KEY POINTS:
It has been a rough 10 months, health-wise, for Foreign Minister and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters but he appears to be through the worst of it. He was hospitalised following complications from a suspected spider bite in Malaysia, but continued to suffer from a mystery virus. He then returned to work within weeks of having knee reconstruction surgery from an old rugby injury. Before leaving for Australia and Europe today, he talked to political editor Audrey Young about his health, the state of his party and his plans for next year.
How has your mystery illness last year and your knee operation impacted on your health and your ability to do your job?
I have got no doubt that the virus I got was very debilitating but I am almost over it now. I was told it would take 12 months, it was possible, and I've seen colleagues of mine in the past pick up some illnesses. Bill Birch had a similar illness for eight months. You've just got to live with that. The good news is that I'm almost over it and I had my knee operation because I wanted to be in the best shape of my political career for a long long time. And I will be. I wanted to be in 2008 physically leading a party with all the ability that one has from being fit, experienced and ready to go.
There has been quite a bit of concern about your health.
It's not a health issue. The All Black lock from Otago is going to have to take 10 months from a knee reconstruction. I was back at work within a week.
That's the point. You went back to work too early.
But I'm over that part now. It was against my doctors orders but I had no option. The other side of the coin is that every week it gets better. It will be in great shape in three months time. It's about 80 per cent now.
Why won't you use a walking stick.
Because I don't need one now. It's only if I want to walk a couple of miles that it gets to be a problem. I'm getting better all the time. I went floundering the other night with a torchlight I got 18 flounders. I'm in far better shape than I was. You can hardly have a torch in one hand and walking stick in the other and catch flounders.
When your knee is better would you go on Dancing with the Stars?
No. I have never engaged myself in such trivial things. I don't do photo opportunities for the sake of them. But I have no doubt I could do better than some of the people I am watching on there. I am not going to disgrace my party by going on those sorts of things.
Can you guarantee you will still be Foreign Minister as you head into the election next year?
No one can guarantee that but I don't see any changes happening.
Some people have suggested that New Zealand First might pull the plug before the election.
Well perpetuating a deceit and a lie is not what journalists should be doing. We didn't pull the plug on the National Party. The National Party sought to pull the plug on us. Journalists in the know know that. Shipley was chosen to get rid of us. They were setting out to breach a contract that they had with another party. It is one of the reasons they are out of power and may stay out for a long time longer. Until they learn the new environment in which we live politically.
Is Labour better at managing support parties?
The political thing would be to give you another answer but the truth is, yes, they are. And I said so quite some time ago when I made a speech about helen Clark's understanding of MMP and the National Party's. I said that in a speech four or five years ago. It has proven to be a fact. I don't spend countless hours with the Prime Minister and the Labour Party. A lot of the things we do are straight over the phone in short conversations and we have the problem solved. On the question of state funding for political parties our answer was no, that's where we stand.
Why is New Zealand First polling so low?
Because your polls are rubbish. We've been through all that before. We've been below one per cent. As Muhammad Ali would say 'we're going to shock the world again.' How many times do you have to do it before you people actually wake up and realise that it's your credibility on the line and not ours. The fact that we don't conform to some of the media's approach to politics is neither here nor there.
Were you disturbed at the public row between your president and two MPs over the smacking row and what has been done about it?
The answer to that is no. Our experience in politics tells us that that is exactly the kind of issues in which parties do have disputes. I've seen it in other parties in the past. I expect to see it in the future. The real issue is how we handle it. Personally I don't mind there being a discussion on the issue of a conscience vote because we began as a party asserting the right to dissent. Thank God we did. That's what we started New Zealand First from. We dissented from the 1990 National Party's manifesto not being followed the moment they got into power. That's where the Winebox started, the BNZ and all those other things. so it is healthy to remind ourselves that we are not a party that has a rule 242. It is not a party that having given somebody a conscience then questions it. Our policy on this issue [smacking] always was 'it should be a referendum.' We are in this circumstance because other parties will not give a referendum on the issue.
Presumably you are not happy with threats [by party president Dail Jones] to demote two MPs down the list.
If it is perceived as a threat, that is wrong and it is not going to happen. We look at candidates and MPs on the basis of their total record, not just one issue. We don't want a party full of people who have one view. It just illustrates the freedom that we do give members. I take great pride in that personally because as a founding member of New Zealand First, that was one of our fundamental beliefs.
You've already committed to standing next election. Will you stand in a seat? If so where?
I'm going to make all those announcements when the time comes. There's no doubt I'm going to be standing in 2008 leading a very rejuvenated party. Our two-day caucus has given me every cause to believe we are in a very upbeat strong position. We have had a chance to remind ourselves how distinctive we are from the rest of the political system, that New Zealand First is unique. We are not lined up on either side. And our founding principles are as fundamental today as they ever were.
Do you think we'll know by mid-year if you will stand in a seat?
Well I could possibly know now. But this is for me and my party to discuss.
National has undergone renewal: Labour will achieve it in reshuffles and selections before the next election. Does New Zealand First need renewal too?
Undoubtedly. We always do. That is the reason we have put so much in place structurally within the party in the last six months and why we've had this two-day caucus.
What do you mean "structurally in the party?"
We are out there looking for candidates now. We believe we will do very very well in 2008.
Is the next leader of New Zealand First already in Parliament?
