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CAMPAIGN JOURNAL: No one was talking about the Serious Fraud Office when they met Winston Peters.
The NZ First leader took part in a marathon day of campaigning in South Auckland on Wednesday, as the fallout from the party’s failed court challenge to silence the OFS until after the elections dominated the headlines.
It is no wonder that the people of Mangere, Ōtāhuhu and Onehunga did not want to chat about the SFO matter.
It’s a complex, months-long story involving two charges against people with name suppression and the split between an organization called NZ First and an organization called NZ First Foundation.
Even Peters’s attack on the SFO for announcing the charges felt like baseball, with a reference to the 2016 US election and James Comey’s intervention in them.
DAVID BLANCO / THINGS
Winston Peters goes out of his way to ignore a man complaining about his government in today’s campaign.
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But while they didn’t want to bring up that sore point, Peters wasn’t exactly getting good news from the public.
A young man from Onehunga followed him down the street, telling Peters that his government had not helped the beneficiaries, driving Peters away from a housing conversation with another young man who seemed very skeptical that Peters had anything to offer him. (NZ First has yet to release a policy manifesto, despite voting beginning today and a promise in recent weeks that publication was imminent.)
Several of the people who spoke to Peters seemed unlikely to buy his “insurance” against the terrifying prospect of Jacinda Ardern being prime minister without him detaining her, what he describes as an “elected dictatorship.”
DAVID BLANCO / THINGS
Winston Peters discussed the correct way to do a “V for Victory” salute, referring to his namesake Winston Churchill.
“I hope you and Cindy will be together again, I love that lady,” said a woman in Onehunga. Peters replied, “Thank you.”
Another woman spoke to Peters for several minutes about how angry she was at Judith Collins, making it clear that she was giving Labor two ticks.
“Okay, but don’t forget what made this administration successful,” Peters said.
“It was experience and common sense for several years, through many, many crises. Credit where credit is due. “
In Māngere Town Center another yelled “Come on Winnie, come on Labor!” – leading Peters to a line she used multiple times Wednesday, asking voters to split their vote between Labor and NZ First, for “insurance.”
DAVID BLANCO / THINGS
Winston Peters visits a cafe in Onehunga.
“It’s common sense,” Peters said of the insurance strategy.
“A nightmare is coming on one side, and they can’t do it, as National and ACT are way out of step. And then there is the possibility of an elected dictatorship, which brought us to the MMP in the first place, or heaven forbid the influence of the Greens, “Peters said.
In fairness to Peters, this is one of the most worker-friendly areas in the country, although he did not accept it when asked.
“When you say deep in Labor territory, I can remember what Labor looked like in the last election, what it looked like before breaking loose and switching to Jacinda. No area is anyone’s territory anymore, that’s the beauty of MMP ”.
Peters is right: he gets votes from parties across the country. But in recent polls she’s getting as much support as minnows like the New Conservatives, while ACT and the Green Party sit comfortably above the 5 percent line.
DAVID BLANCO / THINGS
Winston Peters on the election campaign in Onehunga.
This appears to have prompted Peters to adopt a slightly new campaign style, with more events planned for Thursday than usual and a decision to participate in the upcoming Newshub minor party debate, which he had previously disliked. (Peters often says that it should be part of the debates of the major parties, not the minor ones.)
Ironically, the interest of the OFS case also means that it has more reporters following it, which will lead to more coverage and could improve its chances.
Peters is the most experienced political activist in the country, first winning a seat in South Auckland more than 40 years ago. To return to Parliament, you will have to use every drop of what you have learned.
