Labour leader Chris Hipkins. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The Labour Party says the use of an image of controversial influencer Andrew Tate in one of its Instagram posts was an innocent mistake.
The page for Labour's Māori caucus posted a reel, featuring a 1 News article on Chris Hipkins' comments at Rātana last week.
Laid over the top of the article was GIF of Tate, and the word "correct!".
Tate, who has nearly 9 million followers on X, has been charged with rape and human trafficking.
Asked about the post on Wednesday, Hipkins acknowledged it was a mistake.
He said the person who put up the post had searched for the word "correct" and did not know who Tate was.
"They were selecting the animation for the word, rather than for the person. They're quite mortified now to know who the person was used in that GIF. It does not in any way reflect the views of the person who did the post."
Hipkins said it was a good reminder for people to know what they were posting, and it would not happen again.
"Certainly something that we'll be taking steps to avoid happening again in the future," he said.