Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s office keeping secret information on trade speech that irritated Winston Peters

• Prime Minister Christopher Luxon delivered a speech last month on how he’d “fight” for free trade
• Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters was critical of “military language” like “fight”
• The Prime Minister’s Office is refusing to release information about the preparation of that speech

The Prime Minister’s Office is keeping secret information related to a foreign affairs and trade speech Christopher Luxon delivered last month that irritated Winston Peters.

In the wake of US President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement in early April, Luxon spoke to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce about how free trade was “worth fighting for” and how he was “up for that fight”.

The Prime Minister also revealed in that speech he’d be calling other world leaders to shore up support for the rules-based trading system and explore the role of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in strengthening trade.

But the speech did not go down well with his Foreign Affairs Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Peters, who just days later criticised people using “military language” like “trade war” and the need to “fight”, terms Luxon had just used.

Peters said the pair hadn’t discussed Luxon’s call with world leaders and he hoped the Prime Minister would “get my message and he’ll call me next time”.

The Herald requested the Prime Minister’s Office provide under the Official Information Act all communications, briefings and other documents relating to the April 10 speech, including drafts, any consultations made on its content and any discussion afterwards about reaction to it.

The office wrote back this week saying several email threads had been identified within the scope of the request. These were between staff in the office and the Prime Minister, and between staff in the office and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

“Attached to and embedded in the emails are draft versions of the speech that was delivered at the Wellington Business Chamber,” the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Cameron Burrows wrote.

However, he decided to withhold the emails and draft versions of the speech under a section of the legislation that allows information to be kept secret to ensure the maintenance of the “effective conduct of public affairs”.

That section lets officials withhold information if it’s considered “the free and frank expression of opinions by or between or to Ministers of the Crown or members of an organisation or officers and employees of any public service agency or organisation in the course of their duty”.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's office didn't send Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters the speech beforehand. NZME photograph by Mark Mitchell

The letter also cites other sections information was being withheld under, including to protect the security or defence of New Zealand or its international relations, and to protect the privacy of individuals involved.

The office said “no public interest has been identified that would be sufficient to outweigh the reasons for withholding that information”.

Notably, the Prime Minister’s Office’s response does not identify any email threads between it and the Foreign Affairs Minister’s office about the speech.

Speaking to the Herald a couple of weeks after the speech was delivered, Peters said the speech was meant to be shared with him beforehand but “there was a hiccup, so I never saw it”.

Peters said the “stuff up” was “not of the Prime Minister’s making”. Asked if it was an error made by Luxon’s office staff, Peters said: “Yes.”

In a statement at the time, a spokesman for Luxon said: “The Prime Minister’s Office has nothing to add to Mr Peters’ comments”.

The Prime Minister considered suggestions that Peters had been criticising his speech a “media beat-up” and said he didn’t always share his speeches with ministers.

Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office.