Shane Jones was a no-show. That was unfortunate because it left Winston Peters alone to face a Sunday afternoon audience in Whangarei that could be best described as polite.
Peters said Jones had been unable to front because of an emergency, though what that was, he wasn’t sure.
About 250, mainly elderly, turned out in Whangarei, whereas Jones had attracted 200 of a wide range of ages in a much smaller but livelier meeting in nearby Dargaville only three weeks earlier.
It may be that New Zealand First does better in small towns than in small cities.
Certainly, Peters had to work to get the Whangarei audience out of slumber mode.
He probably didn’t help his cause by beginning with nostalgic references back to the 1960s and 70s, and Sir John Marshall, who went to school in Whangarei and retired from politics 53 years ago, and Don McKay, who was from the city and health minister in the Holyoake Government from 1962 to 1972.
Peters then tried to explain his trip to the 1960s and 70s by saying nothing had happened in Whangarei in the 50 years since.
It was a Cinderella city, he said.
And so he returned to memory lane.
“Back then, we printed out our own money. Just over hill, just this side of Onerahi
“There was a New Zealand Fertilizer Works. Now, surely the politicians would have got down there. (sporadic laughter)
“I’ll say it again. There was the New Zealand fertilizer works. (slightly more laughter)
“There was the New Zealand glassworks, the Portland cement works, a freezing works, and in the 1960s, we began the construction of the Marsden Point Refinery, and boy, is that not important right here right now.”
Not only were the audience missing the jokes, but it seemed they had developed a collective amnesia.
When he asked if they could remember who their Labour MP was between 2020 and 2023. Only one hand went up.
He then deviated into a long account of how Labour’s Energy Minister, Megan Woods, had been complicit in the decision to shut down the Marsden Point oil refinery.
Then on to a favorite NZ First theme: how Whangarei should replace Auckland as the country’s main import port.
But once again, the audience stared blankly.
“The rail corridor for Northport has already been designated, and a geotech study has already been completed because New Zealand First is insisting that a rail line be built connecting the port with the main rail line, and now,” he said.
“A tender process to make that happen is well underway.”
No reaction.
So: “One more time, a tender process to make it happen with the funding to make it happen is already well underway.” No reaction.
He ploughed on.
“Our record is one of action. When the Huntervasser Gallery build ran out of money up here, — come on, you’re all locals — which party helped out? “ he asked.
“I hope I’m not running deaf here, but I can’t hear anybody saying anything.”
And so, presumably chastened by the apathy and amnesia, he gave up and instead tried announcing a new New Zealand First policy.
“We are going to establish a special economic zone at Marsden Point,” he said.
“Special economic zones are part of a wider strategic plan, producing more goods and services for export while fortifying our national security.
“They can bring the product here, add greater value to it.
“There’ll be tax exemption until the product leaves, but that’s all part of the purpose going forward. And this is a natural and only place for it.”
Asked afterwards if he could supply more detail on the proposal, he said all the details were in the speech.
“In countries that have special economic zones, the policy mix varies, but includes a combination of tax breaks, wage subsidies, reduced regulation and investment in physical transport or communications infrastructure,” he said in the speech.
“Our special economic zone at Marsden Point would include the former refinery and Northport.
“The zone will be focused on energy generation, distribution and maritime activities, including the new dry dock.”
The Crown would step in with a number of subsidies.
“Additionally, tax incentives will be considered, and these options will range from rates rebates, the Crown would pay local councils for services provided to zone businesses, foregoing various levies, investment incentives, right up to reducing company taxes for specific investments,” he said.
“How do you like that?
“The company tax could be quite low. They’ll start lining up here, won’t they? So you better get ready, you guys up here. You’re gonna take off.”
This was greeted with more silence from the audience.
And so he quickly moved on to law and order. Then a segue to the cost of living and finally an audience reaction; a mobile phone went off.
“Now tell whoever’s calling me up, if it’s National or Labour, tell them that I’m busy,” and he got a laugh.
“And if it’s Te Paati Maori, tell them what they can do with themselves.” More laughter.
Perhaps encouraged by this sudden audience reaction, he returned to nostalgia, this time as he discussed his party’s policy to buy back the Bank of New Zealand.
He reminded everybody of his role in the Wine Box affair.
“The National Party was in opposition at the time and said, ‘ We’re gonna have a full-scale inquiry while we underwrite the bank’s operations,” he said.
“They never had the full- scale inquiry, did they?
“Because they shut that down within 24 hours of them becoming the government. I know.
“We went to the first cabinet meeting, and the first Cabinet meeting was a blazing row where I said to Bolger, ‘ What do you know about banking? And he hit the roof.”
No reaction.
And so to what Peters seemed to imply was the 2026 equivalent of the Wine Box; the India Free Trade Agreement, and particularly its immigration clauses.
He repeated his persistent claim that the 5000 work visas would enable five family members per visa to come in, and he repeated his claim that the granting of work rights to those on student visas would deprive unemployed New Zealanders of jobs.
What he doesn’t mention is that student visa numbers are currently uncapped, and holders can work up to 25 hours a week.
All the India Free Trade Agreement does is guarantee that those hours will not fall below 20.
He said thatevery day Labour asked questions in Parliament about unemployed youth numbers.
“Yet they support the Free Trade Agreement that will guarantee an increase in the uncapped number of foreign students taking your kids’ jobs,” he said.
And finally, after over half an hour, applause.
He was on a roll
Why was the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Free Trade Agreement, and the Paris Climate Change Accord, and why had we agreed to promote the investment of $33 billion in the Indian economy?
“There is this famous multi-millennia-old saying, it’s thousands of years old, but it’s true. Those the gods will destroy, they first make mad,” he said to finally laughter and applause together.
“Those the gods would destroy, they first make mad.
“When we are desperate in this country for investment, where we have a $200 billion infrastructure deficit, where we are now going to spend the next 15 years promoting those billions of dollars of investment into a foreign economy.”
And then the climax.
“It is frustratingly simple in this explanation as to why these other parties either don’t know what they are doing or simply don’t care. Because they are (long pause)globalists.”
Cries of yes and loud applause.
“Yes. Globalists,” he said.
And finally, it all came together.
“They’re all globalists, and they would shut down parliament day after day to talk about global issues and never talk about what troubles you,” he said.
“We’re the only nationalist party that wants to go to the wire to protect New Zealand and New Zealand’s future.
“And we’re not old-fashioned, and we’re not being nostalgic. We’ve just been learning from the past and knowing what our forefathers did to build a great country, and so could we if we hadn’t gone so off cue when it comes to the ideology running this country.
“In the great halcyon days of Labor and National in the 30s and 40s and 50s and 60s, I don’t know what they argued about, but they put New Zealand first in everything they decided to do.”
And that’s Winston’s fundamental political view of the world, back to the future.
It all begs the question as to whether it would have been the same had Jones been there.
