John MacDonald: The rise and rise of NZ First

NZ First is on the up, according to the latest 1News Verian poll.

The result out last night had Winston Peters’ party on 10 percent - its highest rating in that particular poll since August 2017.

It comes just a few weeks after a Taxpayers’ Union poll ranked NZ First the third most popular party in Parliament.

Ask NZ Herald chief political reporter Jamie Ensor and he’ll tell you more and more voters are liking the party because of its cautious approach on immigration and climate change policies. That it’s a party that is seen as anti-establishment and has, as he puts it, “a charismatic no-nonsense leader”.

That bit about Winston Peters being anti-establishment is a reference to his flirtatious relationship with the conspiracy theory brigade. Which tends to be the Winston Peters we see here at home. When he’s running around community halls up and down the country barking into microphones.

When he jumps on a plane, though, and heads overseas as the Foreign Affairs Minister, he’s a completely different guy, isn’t he?

Nevertheless, whatever version we get on any given day, more people seem to be liking it.

My theory is that NZ First is only on the rise because all the other options are so bad.

I can’t believe that two-and-a-half years on from the last election, I’m still in the same boat and have no idea who I want to vote for.

That’s how I felt at the last election and that’s how I’m feeling now.

I’ve spoken to plenty of people recently who say they’re looking seriously at NZ First. People of all ages.

What has surprised me most, is the number of young people who seem to like what the party is saying about immigration.

These are people who aren’t just seeing NZ First as an option because they don’t think any of the other parties are offering anything. They’re actually liking what the party is saying.

And that’s what we’re seeing in the polls.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
New Zealand First is on the up according to the
latest one News Varian poll. In fact, it's not just
that poll, but the one News one is the latest.
The result out last night Winston Peris party. What's it wrong?
It's on ten percent. It's highest rating in that particular
poll since August twenty seventeen. In fact, New Zealand First

(00:35):
support is pretty much doubled in the past twelve months,
and the poll out last night comes just a few
weeks after that Taxpayer Union poll ranked New Zealand First
the third most popular party in Parliament, which raises the
question why or what the I mean? If you ask

(00:58):
New Zealand Herald chief political reporter Jamie enz Or, he'll
tell you more and more voters are like in the
because of its cautious approach on immigration and climate change,
because it's a party that is seen as anti establishment
and has, as he puts it, a charismatic, no nonsense leader.

(01:22):
I mean, who would have thought, ah, who would have
thought an eighty year old could pull off being anti establishment?
But there there you go, that bit about him that
bit about Winston Peter's being anti establishment. By the ways,
the reference isn't it to his anti woke carry on
and his flirtatious relationship with the conspiracy theory brigade, which

(01:44):
tends to be the Winston Pedters we see here at home,
you know, when he's running around the community halls up
and down the country, barking into microphones, when he's saying
stuff like an old quotum. We are the only socially
conservative party, and we're proud of it. We are the
only nationalist party with a nationalist with a capital N.

(02:06):
We are the only patriotic party, a word that is
so often judged and criticized. He says, we stand proud
to be patriots of a country called New Zealand. What's
more important is that we're the only party that brings
political balance to the spectrum of extremes. I mean, what
was he saying there? And we're the common sense party.

(02:28):
When he jumps on a plane though, and heads overseas
as the Foreign Affairs minister, he is a completely different guy,
isn't he. Nevertheless, whatever version of Winston Peters we get
on any given day, more people seem to be into him.
More people seem to be liking New Zealand First. Now,
my theory, I want to hear your theory. My theory

(02:52):
is that New Zealand First is only on the rise
because all the other options are so bad. I can't
believe that two and a half years on from the
last election, I'm still in the same boat, no idea
who to vote for. That's how I felt at the
last election. That's how I'm feeling right now. I saw
someone on our Facebook page saying John McDonald won't be

(03:14):
happy with this whole result. Well, I'll tell you what
you're in for a bit of a surprise. Because if
I was told today that I had to choose a
party to vote for and I couldn't do anything else
until I decided which party to vote for, New Zealand
First would definitely be an option. And I can't believe
I'm saying it, even and I have spoken to plenty

(03:38):
of people recently who have said the exact same thing,
and people of all ages as well. What surprised me most,
I reckon is the number of young people who seem
to like what New Zealand First is saying about immigration. Now,
maybe it's got something to do with the fact we
don't have any caps on international students coming to New Zealand,
which we talked about recently in relation to the free

(04:01):
trade agreement with India, didn't we And maybe these young
people that I've been talking to the admiration of New
Zealand First's cautiousness when it comes to immigration is because
they see all his international students left, right and center.
So these people I'm talking about aren't just saying New

(04:21):
Zealand First as an option because they don't think any
of the other parties are offering anything. They're actually liking
what Winston and his crew are saying. Whereas for me,
I pretty much see New Zealand First as potentially being
the best of a pretty bad bunch. But why do
you think New Zealand First is on the rise? What

(04:44):
do you think is behind it and how do you
feel about it?

Speaker 1 (04:49):
For more from Canterbory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
to News Talks ad Be christ Church from nine am weekdays,
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