It was Winston's party and all were invited, but it was another political do - a very public tea party - that took up much of the proceedings when NZ First leader and political comeback king Winston Peters held a public meeting in Whangarei.
Mr Peters' party in Laurie HallPark, Whangarei, from noon yesterday, was attended by about 100 people, including 12 media, and the now famous "tea party" meeting between Prime Minister John Key and Act Party Epsom candidate John Banks was a hot topic for the man from Whananaki.
The pair's meeting was recorded without their knowledge and Mr Key yesterday refused to answer questions about the tape and, when pressed, walked out of a media "stand-up" conference. Mr Key had earlier said he couldn't remember what the conversation with Mr Banks was about and that it was bland anyway.
Mr Peters yesterday hinted he knew what was on the tape, saying it included Mr Key dumping on elderly people and dumping on his coalition partner, Act Party leader Don Brash. However, Mr Peters declined to release the contents, saying it was the media's job to do so, or Mr Key's.
"National has gone to incredible lengths to take over the Act Party and to gerrymander provincial electorates so National candidates face the most limited opposition. It is bizarre a prime minister telling the people of an electorate to vote for another party. It is bizarre for a candidate to campaign for an opponent," Mr Peters said. "How could someone who planned the event, the Tea Party, was at all times in control of it, had promoted it as a long teased out PR stunt, not recall the conversation, yet say the conversation was bland?"
Mr Peters, who has seen his party's support rise from below 1 per cent to almost reach the 5 per cent threshold for getting MPs in Parliament without winning an electorate seat, said its policies included having the railway between Northland and Auckland saved and expanded and the link to Marsden Pt built.
