Four New Zealand Members of Parliament have been banned from entering China, Hong Kong, and Macau for one year, after travelling to Taiwan as part of a cross-party parliamentary delegation in May 2026.
The MPs affected are National’s Maureen Pugh, Labour’s Duncan Webb, ACT’s Laura McClure, and NZ First’s David Wilson. They travelled to Taiwan for five days as part of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taiwan, a cross-party group established in 2023 to strengthen legislative relations, soft diplomacy, and economic cooperation between New Zealand and Taiwan.
The ban was communicated to the MPs via email from the Office of the Clerk, following a meeting between Office officials and representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Wellington — a meeting requested by the embassy itself. The Chinese Embassy indicated it would not be publicly announcing the sanctions, but added that an apology from the MPs could lead to the measures being suspended or cancelled.
ACT MP Laura McClure said she was caught off guard by the decision, noting that many other New Zealand MPs had previously visited Taiwan without facing similar consequences. She emphasised that the trip was focused on strengthening trade and economic ties, and argued that MPs should remain free to travel to Taiwan regardless of diplomatic sensitivities.
The visit touches on one of the more delicate fault lines in New Zealand’s foreign policy. Like many countries, New Zealand acknowledges — but does not formally accept — China’s “one China policy,” under which Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory. Taiwan, however, is self-governing with its own constitution and democratically elected government. New Zealand maintains an economic but not diplomatic relationship with Taipei, in line with China’s expectations of countries it holds formal diplomatic ties with.
This is not the first time China has pushed back against New Zealand parliamentary visits to Taiwan. A similar trip in 2025 drew criticism from the Chinese Embassy, which described it as a violation of political commitments made by New Zealand to China.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with the National, Labour, and NZ First parties, had been approached for comment at the time of reporting.
