Green MP Francisco Hernandez asked the minister via a written parliamentary question what advice he had received on the decision of the Governor to sign a letter of support.
“None,” Peters responded.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is statutorily independent of Central Government on matters of monetary policy.
However, the RBNZ has no role, nor should it involve itself, in US domestic politics. We remind the Governor to stay in her New Zealand lane and stick to domestic…— Winston Peters (@NewZealandMFA) January 14, 2026
Peters told the Herald he didn’t need advice “because I know what the situation is”.
“I’m the minister and I know the constitutional niceties here. I’ve been around for a long time.”
Peters said he is a former Treasurer, “so I just might know what I’m talking about”.
He suggested he had been vindicated as “she has apologised to me”. Breman apologised for not seeking advice before signing the letter.
Teanau Tuiono, the Green Party foreign affairs spokesman, was critical of Peters.
“You can’t tell someone that they should have sought advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get across the issues when you haven’t done that yourself,” he said.
“What it looks like to me is that the Winston is continuing to pander to the Trump Administration, which is incredibly problematic.”
He said Peters’ actions show he is “loose on the lip and too quick on the hip”.
Peters may have experience in the role, but he should be “updating himself with the official information from ministry officials”, the Green MP said.
Breman signed the statement issued in January on behalf of several heads of central banks, saying they stood in “full solidarity with the Federal Reserve system and its chair, Jerome H. Powell”.
“The independence of central banks is a cornerstone of price, financial and economic stability in the interest of the citizens that we serve,” they said.
“It is therefore critical to preserve that independence, with full respect for the rule of law and democratic accountability.
“Chair Powell has served with integrity, focused on his mandate and an unwavering commitment to the public interest. To us, he is a respected colleague who is held in the highest regard by all who have worked with him.”
Among those who signed the letter are Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank; Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey; Michele Bullock, of the Reserve Bank of Australia, and Breman.
It came after the US Justice Department launched a probe into Powell relating to the renovation of Federal Reserve office buildings.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis also wasn’t consulted by Breman before she added her name.
“She put to me that she’d been reluctant to contact me at 3am in the morning,” said Willis.
She told the Governor: “Look, I’m available any time, and that’s what New Zealanders expect from me. So that I made clear.
“I also did make clear to her that that would have provided an opportunity to get advice from a range of perspectives. How that would have borne on her final decision, I don’t know. I wouldn’t speculate.”
Jamie Ensor is the NZ Herald’s chief political reporter, based in the press gallery at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. He was a finalist in 2025 for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.
