Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford could have expressed herself better, but meant no offence when she made comments about receiving emails from people in India, the Prime Minister says.
When answering parliamentary questions about the use of her private email, Stanford said she received a number of unsolicited emails.
"I receive a lot of unsolicited emails like, for example, things from people in India asking for immigration advice, which I never respond to. I almost regard those as being akin to spam," Stanford said.
The comments, which singled out people from India, have been covered in Indian media,including in Times of India and the Indian Express, and accused her of stereotyping.
Stanford has since said she never intended to upset anyone when she made the comments.
"It wasn't my intention to draw out one particular country. It was just a recent example that I happened to have in my head at the time," Stanford told RNZ.
"If I could go back and not say that particular country, of course I would."
Erica Stanford Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Morning Report he was not worried the comments would hamper New Zealand's relationship with India.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is due to visit India soon to progress work on a free trade agreement.
Luxon said New Zealand had a "big" relationship with India.
"Very confident in our relationships with our top to top level with our partners in India, we're working exceptionally well, we've already had our in person meetings on the FTA and you know Erica was just talking about a volume of unsolicited emails that she gets around the world actually on different issues.
"There's no offence intended with any of her remarks. Could she have expressed it better? Maybe. But the point is I'm really relaxed about it."
Priyanca Radhakrishnan Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
He didn't think Peters would need to discuss the matter during his visit.
Labour MP Priyanka Radhakrishnan told First Up it was "unacceptable" for a minister to single out one ethnicity.
"Ministers receive unsolicited emails from everywhere, but just to single out Indians, that's unfair, it's unacceptable."
