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Winston Peters - Source: Q+A -
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GUYON ESPINER
Firstly, congratulations on your result last night, and thanks for joining us this morning.
WINSTON PETERS - NZ First Leader
Thank you.
GUYON What are you hoping to achieve this term having got back into Parliament?
WINSTON We're hoping that New Zealanders will better understand the state of our economy, which is not what came out in the campaign. There are serious storm clouds on the horizon. New Zealanders need to know about that, and they need to know you cannot have your cake and sell it too. So there are fundamental roles for an Opposition party to both propose and oppose, and we're going to use them to the maximum.
GUYON So obviously that was a reference to the asset sales, which clearly you will oppose. What is it that you hope to work with any constructive element with the National-led Government? Are you hoping that there are some things that you can progress?
WINSTON Look, we have a Cullen Fund today because of NZ First and Winston Peters. We have the KiwiSaver because we put our votes to make sure it could stand up, and with the Kiwibank the same thing. So, you know, we've got a sound record of doing those things when the policies justified them.
GUYON What are your priorities this time? What are the things that you may hope the government might progress with you?
WINSTON Look, whether I was in Opposition or in Government, the greatest priority NZ First would have is trying to get ourselves through this current economic crisis. We are ill prepared for it. We have failed to take the warnings over the years. Now the day of reckoning has arrived, and we have got to get it through it. I suppose you've got to make that your number-one priority.
GUYON And what are the things you would actually materially try to do to mitigate that crisis or to try and improve the situation with the economy?
WINSTON Well, you know, New Zealanders need a savings programme where we are all contributing to free ourselves up from dependence on foreign money and foreign savings. Some of the fundamental things that economies like Singapore and Norway, two different economies, have been doing, we need to have learnt from them. Now, NZ First has said that for years now. So here it is. We are in 2011, I think, in the worst economic climate of my lifetime, and I don't see us, sadly, prepared the way we should be. If we can contribute to that, we'll do the best to do that. But selling assets, going into an emissions trading scheme which is highly expensive and which is not going to work in terms of sustainable decreasing of the problem - those are things we're going to oppose.
GUYON So when the Parliament opens in February and a motion of no confidence is taken, um, are you eight votes opposed to the government?
WINSTON Well, you know, the first thing that happens in February is that the government announces its plan. We'll wait till then to judge it. We won't be crossing those bridges till we come to them.
GUYON You heard Metiria Turei, and they're looking at a memorandum of understanding with the National Party. I mean, are you looking at any form of agreement at all?
WINSTON Look, Mr Key, on the most fictitious grounds, two weeks into an inquiry which NZ First was totally exonerated, said that we were guilty, and he made a judgement four years ago. We all know that. So he's ruled us out, and that's where things stand. Now, we're going to do our job by the people of this country and ensure that there's a huge quantum of sunlight on NZ politics now.
GUYON Just finally, why do you think it is that after three years you got back last night? What do you think changed things?
WINSTON Well, it wouldn't be your polls, for a start, because they were 700% out again at the start of the campaign and the result.
GUYON Look, I'm not talking about the polls.
WINSTON Well, of course you wouldn't want to talk about them. But we got back because we put in the hard yards, talking to people the old-fashioned way in country halls in places like Riverton all over NZ. You know, we didn't kiss any babies or terrorise them. We didn't go to schools where they didn't vote. We did it the old-fashioned way, and had we got more coverage, we would have done much better.
GUYON All right. Thank you very much for joining us, Winston Peters.
