He’s baaack

Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, June 21st, 2021 - 30 comments
Categories: climate change, Culture wars, global warming, Judith Collins, Maori Issues, national, nz first, winston peters - Tags:

For the first time since the election Winston Peters has reemerged, making an appearance at New Zealand First’s annual general meeting where he gave the keynote speech.

He had the opportunity to talk about the country and its problems and could have focussed in pressing issues such as climate change, child poverty and recovering from the global pandemic.

But instead he chose to talk about what clearly seem to him to be the most pressing issues, the “over” use of Te Reo, cycleways and gangs.

Someone should tell Judith Collins that Winston has stolen all of her party’s attack lines used during the past six months.

He made particular mention of the He Puapua report and at the same time managed to attack cancel culture and wokism, which was no easy feat.  He said this:

And in 2019 a report called ‘He Puapua’ came to government but was never shown to one NZ First Cabinet Minister.

This report was deliberately suppressed.

In short, this report is a recipe for Maori separatism, they knew it and that’s why they suppressed it till after the election in the full knowledge that NZ First is for one flag, one country, one law.

It was a gesture of ingratitude and bad faith.

Growing in our country is a ‘cancel Culture’ where anyone who asks legitimate questions is belittled as a colonialist, a racist, a bigot, a chauvinist, or worse still, not new’ wokeage’.

He managed to show a complete misunderstanding of Auckland’s light rail that made Paul Goldsmith look like he knew what he was talking about.  Winston said this:

You’ve heard of light rail announced to cost $1.7 billion with a tender process, that since the election the Auditor General said was illegal, and where the costs, as we said, have blown out towards $15 billion.

There was never an announcement of cost.  There was a figure of $1.8 billion in the Auckland Transport Alignment Project “that will be used to leverage funding and financing and progress the city-airport and northwest corridors over the next decade.”  This clearly was not the cost of the project.

Winston also had a chance to rail against the EV subsidy scheme, the scheme which his party managed to frustrate when they were in Government.

In typical Winston style after the meeting he refused to talk to reporters despite having previously indicated he would do so.

This was a typical Winston performance.

The tactic is interesting, Labour supporters would resile from what he was saying but National supporters would wholeheartedly agree.  I suspect a few current National supporters will be reviewing their beliefs and see if a Septuagenarian railing against respect for Te Ao Maori, multiculturalism and addressing climate change may be the sort of leader they want ruling the country.

30 comments on “He’s baaack ”

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  1. Ad 1
    21 June 2021 at 8:36 am

    We're still building multiple PG projects around NZ.

    No sign of light rail, and my bet is if that cycleway doesn't start this term it will go the same way.

    NZF are right there.

    And if Labour can't wrangle a decently structured constitutional debate re Maori, they deserve the hit.

    So they are also right there.

    We need him.

  3. KJT 3
    21 June 2021 at 8:56 am

    Someone forgot to hammer the stake in.

    • tc 3.1
      21 June 2021 at 9:49 am

      It's not all bad. We get to watch their respective dog and pony shows which our MSM will dish up as 'balance' as they fight over that voting demographic.

      Jude should be hearing the sound of inevitability as the master blaster returns to the table with that dish he's got leftovers from carving up in 2017.

      It’s even colder now.

    • Bearded Git 3.2
      21 June 2021 at 9:50 am

      smiley

    • McFlock 3.3
      21 June 2021 at 12:16 pm

      🙂

  4. Robert Guyton 4
    21 June 2021 at 9:28 am

    Same old. Same. Old.

  5. Jenny how to get there 5
    21 June 2021 at 9:38 am

    ‘

    The albatross with a 'handbrack' around its neck

    Still waiting for that 'something positive to offer'.

    "We were pilloried for being the handbrake, but since the last election hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders are coming to understand why we were essential and why we are missed"
    Winston Peters, NZ First leader

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/winston-peters-first-interview-since-election-defeat-hell-lead-nz-first-if-party-wants-him/V37PX5OY4MCKE5NUJFZBOMASUY/

    The court case against the NZ First Foundation:

    "It's certainly problematic. It is a kind of albatross around the neck. And a lot will depend on that ultimately.
    "But they can counter it . . .
    It comes back to the vision and the values, and having something positive to offer."
    Josh Van Veen, party member, and former NZ First researcher

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/winston-peters-first-interview-since-election-defeat-hell-lead-nz-first-if-party-wants-him/V37PX5OY4MCKE5NUJFZBOMASUY/

  6. Byd0nz 6
    21 June 2021 at 10:30 am

    The Opportunist's opportunity has gone, good riddance to the former Muldoon protégé

    • tc 6.1
      22 June 2021 at 12:42 pm

      IMO National has created the opportunity by sticking with DP v2.0 represented by the unelectable leader who knows where the skeletons are buried.

  7. Hunter Thompson II 7
    21 June 2021 at 10:48 am

    How did he find time away from his courtroom battles (which he invariably loses) to address the NZ First conference?

