But his primary concern was the wellbeing of Everlee Wihongi, who has been detained by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement for over a month without any charges.
At Question Time in Parliament yesterday, David Seymour – on behalf of the Prime Minister – said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) was very aware of Miss Wihongi’s situation.
“They are engaged with the American authorities and will continue to work with them to ascertain all of the facts and present the New Zealand Government’s view. I don’t think it would be helpful for me to say in the House any more than that.”
Inevitably, there were follow-up questions.
Rawiri Waititi: What is his response to Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters when he made false accusations about Everlee Wihongi, blaming her for being detained, and will the Prime Minister require him to correct the record?
Hon DAVID SEYMOUR: On behalf of the Prime Minister, I don’t believe the member is in a position to know that the accusations are false. If he does, the right thing to do would be to talk with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, because it sounds as though he may have information that would be helpful to Miss Wihongi, rather than grandstanding in the House about it.
Waititi then pressed for the Government to rebuke the Trump Administration – an indication, perhaps, of what a future coalition government with him as a member of the executive team would have to do.
Rawiri Waititi: Will he strongly condemn Everlee’s treatment by ICE when her whānau have stated that she has been shackled for hours, waiting in hot weather, being deprived of food, sleeping on the ground, and not being able to shower?
Hon DAVID SEYMOUR: On behalf of the Prime Minister, as I’ve said earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade are in contact with the American authorities. They seek to establish the facts, and they will present New Zealand’s position in line with our values as a country. Those complaints are best presented to the Minister of Foreign Affairs so that MFAT can use them in order to best serve her as a New Zealand citizen. I don’t believe that it is useful to try and politicise the issue, which is obviously very sensitive for her.
That wasn’t good enough for Waititi.
He obviously thinks our Government has muscle to flex and should be flexing it.
Rawiri Waititi: What penalties can the Government impose on the United States if they continue to abuse New Zealand citizens and other immigrants in ICE detention centres?
Hon DAVID SEYMOUR: On behalf of the Prime Minister, we don’t generally think of ourselves as penalising other countries. None the less, where we believe there has been a breach of our understandings between countries, we ensure that we are doing the best to represent New Zealand’s position on the world stage, behind closed doors and openly, and I think our Minister of Foreign Affairs has had a good couple of years of doing that, after we were nearly invisible on the world stage under his predecessor.
The next question more reasonably called for whatever can be done to be done.
Moreover, it recognised that Wihongi isn’t the only New Zealander who has fallen afoul of the Trumpian crackdown on illegal migrants.
Rawiri Waititi: Will he commit to doing everything in his power to ensure that Everlee Wihongi and all New Zealand citizens detained by ICE are treated humanely and released as soon as possible?
Hon DAVID SEYMOUR: On behalf of the Prime Minister, that is exactly what the New Zealand Government is doing through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This is the answer I gave to my first question, and my advice to the member, if he wants it, would be to try to vary his questions in relation to the answers he has received. He might find out more.
PoO doesn’t have up-do-date figures.
But a few months ago, RNZ reported on the Trump administration’s nationwide crackdown on migrants since taking office.
While much of the crackdown has focused on the Latino community in the US, foreign nationals from other countries – such as South Korea – have also been targeted.
The ministry confirmed earlier said it was helping one New Zealander in detention.
Around that time, New Zealander Sarah Shaw and her six-year-old son had been released back to their home in Washington state after a problem with her paperwork on the US-Canada border.
Google’s AI search gadgetry tells us as that of early May 2026, MFAT is providing consular assistance to multiple citizens experiencing detention and immigration difficulties in the United States amid the strict enforcement crackdown, including cases involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement .
We trust the United States Embassy in Wellington monitors goings-on in Parliament and picked up on the Māori Party threat of reprisals.
This might include a lusty haka outside of the Embassy – or inside, if they can get in with a team of TV cameras.
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
“They are engaged with the American authorities and will continue to work with them to ascertain all of the facts and present the New Zealand Government’s view. I don’t think it would be helpful for me to say in the House any more than that.”
Inevitably, there were follow-up questions.
Rawiri Waititi: What is his response to Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters when he made false accusations about Everlee Wihongi, blaming her for being detained, and will the Prime Minister require him to correct the record?
Hon DAVID SEYMOUR: On behalf of the Prime Minister, I don’t believe the member is in a position to know that the accusations are false. If he does, the right thing to do would be to talk with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, because it sounds as though he may have information that would be helpful to Miss Wihongi, rather than grandstanding in the House about it.
Waititi then pressed for the Government to rebuke the Trump Administration – an indication, perhaps, of what a future coalition government with him as a member of the executive team would have to do.
Rawiri Waititi: Will he strongly condemn Everlee’s treatment by ICE when her whānau have stated that she has been shackled for hours, waiting in hot weather, being deprived of food, sleeping on the ground, and not being able to shower?
Hon DAVID SEYMOUR: On behalf of the Prime Minister, as I’ve said earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade are in contact with the American authorities. They seek to establish the facts, and they will present New Zealand’s position in line with our values as a country. Those complaints are best presented to the Minister of Foreign Affairs so that MFAT can use them in order to best serve her as a New Zealand citizen. I don’t believe that it is useful to try and politicise the issue, which is obviously very sensitive for her.
That wasn’t good enough for Waititi.
He obviously thinks our Government has muscle to flex and should be flexing it.
Rawiri Waititi: What penalties can the Government impose on the United States if they continue to abuse New Zealand citizens and other immigrants in ICE detention centres?
Hon DAVID SEYMOUR: On behalf of the Prime Minister, we don’t generally think of ourselves as penalising other countries. None the less, where we believe there has been a breach of our understandings between countries, we ensure that we are doing the best to represent New Zealand’s position on the world stage, behind closed doors and openly, and I think our Minister of Foreign Affairs has had a good couple of years of doing that, after we were nearly invisible on the world stage under his predecessor.
The next question more reasonably called for whatever can be done to be done.
Moreover, it recognised that Wihongi isn’t the only New Zealander who has fallen afoul of the Trumpian crackdown on illegal migrants.
Rawiri Waititi: Will he commit to doing everything in his power to ensure that Everlee Wihongi and all New Zealand citizens detained by ICE are treated humanely and released as soon as possible?
Hon DAVID SEYMOUR: On behalf of the Prime Minister, that is exactly what the New Zealand Government is doing through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This is the answer I gave to my first question, and my advice to the member, if he wants it, would be to try to vary his questions in relation to the answers he has received. He might find out more.
PoO doesn’t have up-do-date figures.
But a few months ago, RNZ reported on the Trump administration’s nationwide crackdown on migrants since taking office.
While much of the crackdown has focused on the Latino community in the US, foreign nationals from other countries – such as South Korea – have also been targeted.
The ministry confirmed earlier said it was helping one New Zealander in detention.
Around that time, New Zealander Sarah Shaw and her six-year-old son had been released back to their home in Washington state after a problem with her paperwork on the US-Canada border.
Google’s AI search gadgetry tells us as that of early May 2026, MFAT is providing consular assistance to multiple citizens experiencing detention and immigration difficulties in the United States amid the strict enforcement crackdown, including cases involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement .
We trust the United States Embassy in Wellington monitors goings-on in Parliament and picked up on the Māori Party threat of reprisals.
This might include a lusty haka outside of the Embassy – or inside, if they can get in with a team of TV cameras.
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
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