Winston Peters

Promise made, promise delivered. Extra funding for St John ambulance service has just been announced. NZFirst has always fought for extra funding for St John, we ensured this was again included in the coalition agreement, and we have once again delivered. We have delivered increases to St John funding since 2017 when we were in government and have continued ever since to fight for more funding for this essential emergency service. $258 million extra funding will see more much needed additional frontline ambulance staff, more support for recruitment and retainment, funding for better equipment, and better crew safety and wellbeing. St John is an essential emergency service that all kiwis rely on and they need to be funded properly to do their job.

We have the team, we have the policies, and now we need you. Give us the tools and we will finish the job. Party vote New Zealand First. 📣🇳🇿

Just popped in to Sylvia Park mall and talked with a number of people in the final few days campaign trail…only four days until election day! On to the next stop… Remember to Party Vote NZFirst and let’s put New Zealanders FIRST!

Fortunate to have the chance to be shown through a range of South Auckland businesses today. We talked to their management and met many of their staff. Ninety percent of our workers are employed by businesses like these and it was meaningful to discuss supportive taxation policies for the companies and workers futures.

Five days to go until election day and another packed hall with over 650 at our public meeting this afternoon in Orewa. We have been packing the halls all year talking to thousands of ordinary hard working kiwis about the issues that matter the most to them. We are going to turn the polls into confetti! Remember to Party Vote NZFirst and let’s put New Zealanders FIRST!

We are getting the South Island back on track. Last year, 12,800 New Zealanders petitioned Parliament to bring back the Southerner passenger train between Christchurch and Invercargill. They had a point. New Zealand once had a passenger rail network connecting our towns and cities. Over the years, we let much of it disappear. Today, we’re taking a practical step towards bringing it back. We’ve committed a $3.4 million Regional Infrastructure Fund loan to help the Mainlander move from monthly excursions to regular passenger services between Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill. And we’re backing a 12-month commuter rail trial connecting Rangiora and Rolleston with central Christchurch. From Rolleston, a journey that can take 50 minutes in traffic could take less than 20 minutes by train. Here’s the commonsense of it: the railway lines are already there. We don’t need another decade of consultants producing glossy reports telling us what might be possible. We need to make better use of the infrastructure generations of New Zealanders have already paid for. There is still work to do with local councils and the necessary approvals, but this is how you make progress. Start with a practical service, see how people use it, and build from there. Rail built much of this country. It still has a job to do. Let’s all get on board the commonsense express!

You may be led to believe by watching the news, one week out from the election, that the level of political discourse in New Zealand has now descended to flipping burgers, patting dogs, eating ice creams, and running in marathons. We are in one of the most globally unstable times in the worlds history, we have inherited a cost of living crisis, a fuel cost crisis, an overloaded health system, a stunted economic growth rate, high youth unemployment, debt through the roof, total uncertainty for what the future will bring, and a more polarised society than ever before - but all we see is a political clickbait parody being run by politicians. We can have a go at the media for their part, and we do, but these politicians who instigate this low level politics are equally to blame. They are treating the voters with disdain and are treating democracy like it is measured in screen-time and clicks. And the only ones who are suffering because of this are the people of New Zealand who have a right to an informed vote, and a right to know how different parties will address their very real problems. All those other politicians are dragging our democracy down to the lowest common denominator, and the people of New Zealand deserve better. NZFirst has been around the country for months holding packed public meetings, talking with literally tens of thousands of ordinary hardworking kiwis, answering their questions about the issues that are affecting them, and giving them all the chance to have some hope for the future - that’s what a political campaign is supposed to be about. Not burgers, dogs, marathons, or ice cream.

Another great turnout for our public meeting this afternoon in Papakura. Lots of good questions from the crowd about our policies and the issues facing our country. Busy on the campaign trail with another public meeting tomorrow afternoon in Orewa at 3pm…if you’re in the area tomorrow come along and we will see you there!