I've always said there is a number of people who could take over New Zealand First, when that day comes. But I'm fighting fit. Why would I even consider this?
Is it fair to say that in dealing with Labour policies NZ First is caught in no-man's land, not in Government and not in Opposition? For example on the issue of Corrections.
No it's true to say that. More importantly New Zealand First is going to defy conventional wisdom and political gravity by being the party that survives a working relationship stronger than when it went into it.
In short, one of the achievements we have is a major review going on in Corrections. We got that. Ron Mark got that. He started with the goon squad and he has pushed at it for years.
[reading from list] The reduction in the age of criminal responsibility is right on the agenda now. We have got improvements in the home detention scheme. We intend to see an end to the use of home detention as an option for offenders with a past history of violence.
These are the achievement is this area: corrections head office structure is being changed; a wide-ranging inquiry by the Ombudsman into parole changes; plus the age of criminal responsibility.
Apart from your gains under the agreement like the Supergold card and more cops, what issues has NZ First really made a difference on?
The minimum wage was moved up last year to $10.25 an hour; this year to $11.25 an hour and we said when we went into this arrangement that we would get $12 by the end of 2008. We are well on the way to achieving that. That is huge. That is an extra $75 a week in a 40-hour week person's pocket. We have taken super from what it was to $20 more per couple every week and $13 more for a single person. That is substantial. We got an extra $126 million for elder care, $58 million extra for home-based support and $68 million for age-related residential care all in last year's Budget. Then we got Export Year 2007 which is going to set the pattern for the next two decades.
Are you getting credit for those achievements?
No we are not. But we will campaign on our record which is more things done outside of a Government party than all the other parties put together. I'm happy to see what their list is but I can guarantee ours would be three times more than their comprehensive list altogether and achieved by us in 18 months flat.
Do you acknowledge there is concern in your party about your job as Foreign Minister affecting your job as New Zealand First leader?
The fact is that the membership of New Zealand First thinks the Foreign Minister is doing a good job and I believe I am. The goals we set ourselves, having got this job, of raising the profile of the Pacific is not acknowledged by Japan, by China, by France and now America has declared that 2007 will be the Year of the Pacific. I think we have been enormously successful in awakening parts of the world to the importance of the Pacific. The second thing is our co-operation with the EU and others in the Pacific is at a far higher level. The third thing is the Budget will demonstrate how successful we have been in raising the profile within New Zealand of this critical area in our backyard and other parts of our foreign policy. The Prime Minister has come back from Washington having had a very successful meeting with the president which is unique for her time or any other Prime Minister since 1984.
In what sense unique?
It is unique that she has had time to spend with the president, for the president to have entertained her in the way he has, that is unique in the last 23 years. It is a framework that we set out last year to create. You will see at the Budget our success. You will see in the Budget our success on the question of a savings programme being adopted by New Zealand, beginnings of taxation changes, in a whole lot of areas all the way to, well I don't want to announce it now. I want it to come as a surprise but you will see how successful New Zealand First has been. We have our list ready now to tell you want we are going to do. The Budget will demonstrate it.
Do you find it hard to juggle the two hats? Foreign Affairs and New Zealand First leader?
No. Because Foreign Affairs is unique. Off shore we should be one people. There is no other ministry that affords you that exceptional environment. That's why I knew it would work. Plus in the last 10 years on foreign policy we had agreed with Labour on nearly everything. Some areas we didn't agree was that they should be putting far more work into the Pacific, far greater investment into Foreign Affairs. But to be fair to Labour, [spending on] foreign affairs by 2002 had declined by 40 per cent. They turned that around. We in this Budget [May 17] will turn it around a lot more substantially.
In aid?
In all aspects. If we want to be a first-world trading country, we are going to have to put more on the ground abroad. That is the good news that is coming.
You are about to head on a three-week trip to Gallipoli to represent New Zealand and then bilateral meetings in Europe and Indonesia away. How can that sort of work benefit New Zealand First?
First of all, 92 years ago there was a major sacrifice by New Zealand people. It was awful so one is obligated to commemorate that occasion and we have done it every year in recent times by attendance by the Government. The second thing is the EU chair has passed for six months to Germany. There are huge amounts of money that we are working collaboratively with the EU on and is demonstrated in East Timor. Being there and talking to these people is important. My meeting in Jakarta is important. It is the biggest Islamic country in the world and one with which our relations are improving. These are unavoidable. How does it help New Zealand First? The fact of the matter is the Foreign Minister comes from their caucus and I have set out to demonstrate that abroad we should be one country. That's why this job is unique.
Have you been to Gallipoli before?
No I have had numerous chances but I just couldn't go. I have written all my speeches. I hope that they are worthy of the event.
When will you repay the election money identified by the Auditor General as unlawful in his report and will you do it begrudgingly?
No. We have said we will call a press conference to announce all that before too long. It will be when I get back but well before other parties have addressed the issue.
Anything you want to add?
I just want to say that the party is in very good spirits. We are upbeat. We are united. We have had a very very good two days thrashing out where we are going. The fact is that we have got a substantial list of achievements and that we are going to spend a lot of time reminding people of that. There is no doubt that other parties have sought to steal our policies but they are not going to get away with that. Don Brash's attempt to steal our policies was naked, it was shameless and shameful but he couldn't articulate them.
We don't under-estimate our political foes. Nor do we over-estimate them. We have got a lot of confidence about what is going to happen in 2008.
