[ad_1]
Winston Peters had one last sleight of hand ready.
As a crowd of 100 supporters, locals and reporters waited for the NZ First frontman to hit the stage at Russell’s Duke of Marlborough hotel, all eyes were on the hall entrance.
Peters made the cameras go off when he suddenly appeared through another door and behind the podium.
He was subdued but not regretful in a short speech. More than half of the votes have been counted and NZ First has failed to exceed 3%, well below the necessary threshold of 5%.
David White / Stuff
NZ First leader Winston Peters after addressing his supporters at the Duke of Marlborough in Russell, having lost the 2020 election.
READ MORE:
* Winston Peters will not stand next to Simon Bridges at Waitangi powhiri
* Save us the boredom Bridges, discard Winston
* NZ First’s 25th anniversary party is an opportunity to jump right into the culture war
“Elections are about democracy and what the people want, and we must never stop trusting the people, whom we have the privilege of serving in whatever capacity and for as long as it is,” Peters said.
“To those of you who have been successful tonight, our congratulations and best wishes.”
The leader of NZ First has been the greatest political survivor during a career of nearly four decades. After returning from political oblivion in 2008, Peters sat on the crossed benches until NZ First got 7.2 percent of the vote in 2017.
With a third chance to be a “kingmaker,” Peters went to the Labor Party, making Jacinda Ardern prime minister and himself a deputy prime minister.
On Saturday night, Peters left the door open for NZ First to return.
DAVID BLANCO / THINGS
NZ First supporters wince as they watch the election results on television at the Duke of Marlborough in Russell.
“For 27 years, there has been a party that has been prepared to challenge the establishment and challenge authority, and tonight more than ever, that force is still needed.”
“As for the next challenge, we will all have to wait and see,” he said before hurriedly leaving, refusing to speak to reporters.
The evening started off subdued, with the sun setting on Russell as the crowd sipped wine and watched the election broadcasts, without jubilation. The audience dwindled noticeably before Peters took the stage.
DAVID BLANCO / THINGS
NZ Prime candidate and former Cabinet Minister Shane Jones at the Duke of Marlborough in Russell, in the run-up to the Election Night Party.
NZ First’s Shane Jones, speaking before Peters, told the audience that the election result was the “fruit of democracy,” and said he has kept his promise to Northland regardless of the ebb and flow of the political outcome.
Talking later with Stuffsaid Peters was clearly remembering the party’s defeat in 2008 after a three-year stint in government with Labor.
“Naturally, you don’t give up until a certain lady has sung – cleared her vocal chords – but look, I think she gave a very kind speech.
“I was repeating history. In 2008, when Helen Clark was replaced by the John Key regime … in three years, the NZ First party returned as part of the parliamentary landscape. ”
DAVID BLANCO / THINGS
New Zealand’s first MP, Shane Jones, and his partner Dot hit the dance floor at the Duke of Marlborough in Russell after the party was ousted from Parliament.
As Russell’s last shuttles took everyone but the most committed of the crowd, and National Leader Judith Collins finished her concession speech, Jones screamed on the television.
He was asking his fans to forget about Ardern and Collins and enjoy the “piss” at the bar.
Jones then made his way to the dance floor, dancing with a singer hired to perform a list of songs that are now decades old.
DAVID BLANCO / THINGS
The sun sets on Russell and NZ First on Saturday night.
