A You Tube clip of Henry laughing at the name of the Delhi chief minister, Sheila Dikshit, made international headlines and is dominating the press in India.
India has denounced the remarks as racist.
McCully said he would indicate to the Indian government that the comments were the actions of one person, made in a country in which freedom of speech is an important foundation principle.
But he said it is always regrettable when a prominent individual abuses the freedom of expression to cause offence to others.
"That is especially the case when the person offended against is a prominent public figure in another country," McCully said.
"The actions of Mr Henry in this case can only be described as gratuitous and insulting."
McCully said he will make it clear to the Indian government that TVNZ operates independently from the New Zealand government and any action against Henry is a matter for the company or the Broadcasting Standards Authority.
via
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/indian-govt-lodges-complaint-over-henry-3825821