NZ Holocaust Centre condemns Tamihere’s “worse than Nazi Germany” remark
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand has condemned Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere for comparing the New Zealand Government to Nazi Germany, calling his words “harmful at worst” and a dangerous trivialisation of history.
Tamihere made the remarks on The Bradbury Group politics podcast this week, hosted by Martyn Bradbury, in a discussion about Labour’s re-election chances in 2026 and Government policies affecting Māori.
“This is worse than Nazi Germany, this is a fascist regime that has to be removed,” Tamihere declared, criticising what he described as the Government’s “bully-boy mentality” and citing falling immunisation rates among Māori.
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand responded swiftly. Deputy chair Giacomo Lichtner, an associate professor of history at Victoria University of Wellington, said the comments amounted to “political hyperbole” that risks fuelling harmful rhetoric.
“Such language is unhelpful at best and harmful at worst. If we were ever faced with a regime that actually was fascist, the call to alert would fall on deaf ears because it would be easy to dismiss,” Lichtner warned.
The Centre has previously condemned similar analogies, including Winston Peters’ comparison last year between Labour’s co-governance agenda and Nazi “race-based theory.”
Lichtner urged politicians to refrain from drawing false historical parallels:
“Great care must be taken with comparisons to Nazism. They distract from real issues and risk radicalising political discourse.”
During the same podcast appearance, Tamihere also described National’s Māori Development and Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka as a “disgrace” to Māori and National MP Judith Collins as “ugly.” He confirmed plans to stand in Kelston against Labour deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni in the 2026 election.
The Holocaust Centre’s rebuke adds to growing concern in New Zealand about the casual use of Holocaust and Nazi comparisons in political debate — rhetoric many fear diminishes the historical reality of Nazi crimes and undermines the seriousness of present-day discourse.
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