Winston Peters Open to Reviewing Conversion Therapy Ban

I sure hope so, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said when asked if the country’s conversion therapy ban should be overturned, setting off a swift political clash that drew an immediate rebuke from National leader Christopher Luxon.

In a wide-ranging interview with Family First conducted by Bob McCoskrie, Peters stated that New Zealand First would have fought the conversion-practices legislation if the party had been in Parliament when the measure passed in 2022. While Peters stopped short of committing to make an outright repeal an official election policy, he maintained that his party remained open to reviewing the law, pointing to what he described as legitimate concerns raised regarding the treatment of vulnerable people.

Peters later clarified in a statement that his party was not in favour of scrapping the legislation entirely, though he argued that parts of the statute warranted re-examination. However, National leader Christopher Luxon rejected any possibility of relitigating the issue under his leadership.

Luxon Rules Out Legislative Reversals

Speaking to reporters in Kāpiti, Luxon dismissed any prospect of dismantling the conversion therapy ban or reopening the nation’s abortion statutes.

No, we’re not overturning that at all. That’s not changing whatsoever, Luxon said regarding the conversion therapy legislation.

Addressing abortion policy, Luxon reaffirmed a personal pro-life stance that he previously articulated in 2021, when he likened the procedure to murder. Despite those personal views, Luxon assured voters he would maintain the settlement reached during parliamentary debates in 2018 and 2019.

I said in 2023 I would not be changing them as prime minister, and I’ve met that commitment, and I’ll continue to meet that commitment, Luxon told reporters. There will be no changes under me as prime minister.

Abortion Remarks Draw Sharp Criticism

During his interview with Family First, Peters also addressed the topic of abortion timing, telling McCoskrie that late-term procedures shade into murder or assassination, get any name you like, Peters said. Peters reiterated his view that human life begins at conception and argued that the facts surrounding the timing of terminations should be revisited.

Labour campaign chairperson Kieran McAnulty responded to Peters’ remarks by dismissing them as an intentional distraction tactic designed to generate headlines without any follow-through. McAnulty suggested that Luxon and National campaign chair Simeon Brown would likely welcome the debate given their own personal views on abortion, but emphasized that voters on the campaign trail were primarily focused on the cost of living rather than the relitigation of social laws.