasn't gone so far toward family that it's lost its edge.
This is still a Russell Peters show and he's still coming in as hot as ever with the Deported Tour, the latest in a long run of tours with names like Outsourced, Red, White and Brown and The Green Card Tour. He explains with a laugh: "I was entered, I was registered, and now I might be kicked out."
The comic is known for his edgy, often race-based humour and has known his fair share of controversy, particularly after causing an uproar last year when he referred to young girls at an award ceremony as "a felony waiting to happen".
"Listen, you can't get caught up in what offends other people because I don't know what offends you and I can't live my life worrying about what's going to offend you," he says.
"I've got to worry about what's going to offend me and since nothing really does, it's going be a rough ride for you because I'm just gonna keep talking. It's about intent, it's not about the words."
Beyond that, as any Russell Peters fan knows, there's no preparing for one of his shows, given a good third of it is an off-the-cuff, audience banter-driven free for all.
"That's just who I am. I want to include you, I want you to feel like each show is a personal experience, so each show is tailored to each city, to that audience. And - I'm not just saying this - they're off the hook in Auckland," he says.
"The beauty of it is I don't know what's going to happen, I don't know who's going to be there or what's going to trigger my brain so it's kind of a fun little experiment for all of us at that point. It's great, I can't wait to come back to New Zealand."
LOWDOWN:
Who: Russell Peters
What: The Deported Tour
When: February 16, 17 at The Civic, Auckland
