Winston Peters is back on the campaign trail, and says New Zealand First will be back in Parliament after this election. (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Ella Stewart
After a three-year hiatus, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has a real chance to return to Parliament, as his party cracks 5 percent in some polls.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has ruled out working with NZ First and National leader Christopher Luxon will not say if he will.
But, for the about 200 mostly older people who packed the Levin War Memorial Hall on Friday to hear Peters speak, there is no doubt NZ First will be back.
Winston Peters strides to the stage in front of about 200 people in Levin on Friday. Photo: RNZ/ Jimmy Ellingham
They heard plans to end co-governance and hold inquiries into banks and New Zealand's Covid-19 response - and it went down a treat.
"Well, it's good to see him actually firsthand for yourself, and he certainly knows how to work a room and answer things in a relatively concise way," one woman said.
"He'll definitely be back - well over 5 percent now," said a man outside the hall.
In the latest 1News Verian poll, the party sat at 5 percent, and was just under in the Newshub Reid Research poll, at 4.6 percent.
- See the latest figures in the RNZ poll of polls
Peters entered the hall to hearty applause.
After two minutes, he had words for the media, who he said were ignoring NZ First's campaign.
"I can say for the first time, virtually, in this campaign, a mainstream media person has turned up. They have gaslit and boycotted us everywhere else," he said.
"We've packed the place out, but they've never ever turned up, and they've never written a word about what we're saying at all, until they realise they game's up - bad news, we're going to be back."
RNZ was the only media outlet attending Peters' Levin meeting on Friday.
In his sights were media organisations that received money from the Public Interest Journalism Fund, a response by the government to pandemic pressure on the industry.
"Don't ever talk to me about integrity and honesty. If you're from the mainstream media you took a bribe, and it's corrupt and it shows in this campaign. We're not going to kow-tow to it," Peters said.
Media organisations say the funding has no influence on editorial decisions.
Just as popular with the audience was the promise to hold wide-ranging inquiries into banks, and into New Zealand's response to Covid.
Winston Peters, in Levin, on Friday Photo: RNZ/ Jimmy Ellingham
Peters, who visited the occupation of Parliament's grounds in early 2022, said he was triple vaxed, but others should have the right to refuse medical treatment, rather than be accused of going down rabbit holes.
"And then it comes to 2021, it's October, and people are starting to be mandated out of work in all sorts of jobs, because the prime minister and the Labour Party said so - backed up by the mainstream media."
Peters said gangs should be classified as terrorist organisations. And, he said, co-governance needed to go, as did the name Aotearoa.
"We've spent billions of dollars trying to sell our product offshore, from all over the countryside, and 80 percent of the wealth of this country is coming from the provinces and exports," he said.
"Just in case we've not got enough difficulty, we're going to change our name so our customers overseas don't know where it's come from.
"The country that was once number one in the world can be that country again. We've got the people. We've got the land. We've got everything going for us.
"In every respect, we've got more opportunity than any other country, but we need to get back to the basics, as we once did, before we start all these experimental, woke projects that advance no one but a certain elite."
Only during a lively question and answer session were trans issues raised, as well as the influence of the United Nations, therapeutic products legislation and the gold card.
"I asked him what he thought and what he would do about men going into women's toilets, who might have makeup on and a dress, but still a man," one woman in the audience told RNZ.
"He said he would stop it."
The woman said she was happy with Peters' response. In contrast, she was not happy with what she heard from Labour and National representatives when she asked about the issue.
RNZ asked Peters if the issues raised in Levin were similar to those during other campaign stops.
"A lot were and a lot [were] different, but in the main the same issues - cost of living, crime, the unnecessary shutdowns and lockdowns under Covid, especially in 2021, and the issue of people's freedoms and rights to have a view and not be mandated out of existence."
Peters said there should be investment in the provinces, and pointed to the Provincial Growth Fund introduced when NZ First and Labour were in power from 2017 to 2020.
He said he was confident of making it back to Parliament.
When asked about the age of the audience, Peters said there were some younger people there and pointed out the meeting was held during work hours.
Audience members spoken to after his speech praised Peters.
"I think he's great. I like him because he's very factual. He's very informed, and his message he gives to people is more easily understood," one said.
"He's very experienced, and he's an old fox, but we'd be pretty happy if he was part of government next time," said another.
"He's what I expected, very much what I expected. I thought he was a polished performer, and he's proven as a polished performer, and he missed his big chance, really," another man said.
"He should be on the stage."
Peters was first elected to parliament in 1978 for National, which he left in 1993 to form NZ First.
He served as deputy prime minister in National and Labour-led governments.