Summarised by Centrist
Foreign Minister Winston Peters used his appearance at the Oxford Union to warn that judicial overreach threatens democracy, arguing that unelected judges are increasingly making political decisions best left to elected representatives.
Speaking alongside former Polish president Andrzej Duda and former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, Peters said judges around the world were “expanding legal concepts not fully grounded in legislation.”
He cited recent New Zealand examples, including rulings on resource management, interpretations of the Treaty of Waitangi, and the introduction of “ambiguous” cultural concepts such as tikanga into law. Peters said this judicial activism had forced Parliament to legislate “to restore the original intent” of lawmakers.
He cautioned that when courts reinterpret laws based on ideology rather than statute, democracy itself is “under assault.”
Though his side lost the vote 70–140, Peters’ argument reinforced his long-held view that judicial elites risk eroding the authority of Parliament and the will of voters.
Editor’s note: The Oxford Union, once famed for unbridled debate, now often accused by critics of “wokeness”, has faced growing internal rows over free speech and ideology. Notably, around the same time as Peters spoke, Oxford Union president-elect George Abaraonye was ousted in an overwhelming vote after members discovered he had posted a social media message celebrating the assassination of US conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
