Winston Peters spoke to the media following his State of the Nation speech this afternoon in Palmerston North.
ANALYSIS
“Winston, go home” was one chant that came from pro-Palestine protesters outside the venue where Winston Peters delivered his State of the Nation address today.
Little did they know the New Zealand First leader was indeed home.
Peters was back in his element, a public meeting filled to thebrim with fervent supporters willing to cheer and clap every one of the trademark quips they’ve come to know and love.
The crowd, purported to be in excess of 600, was treated to some of Peters’ greatest hits:
Saying Labour couldn’t run a tuck shop, let alone a government;
Repeating Elvis Presley’s famous lyric, “If you’re looking for trouble, you came to the right place” (Peters actually misquoted the King during his speech, telling supporters they had actually come to “the wrong place”);
Claiming no reporters attended his public meetings before the election;
Citing the Phil Collins song Both Sides of the Story when talking about media bias;
Raging against a “self-appointed Māori elite” who were out of step with “ordinary Māori”;
Referencing his “half Scots, half Māori” ancestry.
NZ First leader Winston Peters leaves a Palmerston North conference centre after his State of the Nation address. Photo / Adam Pearse
Crowd size is a particular point of pride for Peters, with him today crowing that there was “standing room only”. He was right - people lined the Elwood Room to the extent the venue was over-capacity.
A common theme observed during NZ First’s election campaign was the party’s inability to put out enough chairs, often causing a mad scrabble to add extras minutes before Peters took the stage.
It appears this was taken to a new level, with centre staff telling reporters party staff had actually put away some seats that had already been set out.
Hundreds turned out for Winston Peters' State of the Nation address. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Those critical of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon for recycling his speech at Waitangi this year should hold a similar position when considering Peters’ State of the Nation address, much of which reflected his pitch to the electorate in the weeks before the election.
Aside from a brief commentary on current economic challenges, Peters’ speech was dominated by criticism of the previous Labour government, an allegedly bought-off media and what was agreed to within NZ First’s coalition agreement with National.
Nevertheless, the warm blanket of campaign Winston was clearly one his supporters had missed.
Peters’ highlighting of Labour’s failures was rejoiced and endorsed. Reporters in attendance faced snide comments and jeering when Peters painted the picture of a fourth estate paid off by a $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund.
Almost every item from the coalition agreement Peters recalled was greeted with strong applause - the loudest reserved for the commitment to investigate reopening the Marsden Point oil refinery, an issue close to the hearts of NZ First supporters.
It validates the decision by Peters and the party leadership to hold the State of the Nation address now.
NZ First leader Winston Peters was very critical of Labour during his speech. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Those who voted NZ First back into power could be forgiven for thinking their priorities had been put on the back-burner as the Government raced through its 100-day plan.
During that time, Peters has largely focused on his duties as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. It was just yesterday Peters returned to the country after visits to India, Singapore and Indonesia.
The content of Peters’ address indicates an intentional swinging of the pendulum back to keeping the party’s base happy.
It also kick-starts efforts from the party to be more visible, which will include utilising its new MPs to tell voters what NZ First is doing on their behalf in Wellington.
Tomorrow, Peters will take off his party leader hat and resume his foreign affairs focus when he meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
However, his supporters may feel slightly more assured that when they see Peters carrying out his ministerial duties, they know his commitment to them and their cause hasn’t waned.
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
