A long speech, classic one

Winston Peters’ visit to New Plymouth on Sunday was memorable for all manner of reasons.

There was the length of his speech (1 hour 20 minutes), the large crowd, which packed out the Devon Hotel, the potshots at the media, classic one-liners, and Vote the Mullet t-shirt he was gifted by former mayoral aspirant Murray “Muzz” McDowell afterwards.

Peters seemed moved, at least to laughter, when gifted the shirt after stand-up with media.

With no candidate running in the New Plymouth electorate, Peters' visit was one to drum up party votes and judging by applause he received as he walked on stage, and throughout his speech, there could be upwards of 250 votes going his way.

Peters was quick to jump on the news of the day - that Prime Minster Chris Hipkins’ and the Labour Party had ruled out working with New Zealand First.

He said it was hardly news, as everyone knew that he'd ruled out working with Labour anyway.

This was because of the party’s “racist separatist policies" and that it was “pandering to the woke".

But during his speech, and in the media stand-up afterwards, he wouldn’t say who he would work with.

To date, Act Party leader David Seymour has ruled out working with Peters and National leader Chris Luxon refused to say if he would when quizzed about an alliance on Sunday.

Peters’ wide-ranging speech pumped up the crowd, pressing on the importance of the region's agriculture and energy sectors and the threats to each.

He told the audience of his experience milking cows and how there was “a continued push for no emissions at all from an inner political cabal – which is seeing our primary food producers very existence being threatened”.

It was comments like these, and others about repealing Three Waters and strengthening law and order, that drew rounds of applause.

When addressing law and order, he drew on a recent murder case in New Plymouth where a teenage offender involved was sentenced to 12 months' home detention.

“Ladies and gentlemen this accentuates the alarming development in this country’s justice system, which has so little concern for the victims, but instead gives priority to the offender.”

Peters was quick to criticise both major parties for campaigning on getting tougher on crime.

He said under Judith “Crusher” Collins National crushed no cars and had a “catch and warn policy", while Labour had implemented a “fishing policy” – it was called “catch and release”.

The joke was met with a roaring laughter.

New Zealand First policy would strengthen police numbers, putting more frontline police on the streets and ensuring that the courts do enforce the law – not dilute it. The party would also designate gangs as terrorist organisations, he said.

Peters also made policy announcements, including establishing a Ministry for Energy and promising to establish a fuel security plan.

He said the plan was a way of joining together all the actions required to ensure the country was appropriately protected from any fuel supply disruption.

Peters decried the state of the country’s education, which garnered more applause. He would crack down on truancy and “stop the social engineering sexual and gender indoctrination in schools – and get back to teaching the basics”.

His speech ended with a rally for the crowd's party vote at “the most critical election in our lifetime”.

"New Zealand First is the insurance voters need to avoid an ideological lurch in either direction...It’s with that in mind that we ask you to get ready, to make a commitment today, right here right now, to save our country.”

After more than an hour of speaking, Peters then opened the floor for questions.

He was quizzed on his visit to the protests in Wellington; the New Zealand histories curriculum, which “should teach both sides of the story”; his thoughts on 15-minute cities, which were “a control mechanism to keep us in place”; how to exit three waters – “by repealing it”; the World Economic Forum, Black Rock's deal with the Government to create an investment fund, his thoughts on cash, and the mainstream media, which needed to return to “independence” and reporting the story not the “opinions” of journalists.