Veteran New Zealand politician Winston Peters is the big winner in his nation’s new coalition government despite his populist New Zealand First party holding just eight of the 122 seats in Parliament. Mr. Peters will be Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in the government of prime minister-elect Christopher Luxon which will be sworn in on Monday.
Mr. Luxon’s conservative National Party won 48 seats in the October elections, but it took more than a month for the country’s new leader to formalise coalition deals with Mr. Peters and David Seymour, leader of the libertarian ACT party which holds 11 seats.
The 78-year-old Mr. Peters and Mr. Seymour will share the deputy prime minister role for 18 months each during the government’s three-year term. Mr. Peters has twice been foreign minister in previous governments.
The Australian Associated Press (AAP) reports Mr. Peters is a political phenomenon. He was first elected to parliament in 1978 after a brief career as a lawyer and labourer, including a stint working on the Snowy Mountains dam-building scheme.
“Since his first election, he has ridden the roller-coaster of political fortune, creating his own party, holding several ministerial offices while surviving numerous controversies including run-ins with the serious fraud office over donations. He has twice fallen out of favour with voters and been dumped from parliament during his career. He has returned as an MP each time, guiding NZ First to 6.1% of the popular vote at last month’s election,” the news agency writes.
AAP adds that as foreign minister, he will be a popular pick both among local diplomats, in Australia, and the region. While international affairs fall down the pecking order with many Kiwi politicians given NZ’s remoteness and small size, Mr. Peters has always valued relationships abroad. He doesn’t foresee any changes in the relationship with Beijing despite China’s ambitions to expand its influence in the Pacific.
“Foreign affairs does matter for this country,” he said after his appointment. “We’ll be on the road to make sure we keep all our contacts alive and not neglect them year after year in the way that has recently happened. We cannot afford the consequences of letting that go again. We’re going to hit the road running.”
As part of his party’s deal with National, Mr. Peters has won an investigation into the COVID-19 pandemic which will review “vaccine efficacy”. The deal also sees a pledge to remove and replace “gender, sexuality and relationship-based education guidelines.” Mr. Peters has also pulled off two negotiations in keeping with his long-time persona as a champion of regional interests. He has secured a $A1.1 billion fund for capital regional investment, and will also become racing minister for a third time.
New Zealanders can expect tax cuts, more police on the streets and less government bureaucracy. “Our government will rebuild the economy to ease the cost of living, and deliver tax relief to increase the prosperity of all New Zealanders. Our government will restore law and order, and personal responsibility, so that Kiwis are safer in their own communities,” Mr. Luxon pledged.
The leaders also agreed to make cuts to the public service and train 500 more police within two years and to change the mandate of the nation’s Reserve Bank so that it focuses solely on keeping inflation low, rather than its current dual mandate to keep low inflation while maintaining maximum employment.
With Australian Associated Press
Image: Screenshot from Facebook – New Zealand First
