Our position is clear, says NZ First

New Zealand First is taking out an advertisement in the Herald to clarify its position post-election and counter what it says is mischief-making by the newspaper's journalists.

The Herald today reported there are divergent views within NZ First over the position outlined by leader Winston Peters in a speech last week.

It said some in NZ First believed it would support the biggest bloc of parties.

In the speech last week, Mr Peters said NZ First would not go into a formal coalition with either Labour or National.

He said NZ First would talk first to the party with the most seats after the election about a support deal.

Today Mr Peters confirmed it would be supporting the biggest party, not a bloc of parties.

"If the voting public vote for one party against another, and one party comes in with more votes than others, then we would ensure that that party could govern without the extremes of the left or the right," he said on National Radio.

A furious spokesman for Mr Peters today said the party had been forced to take out an advertisement in the Herald to clarify its message to voters, and counter the "damage" being done by today's article.

There should be no confusion as Mr Peters had made clear his intentions in the Rotorua speech, the spokesman said.


However, Progressive leader Jim Anderton said today: "The fact that NZ First is having to issue statement after statement clarifying the implications of its position is evidence enough that it is unclear, even to professional politicians.


"The reason it is confusing is because it claims to be based on some convention that no one has ever heard of because it doesn't exist.


"The only constitutional convention that the Governor-General is interested in is which leader, Helen Clark or Don Brash, is able to secure a Parliamentary majority on confidence and supply."


- NZPA, HERALD ONLINE STAFF