When Winston Peters stood at the United Nations in New York and announced that New Zealand would not be recognising Palestine as a state at this time, you could almost hear the wailing from the streets of Ponsonby to the halls of Grey Lynn. Aotearoa is in mourning. If swimming pools were short on water, they could be topped up with leftist tears.
For Aotearoa, the side of this country that votes Labour, Te Pāti Māori, and the Greens, the decision cut deep. Their worldview demands instant recognition of Palestine as a state, no questions asked, no conditions applied. For them, foreign policy is not about reality or hard choices, but about slogans and solidarity hashtags. They wanted Peters to deliver what they see as justice. Instead, they got a cold dose of pragmatism.
New Zealand on the other hand largely supports the move. Peters made it clear that recognising Palestine now would be seen as rewarding Hamas, the terrorist group responsible for the atrocities of 7 October. That matters. New Zealanders understand that statehood is not a free pass handed out at the UN, but something earned by demonstrating governance, peace, and respect for international law. To recognise Palestine under the current circumstances would not just be premature, it would be reckless.
That is why New Zealanders are standing proud today. The coalition government has sent a signal that our foreign policy will not be hijacked by emotion or ideology. Recognition will come only when criteria are met, not because a protest march or a Twitter campaign demands it.
This is the great divide between Aotearoa New Zealand and New Zealand. One side drowning in outrage and tears, the other grounded in reality, quietly proud of a government that did not flinch.
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Watching the left have a meltdown has been quite entertaining. Helen Clark is absolutely losing the plot on X, frantically blocking anyone who does not share her view that rewarding terrorists is somehow the moral thing to do. Jacinda Ardern is also clearly unhappy about the decision…