She argued that Dame Susan failed to meet criteria for the job which included knowledge of the Treaty of Waitangi and understanding of the issues which affected indigenous people.
Dame Susan wrote a column in the Bay of Plenty Times which criticised the way that Waitangi Day had been "marred" by protest.
She expressed her frustration that New Zealand's national holiday was not a day of celebration.
In a separate column, she described burqas as "disconcerting" after witnesseing an Auckland bus driver disallowing a woman from getting on board because she would not remove her burqa to be identified.
"Muslim women need to respect the need to sometimes de-robe in order to allow identification while New Zealanders should respect the personal choice made by these women without being ignorant and abusive," she said.
"I wouldn't want to see us legislate the ban of the burqa as much as I find them disconcerting."
Mrs Collins said the comments were made before Dame Susan became commissioner, and she would not be as free to express her personal views in her new role.
She added: "The Far Left does not have a monopoly on caring about race relations and Dame Susan Devoy is a very sensible and balanced person.
"We're allowed in this country to have views that have not been politically sanitised and what's wrong with that?"
The minister added that she believed race relations in New Zealand were "fantastic", pointing to a report by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination which placed New Zealand ahead of most countries.
New Zealand First MP Richard Prosser, who was widely criticised for his comments on Muslims last month, said he felt Dame Susan was a "superb" candidate for the commissioner role.
"She's a fresh face - it's good to have a woman in the job."
