Winston Peters: Friend or Foe?

Winston Peters, in 2021, stood as critic of the Labour government for too slow a vaccine rollout. A year later he walked unmasked among the freedom protestors at NZ parliament. Where does he stand now?

opinion by Martin Harris 24/7/23

This was a question put forth by Uncensored Magazine ed. Jon Eisen recently and a question worth seeking answers to as the NZ 2023 elections loom.

Would the Real Winston Peters please stand up?

Peters is a master showman. Much of the time he operates below the media radar, but, as always, he emerges into the spotlight at the opportune moment. “Now” appears to be this election’s moment.

I’m often reminded that Peters “can’t be trusted” (Is any politician truly trustworthy?), usually followed with “it was he that put Ardern in power!”. Well, yes and no. People have short memories. The arrival of Ardern into her own spotlight was a carefully stage-managed bit of theatre to rival Winston’s stage show. In a political arena filled with middle-aged business suits and shady dealings, it’s hardly surprising that a large chunk of the voting public were swayed by Ardern’s shallow veneer of kindness and inclusivity.

The political power for the next three years hung in balance and Winston Peters became the King (or Queen) Maker. With whom would he form a coalition to tip the scales?

I think for Peters, in 2017 it was less about getting Labour in, and more about booting National out. Some may remember that things between Peters and the National party were somewhat sour at the time. It is also important to remember that the resultant government was a Labour/NZ First coalition, a point largely forgotten. Not only that, but Peters acted as a brake on Ardern’s more radical leanings. Peters kept things on a reasonably even keel.

Along comes 2020, a population under Ardern’s spell, and thanks to the “Plandemic”, we got a real taste of what festered beneath Ardern’s artificial sweetness during her second term as PM. a term she would fail to complete. Ardern off the leash was NZ’s first taste of real fascism and it wasn’t a taste many of us cared for.

So where does Winston Peters stand now?

A recent article by Stuff gave some clues. Bearing in mind that Stuff is an unashamedly left-wing biased news media platform (and therefore not inclined to give the old boy a shining report card). The bold emphasis and comments in italic are mine, separating the wheat from the chaff.

Can Winston Peters ride a ‘freedom’ wave to Parliament? | Stuff.co.nz

“… Peters distanced himself from the comments (supporting vaccines and criticising rollout, MH) when asked about them in his RCR interview. (see below, MH)

“I only said one thing, and that was a day when I wasn’t doing my Facebook. Someone else did it,” he said.

“It was a simple mistake that someone made, it was not my feeling. But I can tell you exactly what it was now. And I regretted it, and I’m owning up to it.”

It remains unclear to what extent Peters has changed his view on vaccines. While seemingly questioning their efficacy and safety in recent public statements, he often shifts to subjective policy matters, including his objection to mandates and support for open debate. (He has previously said he is vaccinated and is “pro-vaccine”.)

When the Sunday Star-Times sought to clarify his position, Peters requested questions be emailed.

Most of the Star-Times’ questions sought elaboration on his recent public comments, including what he meant by “unusual death rates”, what vaccine side effects he believed were shortening lives, whether he stood by his previous Facebook posts supporting vaccines, (note he already explained his FB posts earlier in this article, MH) and whether he would still describe himself as “pro-vaccine”.

He declined to answer specific questions and referred to his previous public comments: “The issue is not about being ‘pro or anti-vax’ or even denying any of the science. This is about freedoms, truth, and people’s right to informed consent…One party has stood up for the people’s right to be informed and to make their own choices…” (full article at link)

The Reality Check radio interview (conducted by The BFD’s Cam Slater) is embedded below.

So anyone uncertain about Winston/NZ First’s stance on Wokeism, vaccination, and freedoms and rights in general, can hopefully get a somewhat clearer picture. naturally, we’re hoping to bring you more. watch this space.