NZ First attacks Peters for losses

Winston Peters

Frustration among key New Zealand First players about its election campaign emerged yesterday with unusually frank criticism of leader Winston Peters.

Mistakes during the campaign were highlighted by the party's policy and strategy director, Damien Edwards, at a Victoria University conference at Parliament.

This included the observation that Mr Peters' decision to attack Bob Clarkson, his Tauranga opponent, in the last week of the campaign was a tactical error.

Deputy leader Peter Brown later echoed the criticism, saying the election campaign was "a bit of a stuff-up".

"I don't think you'll ever see NZ First run a campaign like that again, I sincerely hope not."

Another senior MP, Brian Donnelly, said last night that "it's time we all got over it and moved forward".

But in another blow to Mr Peters, who returns from Britain today, he said: "Winston has to find a way of sorting out a truce with the media, simply because we can't go on with a Minister of Foreign Affairs in constant battle with the media."

It was a two-way deal, he added.

The criticisms come at a sensitive time for NZ First which lost almost half its caucus when it dropped from 13 to seven MPs at the September election.

Mr Peters returns after a turbulent time in his new role, the subject of scrutiny both here and overseas.

He faces his first week of opposition grilling in the House over his "inside/outside Government" position and will be nervously awaiting the High Court decision on his electoral petition against Mr Clarkson's campaign spending.

Mr Edwards said the influence of the Tauranga campaign on the party's national campaign was "absolutely vital".

"Without a doubt the decision ... to go negative on Clarkson certainly hurt the national campaign ... tactically that was a mistake."

Mr Edwards was also dismissive of the primary campaign billboard featuring Mr Peters standing on the foreshore. He said the last six weeks of the campaign lacked coherence and raised other strategy issues.

One commentator yesterday said the billboards looked as though Mr Peters was looking at poo on his shoe.

While Mr Edwards directed some criticism at the media for the halving of the party vote at the election - while joking with the audience that "I won't accuse anybody of treason" - most of his attack was reserved for the party.

Mr Peters, on the other hand, has frequently blamed the media for the election results.

The Weekend Herald approached Mr Brown to ask whether Mr Edwards' comments were appropriate. Mr Brown said Mr Edwards was simply being "truthful" and there had been concern about the way the campaign was run.

"We went totally for the party vote everywhere and I think that was a mistake."

Asked if Mr Peters was wrong to attack Mr Clarkson, he said: "That was a Winston call, that's his electorate. I think with the benefit of hindsight we probably would say 'wish he hadn't done it'."

The Herald understands many of the campaign decisions were made by Mr Peters and his chief of staff, Graham Harding.