  8. coreyjhumm 8
    21 June 2021 at 11:51 am

    I wish him all the best parliament is boring without him. We would probably be in a fifth term of a national government had he not gone with labour, incumbents benefit from a crisis after all and wed potentially have a nat/act govt. "Shudders*

    Nzf is Keynesian and centerist I'd prefer them over nats and act any day of the week.

    Since the left is allowing the right to get the entire free speech vote (which is stupid, surely top could reinvent itself as a somewhat libertarian left leaning party ) I wish Winston all the best in sucking up the pro free speech left and centerist vote and splitting up the social conservative vote.

    Nz f has worked very well with lab govts and has been betrayed constantly by national , nzf is an esrtwhile friend that could provide labour a third or fourth term by splitting the right vote or by going into coalition with us

    Either way for a person who brought this govt to power and when he talks about countries nz should emulate (he always says Scandinavia should be who emulate) Winston gets far too bad a wrap from the nz left he's not a ukip or a Farage who are radical neoliberals he's … He's weird …. And has more in common with the left than the right … He deserves more respect than he gets …

    Won't vote for him but I miss Winston.

  9. mary_a 9
    21 June 2021 at 2:04 pm

    Oh God, he has risen yet again! The spectre of Winston Peters attempting to become relevant, is beginning to smell somewhat overblown now, once more engaging his already converted followers, telling them what they want to hear. It's like a time warp into the past all over again!

    Where are NZF's policies to take NZ towards the future? IMO new policy has always been low on the ground as far as NZF is concerned.

    Until WP steps down from the leadership and hands the role over to someone fresh, keen, having the drive to deliver strong progressive policy, NZF will remain out of Parliament. And by fresh, I don't mean … give me strength … Shane Jones!

  10. roy cartland 10
    21 June 2021 at 2:57 pm

    There was something on the grapevine a while back (may have been one of Chris Trotter's pieces) that Winston was really just a false-flag lightning rod for all those old-fashioned sentiments, forever attracting (thus splitting) that vote, but never really enacting any of it.

    Kind of the Professor Snape of NZ politics.

  11. ken 11
    21 June 2021 at 5:51 pm

    Now that he's upset both major parties, who will want to work with him?

    Who will want to vote for him?

  12. peter sim 12
    21 June 2021 at 7:40 pm

    What is wrong about voting for septuagenerians? Are you an ageist? Time you grew up.

    • ken 12.1
      22 June 2021 at 3:28 pm

      Was that directed at me?

      Where did I mention age?

      • greywarshark 12.1.1
        22 June 2021 at 3:57 pm

        That was a great example of projection by peter s. (see projection – psychology)

      • Incognito 12.1.2
        22 June 2021 at 4:36 pm

        No, I don’t believe that it was directed at you. Peter’s comment was a standalone one (AKA a new thread @ 12) and not a reply to yours – it would have been a nested comment with nested comment number, e.g., @ 11.1 – and appears to be referring to the last sentence of the OP.

        Chill smiley

        • ken 12.1.2.1
          28 June 2021 at 4:01 pm

          He did seem to be asking someone a couple of questions and then telling them off.

          I'm not losing any sleep over it.

  13. Brendan 13
    21 June 2021 at 9:19 pm

    Yes he is back.

    But remember, he only has to appeal to the 10% of the electorate that is likely to vote for him. Thus he will offend the Greens, leftist Labour and even Act voters, because at the end of the day – these people are not going to vote for him.

    [correction made to user name]

  14. Patricia Bremner 14
    22 June 2021 at 7:48 am

    Winston is "The come back king". He always spots likely weaknesses, so considering how to counter his arguments might be wise.

    He has no time for the current National Party, is old school and yet supported Jacinda Ardern.

    An enigma is Winston, except he really does see "New Zealand" as an important entity. Why he is so threatened by Maori renaissance is difficult to fathom, and his 'two laws" stance only partially explains it. Perhaps someone with more inside knowledge may explain or clarify this more.

    He is a force, so the implications need to be considered, as the disaffected may look to him at the next election.

    • solkta 14.1
      22 June 2021 at 8:25 am

      I don't think Winston is threatened by Maori renaissance at all. He sees an opportunity to gain votes and seizes it. I'm not even sure if he is actually racist against Asians. It is all niche marketing. As Rod Donald said, a snake oil merchant.

    • GreenBus 14.2
      22 June 2021 at 8:58 am

      Winston made his name in my old home town – Tauranga. Pandering to old white people which he knew very well were highly racist, back then. He hasn't changed and can't be trusted, unless you want to keep non whites at the bottom of the heap.

    • Anne 14.3
      22 June 2021 at 11:07 am

      Why he is so threatened by Maori renaissance is difficult to fathom..

      I see solkta has beaten me to it. He isn't threatened. Just an attempt to get the red-neck vote back – Waitakere man and woman.

  15. Patricia Bremner 15
    22 June 2021 at 1:23 pm

    So divide and rule? I remember "Bob the Builder" who beat Winston in Tauranga, rather poor candidate imo.

  16. georgecom 16
    23 June 2021 at 8:42 pm

    perhaps one the the strangest political quotes of recent times coming from Winnie, why he didn't go with the "sex maniac party". Looking forward to using that line on my local Sex Mani…….um, National Party MP.