Peters defends view on Lotu-Iiga

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters (pictured) defended Corrections Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga. Photo / Ben Fraser

Saying Corrections Minister qualified for job because he is Samoan 'not racist', says New Zealand First leader.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has defended embattled Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, saying he is partly qualified for the job because he is Samoan.

Mr Peters made the comments after his keynote speech at the NZ First conference in Rotorua, in which he returned to well-trodden ground by taking aim at current levels of immigration.

In an off-script comment, he attacked Social Development Minister Anne Tolley as entirely unqualified for her previous role of Education Minister.

He was asked by reporters afterwards why he did not criticise the qualifications of other ministers such as Mr Lotu-Iiga, under the gun after incidents of violence at Mt Eden prison, which is run by British company Serco.

National MP Peseta Sam Lotu-liga. Photo: NZPA / Ross Setford

"Sam never put this [privatisation] policy in place, people like Tolley and [Judith] Collins did that. And now they are leaving Sam to take all the consequences," Mr Peters said.

"I think Sam has a great understanding of some of the conditions and some of the psychology of a majority of prisoners in New Zealand, who happen to be Polynesian and Maori.

"If you come from the biggest population group in the prisons, you might have a rough idea of what some of their concerns and aspirations are. Maybe better than some other culture, that's all I'm saying. He is far more qualified academically than Anne Tolley as well."

Mr Lotu-Iiga was born in Apia, Samoa, and moved to New Zealand as a child, growing up in Mangere and attending Auckland Grammar School before working as a lawyer and entering Parliament in 2008 as MP for Maungakiekie.

Mr Peters, who is media manager of a parliamentary rugby team of which Mr Lotu-Iiga is a member, denied his comments were racist.

"The greatest percentage of people in our prisons happen to be Maori and Polynesians, and someone who understands their culture might be slightly better qualified to understand them than others."

A spokeswoman for Mr Lotu-Iiga said he did not want to respond to Mr Peters' comments.

In his keynote speech, Mr Peters complained that other parties had been stealing NZ First's policies, such as a ban on foreigners buying houses and a system to ensure immigrants went to the regions.

He differentiated NZ First by focusing on its two-decades-old call for low levels of immigration -- and said there was no need for the party to unveil new policy.

Alluding to the dire economic conditions that led to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, Mr Peters called for a "New Kiwi Deal" and a turn away from "free market dogma and neoliberal dictum".

Part of the New Kiwi Deal would be a plan -- already NZ First policy -- to pay beneficiaries a "community wage" to work on jobs for councils, such as fixing up houses and planting trees.

Mr Peters wants the party to raise funds to amass a war chest of much more than $1 million to fight the next election, and said he was confident that target would be met.

"We know that we can't beat the big corporate parties, but we certainly know -- like [US President Barack] Obama knew -- that we can get out to ordinary people in our country and enlist their support to ensure we have the fighting fund we need."

He repeated his call for NZ First to ensure it was in a three-way fight with National and Labour at the next election.