PM, deputy disagree on refugees quota

Plans to increase New Zealand’s refugee quota appear to be up for negotiation, judging by some long-distance discord between the prime minister and her deputy.

After arriving in Nauru for the Pacific Islands Forum, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters said there was only an agreement to take the refugee quota to 1000, not the 1500 wanted by Labour.

‘‘We never made a commitment to double the refugee quota,’’ Peters said when questioned by reporters.

When it was suggested Labour had, Peters said: ‘‘Labour’s not the Government.

‘‘We’ve agreed to take it to 1000. At this point in time those are the discussions we’ve had, but we’ve made no announcement to double it.’’

During the past 20 years, New Zealand had taken on more economic refugees than most countries, Peters said.

‘‘We’ve got 50,000 people who are homeless back home, and I can show you parts of the Hokianga and elsewhere, parts of Northland, where people are living in degradation.

‘‘We have to help fix their lives up as well before we start taking on new obligations of the level that some people would like, such as calling for 10 and 20-fold increase in refugee numbers without any concern as to how they might be housed, how they might be employed, let alone the people in New Zealand who desperately want those utilities of life as well right now.’’

In Wellington, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the Government National leader Simon Bridges says an inquiry into allegations MP Meka Whaitiri physically handled a staffer is unnecessary.

Instead, he said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern should have hauled Whaitiri into her office, ‘‘looked her in the eye’’ and demanded an explanation.

And then, if that answer wasn’t satisfactory Ardern should have sacked her.

‘‘It’s what Helen Clark or John Key would have done,’’ he said.

Ardern has said that the inquiry into the alleged incident was now an ‘‘employment matter’’.

Whaitiri has been stood down from all of her ministerial portfolios and is keeping her distance from Parliament for the next week or more.

She will continue to be paid her $243,841 ministerial salary.

Meanwhile, police have confirmed they will not be investigating the matter after consulting with the alleged victim – Whaitiri’s former press secretary. remained committed to doubling the refugee quota.

‘‘What we have had to make sure that we can do is ensure that all of those refugees at this point can be resettled appropriately, and that we have the facilities to do that.

‘‘That’s something we’ve had to invest in, in order to build up that capacity, to make sure that we do the resettlement process appropriately and properly.’’