Protestors interrupted Winston Peters speech at the NZ First Party Conference this afternoon in Hamilton.
Video / NZ Herald
Two people have been arrested after allegedly pushing NZ First minister Shane Jones as Jones sought to shield leader Winston Peters from protesters at the party’s national convention in Hamilton today.
In a statement, police said they were called about 3.05pm to a Te Rapa address after a report of two people being assaulted.
“There were no serious injuries. Two people were arrested and charges are being considered.”
It comes as Peters announced the party will campaign on changes to the tax system to attract foreign investment which will fill the party’s proposed $100 billion future fund.
His speech was briefly interrupted by a couple of protesters supporting Palestine in its conflict with Israel.
Peters was accosted as he finished his speech by other protesters who followed him out after his speech.
Police have arrested two people after protesters accosted Winston Peters and pushed Shane Jones at NZ First's national conference in Hamilton today. Photo / Mike Scott
Police have arrested two people after protesters accosted Winston Peters and pushed Shane Jones at NZ First's national conference in Hamilton today. Photo / Mike Scott
NZ First party staff and members intervened to surround Peters from protesters, some being restrained. The protesters shouted after Peters, saying they wanted to debate the Palestine conflict.
It’s understood two people were arrested after allegedly pushing Jones as he sought to shield Peters.
Police are on the scene taking statements from witnesses, including those who were caught up in the commotion.
Jones told the Herald the man who accosted him “seemed obsessed about skinks and other unintelligible rabble”.
“You can’t start manhandling politicians, certainly not when they’ve got their whānau around.
“I never said anything to inflame the situation, but my mere physical presence seems to be inflammatory enough as it is.”
NZ First leader Winston Peters tries to shrug off a pro-Palestine protester after his speech at a public meeting in Hamilton to finish his party's conference. Photo / Adam Pearse
Jones believed it was a “deliberate attempt” to disrupt the meeting and the incident was a warning for future events.
“It’s a salutary reminder that seemingly innocuous characters out to do harm can both ruin events and create a level of danger.”
He expected the party board to do a “deep dive” on what had occurred and it was up to party leadership whether charges were pursued.
NZ First president Julian Paul said it was too soon to say whether the party would pursue charges against the protesters. He said the party would consider it in the coming days.
He accepted it wasn’t good to have MPs pushed, saying the party was used to “professional protesters” instead of the “level of infiltration that’s a bit harder to manage”.
A pro-Palestine protester is taken into custody by police after an incident at the New Zealand First conference following a speech by leader Winston Peters. Photo / Mike Scott
Paul said the party had employed security for the event and had police officers at the venue for the meeting.
As protesters disrupted Peters’ speech and accosted the leader afterwards, some party supporters shouted and swore at them.
Paul disavowed that behaviour and wanted the party to host events without that level of aggression from all sides.
On the conference more broadly, Paul believed it had given members a good “sense of direction” about the party’s drive to mobilise early ahead of the 2026 election.
Winston Peters makes foreign investment announcement
Peters unveiled the apparent 2026 election policy while speaking in front of about 800 supporters to close the party’s annual conference in Hamilton.
Speaking to the packed audience, Peters decried expensive “arguing and political posturing” interfering with infrastructure development.
“It’s time to stop that, and begin greater co-operation.”
He pointed to a policy proposal approved by members yesterday to investigate the development of a $100b “New Zealand Future Fund” to “invest solely in a multi-decade infrastructure build ... to enable future economic growth and social enablement”.
Peters said he wanted the fund “ring-fenced” from political interference and used in New Zealand’s national interest and “not offshore globalised ownership”.
NZ First leader Winston Peters addresses the party's national convention in Hamilton this afternoon. Photo / Mike Scott
“$100b is a small sum to expect – if our policies are right,” Peters claimed.
“So it is New Zealand First policy to look at those successful small nations and introduce policies that mirror their plans.”
He said the fund would be established through “taxation incentivisation”, welcomed with applause.
Later, Peters told journalists he would attempt to convince his coalition partners of the policy’s merits with the hope it could be progressed during this term.
Aside from the policy announcement, Peters stepped up his criticism of Labour, claiming the party had “disconnected from working people”.
“They do not understand the struggles of working men and women, or their aspirations,” he said.
“The Labour Party has decided their entire re-election strategy will be acting like a recently divorced partner – standing back and asking ‘Don’t you miss me yet’? The lack of self-awareness is astounding.”
Union celebrates NZ First’s advocacy as conference closes
Peters’ address follows a speech earlier today from First Union general secretary Dennis Maga, who credited NZ First for supporting the union’s objectives and urged the party to oppose Act minister Brooke van Velden amending the Employment RelationsAct.
Party members also continued to debate future policy proposals, supporting moves to implement better safety mechanisms for under-16 social media use and considering imprisoning people who vandalised historic places and areas.
Last week, Peters told the Herald he would be making a “major” policy announcement designed to encourage foreign investment in order to improve the economy.
NZ First leader Winston Peters says he will make a policy announcement while speaking in Hamilton. Photo / Mike Scott
More than 250 party delegates had converged on Hamilton for the two-day conference, the highest attendance for at least two decades.
Last night, the party held its traditional gala dinner for more than 300 paying members, its highest attendance ever.
Party members appeared buoyed by NZ First’s return to Parliament, Government and Cabinet after a disastrous result in 2020 that left the party in the political wilderness.
However, the party today made a play for Labour voters as Maga, head of the 32,000-strong trade union, told members NZ First had been a good advocate for First Union, including securing funding for St John and opposing migrant worker exploitation.
Maga confessed he’d been advised NZ First was an “anti-immigrant party” while he had reacted with “disbelief” at his invitation to speak at the conference.
While Maga said the union was not affiliated with any party, he said he was pleased NZ First had listened to the union’s concerns, criticising National and Act for “disregard[ing] its existence and presence”.
First Union general secretary Dennis Maga was a guest speaker at the New Zealand First Party conference, held in Hamilton. Photo / Mike Scott
Members also heard from Save Women’s Sport Australasia spokeswoman Ro Edge, who discussed transgender people’s involvement in sport.
Alongside the speeches, the party engaged in robust discussions of future policy in remit sessions designed to establish NZ First’s policy manifesto in 2026.
Members of Young New Zealand First, who had regularly proposed and submitted on remits, sought support to investigate banning social media for people under 16 years of age.
That prompted those more sceptical of government overreach to oppose the proposal and it ultimately led to the policy being amended, with members agreeing to investigate better safety mechanisms for social media use by people under 16.
Another contentious proposal, also from the party’s youth faction, wanted NZ First to consider new legislation that would make vandalising an historic place or area an imprisonable offence.
Several contrasting arguments were made but the matter was decided when party president Julian Paul implored members to support the remit as he was “sick of people attacking our cultural heritage”.
“Let’s not let anyone attack our history,” Paul said.
A remit to investigate providing income tax deductibility for those with private healthcare narrowly failed, with 66 members for it and 82 against.
Given the lengthy nature of the remit debates, only 28 of the 42 policy proposals were able to be discussed before the conference was closed ahead of Peters’ public speech.
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 Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
