Peters 'has totally lost the plot' - Turia

Winston Peters said that if NZ First was returned to Parliament it would work to extend the SuperGold Card benefits. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Winston Peters is making another pitch for the Grey Power vote.

The New Zealand First leader, who introduced the SuperGold Card and free off-peak travel for pensioners while he was in Parliament, promised today he would do even more if his party is given the chance at the 2011 general election.

Mr Peters told Grey Power's annual meeting in Christchurch that superannuitants were not going to be better off under the tax changes the Government is going to announce in next month's budget.

"Official papers, not yet released, say that those on super and on low incomes will be hardest hit by the forthcoming tax changes," he said.

"That is because the overall tax take by the Government will not change but those on the highest incomes are going to get tax cuts. Someone has to pay for these tax cuts - it's as simple as that."

NZ First just missed making the 5 per cent threshold in the last election that would have kept it in Parliament, and it is running at around 3 per cent in current opinion polls.

Mr Peters said that if NZ First was returned to Parliament it would work to extend the SuperGold Card benefits.

The first would be to bring in one free health check a year and a $10 cap on visits to the doctor after that.

During his speech he also criticised the new Whanau Ora programme for welfare delivery, which he said was going to turn into a disaster for taxpayers, and the Government's proposals for legislation to replace the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

"If this proposal - or something like it - becomes law there will be a stampede of iwi and hapu to the courts to claim customary title to the coast and the sea out to the 200 mile zone. There will be hundreds of court cases," he said.

Mr Peters titled his speech "Malice in Blunderland", frequently referring to the "curiouser and curiouser" political events he was witnessing.

The Maori Party reacted to that with a statement headed "Winnie in Wonderland needs to wake up".

"Whatever world Winston is in, it isn't the real world...he has totally lost the plot," said Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia.

"Winston's attempt to reinvent himself is based on the same old policies and the same old rhetoric - and that's probably why he's not in Parliament today."

Mrs Turia suggested he might be getting himself confused with the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the March Hare or perhaps the Dodo.

- NZPA