New Zealand's deputy prime minister, Winston Peters, has created a test of leadership for new prime minister Chris Luxon by describing him as "misinformed" by media.
Mr Peters is engaged in a bunfight with Kiwi media after an incendiary campaign speech on Sunday in Palmerston North.
The New Zealand First leader labelled the previous Labour government's "co-governance" policies, which aimed to share power with Maori, as racist, likening them to Adolf Hitler's regime.
"I've seen that kind of philosophy before. I saw it in Nazi Germany," he said, drawing condemnation from the Labour opposition and Jewish groups.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins accused Mr Peters of behaving like a drunk uncle at a wedding.
Mr Luxon also gently criticised Mr Peters, calling the language inflammatory and unhelpful, and that it would prompt a talking-to.
"I don't think extreme language on either side, from any particular party, is actually helpful or necessary," he said.
Mr Peters has railed against local media for its reporting of his speech, which has overwhelmingly focused on his Nazi remarks rather than the rest of the hour-long address.
On Tuesday, he issued a press release titled "media representation, inconsistency and dripping bias" listing his complaints.
Mr Peters then gave an interview with TVNZ on Wednesday when he said the promised talking-to from the prime minister ended up with him correcting Mr Luxon.
"I realised like so many New Zealanders, all the way to the top, he's been misinformed by you media people," he said.
On Wednesday, Mr Hipkins said Mr Peters was "humiliating the prime minister", but Mr Luxon said he was simply uninterested in being drawn into a circus.
"I've made my points," he said, plainly frustrated.
Mr Peters, 78 years old and first elected in 1973, has a long history of starting media storms with provocative comments.
Mr Luxon, the National party leader, is unable to discipline Mr Peters as the pair are from different parties, with Mr Peters' eight NZ First MPs crucial for the government's majority in the house.
In an unlikely turn, British band Chumbawamba have also been drawn into the spat.
The NZ First leader has adopted their hit Tubthumping, which features the words "I get knocked down, but I get up again" in his campaigns.
In response to journalist queries, Chumbawamba guitarist Boff Whalley said the band opposed Mr Peters' "divisive, small-minded, bigoted policies" and had asked their label, Sony, to issue NZ First a cease-and-desist notice.
In response, Mr Peters issued a press release accusing - again - the media of bias.
On his way to question time on Wednesday, Mr Peters refused to stop for journalists as is customary, instead holding his phone to his ear and playing Tubthumping on loudspeaker.
The intransigence is a challenge for Mr Luxon, who already has the worst favourability numbers of a recently elected prime minister in modern Kiwi history.
Veteran broadcaster Mike Hosking told Newstalk ZB the whole saga was straight from Mr Peters' own playbook.
"It's a tired old game Peters has played for years," he told his morning radio show.
"Say something emotive, cue the outrage, milk it for as long as you can."
In the TVNZ interview, Mr Peters described interviewer Anna Burns-Francis and other journalists as being a "leftie shill".
"All I want from the New Zealand media, paid for by the taxpayer, is some unbiased neutrality and honesty," he said.
