The Country 11/02/26: Winston Peters talks to Jamie Mackay

NZ First’s leader reckons there’s still a dairy deal for New Zealand in the Indian FTA.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here's a man who's going to have an interesting twenty
twenty six. New Zealand first leader former Deputy Prime Minister
Winston Peters, thank you very much for coming along. Now
we've already spoken to Chris Hipkins. He said he is
going to have to be the grown up in the
room over the Indian FTA. You're taking a bit of
heat for this.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
No, I'm not quite the converse.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
As each day goes by, people begin to understand that
if you have a contact, maybe it pays to have
a legal mind to be able to understand what it means.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
That's where I've got the edge on some of these people.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Now are we getting mixed messaging from the Prime Minister
V Todd McLay?

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Oh, look, you have to ask them about that. I'm
just saying what I know and what i've learned, and
everything that i've said is confirmed by a goal the
equivalent Trade Minister in India and the Prime Minister of
India Moodi. They're confirming exactly everything I've said. Time will
go come by. I can tell you one numbercent certain
you'll find out who's right and who's wrong.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
This is all about immigration. As far as you're concerned.
It's got nothing to do with the free trade agreement,
right ho.

Speaker 3 (00:58):
Look when you say that we got nine three percent
access to their markets on things we don't sell, what
does that mean? And I look at the Australian market
when the suspect of some things they're saying, and I
look at that lack of progress that the Indian's free
cred deal with Australia has bred when it comes to
some things we're promising people about now. So I'm saying
to the Farming Committee, maybe for the first time for
a long time, start listening and paying attention because your

(01:21):
future depends upon this.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Well, the National are saying that they can effectively cap
student Jesus under disagreement.

Speaker 4 (01:29):
You obviously disagree.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
No, I don't disagree.

Speaker 3 (01:31):
The document does the document mentions uncapped?

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Now? How clear can you be? Who said that? As well?

Speaker 3 (01:39):
Mody said that the Goal has said that. Well, the
published India says that. So why are you hearing one
thing when the facts and documentation are something else. I'm
the one an argument here. I just wanted to say
to people. I was alerted when I first saw it,
and I became concerned as to where this was going.
And I expressed rightly my concerns because I still believe
that we can make mess of progress with India on

(02:02):
things like farming and milk.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Because they need our help.

Speaker 4 (02:06):
Definitely, but they don't need they don't need a dairy
deal or.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
No, no, you say, do they look?

Speaker 3 (02:10):
I said to them, and I wasn't getting I didn't
have enough time to spend it with some of them,
But I said, you will need thirty five percent more
food in the next thirty years, and you can't no
chance of getting there without you got a dramatic lift
in your own production. We can help you seriously, But
those sorts of debates and approaches take time to bed in.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
So what do you say to the people who say
that if we didn't sign up when we signed it,
that we would have to wait years to get another
crack at it.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
But what you well, my question is sign what well?

Speaker 4 (02:40):
The free trade Agreement?

Speaker 3 (02:42):
Yes, so what does it mean? What does it mean?
What are you signing up to take on? One hard
look at that? And do you know that twenty thousand
plus will be coming right? And they bring their parents,
bring their children and stay here for three years after
they've graduated. All this is in that documentation that surrounds it.
Did you know that?

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Well, if you didn't, why did you make a decision
that was a good idea? Then?

Speaker 1 (03:01):
Okay, just quickly because I need to let you go
and have a lamb shop. I want to ask you
about and I know you don't comment on polls, but
I do want to ask you about the scenario. Look
at that smile. The scenario of to party Murray maybe
the only winning one or two seats instead of all
the Maori seats. Surely that would spell the end for
a for a left leaning coalition.

Speaker 3 (03:24):
In my first speech in twenty twenty three after the
twenty three three elections, I said the Murray Party were finished.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
Did you remember that?

Speaker 4 (03:32):
I said, I can't remember what I had speech from twenty.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
Two For a look and see who they finished? They
finished and thank him for that.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
Well, there's no way past the winning finishing post for
Chippy without TA party.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
Maury, Well, that's his problem.

Speaker 3 (03:49):
If he wants to go with the racist, he wants
to go with a bunch of communists in the Green Party,
that's his problem. But this is election about real party
and the dangers having new and poloics few months will
be dramatic. Stand back and watch. The good news is
I'll still come on your program, despite the fact that
some of your farms. You to wake up right to here,
right now.

Speaker 4 (04:08):
Alrighty, I'll let you go and have a lamb shop.
Winston Peters