New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has addressed a packed crowd of between 800 and 900 of party faithful today, briefly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters.
While many in the crowd appeared aggravated by the interruption, Peters was amused, saying that was considered a day’s work for the protesters.
Extra seats were added to accommodate those who’d come to hear Peters speak at the conference room at the Distinction Hotel.
It was the climax to a relaxed, convivial but robust two-day Annual General Meeting this weekend, with free and open debate among members on a wide range of topics, from the mundane to controversial.
In his speech, Peters said the party had been “knocked down”.
“But we’ve got up again. Over, and over, and over again.”
The comment was a reference to Chumbawumba’s hit Tubthumping. Peters had a brief skirmish with the band earlier this year after it took umbrage at his use of the song at New Zealand First events.
He said in the 2023 election New Zealand First had done “the impossible”.
“We came back.”
Peters also traversed past wins when in Parliament, saying one was that the party was the only one whose founders “staunchly and successfully campaigned for MMP”.
“And we were the only party that successfully campaigned for a threshold of 5% and have never changed that threshold when so many other parties wanted to.”
He also pointed to addressing the pay disparity between primary and secondary school teachers, free medicine for children under secondary school age and free doctors’ visits for elderly people.
“We are the party of the Provincial Growth Fund with hundreds of provincial growth projects, without failure, except where there were red tape planning delays. It is the Regional Infrastructure Fund now, and all over New Zealand regional leaders are saluting it.”
He said the party was, for the third time, addressing police numbers “when others talked a big game but never delivered”.
The speech was smattered with affirmations from those gathered like “yes,” and bouts of applause.
Pointing to more recent policy successes, Peters said the party had ensured “a full, independent, second phase of the Covid-19 inquiry”.
“We are the party that has stood up for fairness and safety of women in sports.
“It is New Zealand First who has helped ensure the repealing of the Therapeutic Products Act.”
He said the party had also helped Māori with “practical common-sense assistance” more than “all the other modern parties put together”.
“One could go on for hours, but ask yourself, who gave back Mt Hikurangi, who settled the West Coast leases, or the Central North Island 14 Iwi settlement, who put the Māori Women’s Welfare League on an independent footing, and who found desperately needed money for the Māori Wardens.
“And it is New Zealand First that inspired the proper settlement of the Foreshore and Seabed issue in the Act we had passed, while in opposition, in 2004.”
“All over this country, there are hundreds and hundreds of examples of New Zealand First’s policies of assistance to Māori, not based on wasteful consumption, but rather infrastructure that will be around for the next 50 years.”
He said the country needed to “stand united in thought, word and deed, about our future”.
“If we don’t, we are like a ship heading to the rocks. We must work together to restore New Zealand where everybody has a chance to survive and thrive, if they make the effort to. In some ways, our most endangered species is people — normal people.”
Peters took aim at standards in Parliament, saying they were dropping.
“Those standards are to be cherished and preserved, not trashed on the daily basis that we are seeing today.”
He said people were coming into Parliament with t-shirts, sandals “and even bare feet”.
He said Labour was now a “middle-class elite”.
“Labour leader Chris Hipkins’ view that the Government’s coalition agreements are ‘racist and anti-Māori’ shows, not only how myopic and out of touch his thinking is, but it puts in neon lights just how siloed his party is in their obsessive echo-chamber.
“Labour now relies on ideological soundbites as a basis of their policy-making — which when given even a cursory glance are totally bereft of any facts.”
Around this point protestors began to interrupt proceedings, chanting about Palestine.
They were barely able to enter the room, however, before they were removed.
Peters briefly paused his speech before encouraging those gathered to turn their attention back to him.
“This is amazing, they think that that’s a day’s work,” he said of the protesters, which was met with applause and laughter by the crowd.
Peters resumed his speech as protestors could still be heard faintly outside the building for about five more minutes.
He said the Labour Party was now “shallow and impotent” to describe the current coalition Government as anti-Māori or racist. Peters said New Zealand First was focused on economic prosperity and backing working people.
“If we are to make a recovery, we desperately need international investment.”
He said New Zealand was on a “constant slide” while other similar-sized countries prospered.
“We have to attract international investment, the same way … by taxation incentivisation.”
He said the party was “not so arrogant to think that we are always right, but we will keep on trying for you and our country. We have never claimed to be the ‘podium of truth’.”
He said democracy would prevail under the party’s policies.
“We are going to go on promoting policies based on need, not race or privilege.
“We are going to go on supporting the rule of law, where everyone is equal before it.
“We support the right of free speech and the right of New Zealanders to say, ‘I disagree’ and not be mandated out of existence.
“We support the right of New Zealanders to disagree with government policy and not be punished for it.”
He concluded the speech by saying “as we promised we are taking our country back” — a reference to the party’s campaign slogan.