Ahead of his meeting with Winston Peters, the Mexican ambassador said "the beauty of New Zealand is that it is a multicultural country." Video / Alyse Wright
Mexican Ambassador to New Zealand Alfredo Perez Bravo is about to hold a meeting with Foreign Minister Winston Peters days after Shane Jones’ controversial comment, “Send the Mexicans home”, while in Parliament.
Bravo, also the dean of the Diplomatic Corps, was welcomed onto the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi today aspart of a pōwhiri for diplomats, members of the judiciary and the Waitangi Tribunal.
Speaking to journalists after the pōwhiri, Bravo said he would soon be meeting with Peters but offered little further about Jones’ comment in the House last week, which was directed at members of the Green Party who have since called the comments “xenophobic”.
Soon after the NZ First minister made the comment, the Mexican Embassy confirmed it was following up on the matter through diplomatic channels.
Peters later said in a statement he was “aware of concerns raised by the Mexican Ambassador with MFAT” and looked forward to seeing the ambassador at Waitangi.
“In the heat of the moment in the robust environment of Parliament, sometimes some members say things when provoked that, on reflection, may have been expressed differently.”
Bravo today would not comment on the matter ahead of his meeting with Peters. He didn’t say whether he would raise the issue with Peters, predicting the interaction would be “friendly”.
In his role as dean, Bravo spoke during the pōwhiri and lauded New Zealand’s multiculturalism.
Stunning weather has greeted those who have travelled to Waitangi for this year's celebrations. Photo / Adam Pearse
Bravo’s welcome at Waitangi came as crowds were expected to swell as a contingent from Waikato-Tainui iwi and the Kīngitanga movement would be welcomed onto the Treaty Grounds this afternoon.
New Māori Queen Nga wai hono i te po was expected to lead her people onto Waitangi in the second pōwhiri of the day, alongside members of Te Pāti Māori, who had opted to come on with Tainui instead of with their Parliamentary colleagues tomorrow.
The gorgeous weather bathing the Bay of Islands this week hasn’t yet attracted the tens of thousands expected to flock to the small Northland settlement for the celebration of Waitangi Day.
There was a clear emphasis on traffic management in contrast to previous years. The famous bridge between Paihia and Waitangi was closed to all traffic almost all day. Those travelling via the Haruru Falls entrance had to pass several checkpoints before being let in.
Waitangi National Trust chief executive Ben Dalton says numbers will swell this afternoon. Photo / NZME
Waitangi National Trust chief executive Ben Dalton told the Herald he felt there was a “good vibe” across the Treaty Grounds ahead of larger crowds arriving in the coming hours.
“I do think, by this afternoon, the numbers particularly for Tainui will increase significantly.”
He acknowledged the increased traffic management measures, saying they had been informed by lessons learned during last year’s festivities which featured extensive travel delays and illegally parked cars lining the roads around Waitangi.
“[It’s about] making sure that people can come and enjoy themselves and be safe.”
Labour leader Chris Hipkins echoed Dalton’s assessment of the “vibe” at Waitangi, expecting today to be settled.
“It’ll be interesting to see tomorrow the political pōwhiri ... there might be a few statements there that’ll be a bit lively but overall, I think people are in a pretty good vibe.
Hipkins spent part of his morning indulging in some waka paddling, which he yesterday described as an “annual highlight”.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins at Waitangi with the waka paddle he has used for the past two years. Photo / Adam Pearse
While he wasn’t feeling optimistic about his paddling co-ordination skills, Hipkins believed he was receiving increased interest at this year’s Waitangi.
The paddle Hipkins used bore his signatures from the past two Waitangi celebrations; in 2023 when he was recently made Prime Minister and in 2024 when he became the Leader of the Opposition.
He acknowledged there had been a “bit of irrelevance” about his presence last year but he felt that had changed in 2025.
“There’s more people looking around going, ‘OK, well there’s another election, you know, next year [is] election year, and we’re already starting to think about that’, so yeah it’s definitely a mood shift there.”.
He was unsure whether he was getting more opportunities in Luxon’s absence from Waitangi, reiterating his view that Luxon should have attended given his Government’s Treaty-relevant policies.
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
