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Ricky Wilson / Stuff
Winston Peters spoke at Orewa, made famous by another racially charged speech in 2004.
NZ First leader Winston Peters attacked Labor for Ihumātao in a searing speech, saying he halted a deal there that would have opened a flood of reopened Treaty claims.
He said only NZ First could “protect” the principle of “one law for all” from “waking up the elites of fellow travelers.”
Peters delivered the speech in Orewa, the famous site of another racially charged speech by then-national leader Don Brash in 2004, prompting a huge leap for National in the polls and a retraction by the Labor government on Maori issues.
In his Orewa speech, Peters said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern caught him by surprise when he was abroad by intervening in Ihumātao.
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The disputed land near Auckland Airport has been occupied since 2016. It is currently owned by the Fletcher Building, which had planned a housing development on the land. The land was originally confiscated by the Crown in 1865. The local iwi struck a deal with Fletchers in 2014 that saw the housing project scaled back, but protesters argue that the land must be fully surrendered.
Ardern chimed in in July 2019, saying that no new buildings would be built until a peaceful agreement has been reached.
Ricky Wilson / Stuff
Winston Peters arrives in Orewa.
Peters said this happened without consulting him while he was abroad and that it was a “terrible decision”: breaking an agreement that the two sides had made to avoid “the kind of politically correct policies that undermined Helen Clark’s governments.”
“There was never any consultation with our party, as according to the Labor agreement with us it should have happened,” Peters said.
He said NZ First “went to the wall” to prevent a deal from being finalized, but if the Labor Party was re-elected with the Green Party or on its own, the deal would pass.
“We said no to Labor. Not even once. Not twice. But three times, ”Peters said.
“If Labor rules after the elections, either by themselves (heaven forbid) or with the Greens (God help us all), then they will make a deal in Ihumātao. Nothing is safer. “
“If the Crown weakens its resolve after the election, just watch the flood of action on previously settled Treaty claims.”
“So if you want a future free from the past and free from guilt, choose the only part that can stop Ihumātao and its ripple effect and its consequences. If you don’t want a new wave of claims on previously resolved treaty claims, it’s up to you. If you want to live in a country where there is ‘one law for all’, only New Zealand First can protect you. “
Peters said National was “nowhere” in the race and that a vote for ACT would be wasted.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
Peters attacked activist Pania Newton in the speech.
He said that too many Maori were trapped in the past and that the Treaty was too narrow a device to allow New Zealand to move forward as a “cohesive and united people.”
“In 2020, too many Maori, aided by a small minority of the elites of awakened fellow travelers, cannot change their way of thinking. They are trapped in the past. They wallow in it. “
“Endless self-flagellation about the past by elites in Maoridom and in our universities and cities, not to mention certain political parties, does not serve the national interest.”
Peters attacked activist Pania Netwon directly in the speech.
He began his speech by attacking the media, claiming that he, and his party, had been victims of lies and misinformation.
“We are here to set the record straight,” Peters said.
He implored voters not to attach much importance to media coverage when voting.
“You are the master of your destiny, don’t let them tell you they are.”
Peters arrived on the bus with the party brand, adorned with the slogan “back your future.”
The vast majority of the audience, seated in chairs a meter apart, appeared to be an older Pākehā. About one in three of the roughly 100 attendees wore masks.
NZ First currently staggers well below five percent in polls, meaning the party cannot re-enter Parliament.
ACT leader David Seymour said Peters had created the problem by naming Ardern prime minister.
“Peters could have promoted a law for everyone in the cabinet for three years, instead of implementing it three weeks before the election,” Seymour said.
“This is too little, too late.”
