Winston Peters: NZ First leader explains why the definitions of 'men' and 'women' need to be put into law

Winston Peters says the term 'woman' needs protection - by a bill legally defining it as an adult human biological female. 

MP Jenny Marcroft's proposed Members bill would legislate gender to biological sex, essentially meaning transgender people could not legally align with their identities.

The New Zealand First leader says having to write the law this way is unusual, but it has become 'critical'. 

"And the fact of the matter is - that this is a case where women, who are deserving protection and support in many other occasions, are simply not getting it in our law."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
New Zealand First is proposing to define what a woman
is in law after the UK Supreme Court ruling last week.
Now the Members Bill defines a woman as an adult human,
biological female. New Zealand First leader obviously is Winston Peter's
Winston Hello, Hello, Why do we need to have these
definitions in law?

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Look, we've for decades said that the government's got no
place in the nation's bedrooms. It's not about being anti
anyone or anti anything, but we have to have a
focus on the facts of biology and protect the term
women in this country's law.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
Practically, what's it going to do? I mean, what spaces
or things are we protecting for women through this definition.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Well, there's a whole lot of spaces. I mean it
started off you remember it's about twenty twenty one in
the Indocargol swimming pools. There was an argument about men's
or certain men's or non women's rights of welcome to
the girls and the women's changing sheds. I mean, this
was disgrace and the camera cad on from there. We

(01:03):
were told we're going down a rabbit hole, or some
partitions said we're on another planet. And the fact of
the matter is that this is a case where women
who are deserving protection in sport and many other occasions
are simply not getting it in our law.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
So would this be applicable in sport as well? Would winstance? So,
for example, if you were like, we're running a women's
rugby league team, you could say to trans women, you
can't join the team.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
You're not a woman, You've got a biological advantage. You're
not going to be playing in the same fairness scene
as women are.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Yeah, okay, do you think that there is I mean,
the first thing is do we actually have a problem
where we actually have trans women going into bathrooms and
women objecting to it? Is that actually happening?

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Look, that's happening, and we but women who twice have
presented petitions to us in the last year asking for
us to do something about it. And what we've had
here is an unusual circumstance where of late they work
left and their ideology has crept in and no one's
got a thing about it, and we are saying, no,

(02:08):
that's enough. The law should be clear. It is unusual
that we have to write the law this way. We
all understood, and we thought we understood what we're talking about.
But now because of those who don't have any regard
to electoral mandates or any rights or majority rights, are
just asserting we think this and if you don't think that,
then you out of touch. Well we're not out of touch.

(02:29):
We're in touch with the mass majority and we're undo
something about and ensuring that women in particular are safe.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
Look, the second thing is, if you're serious about it,
why are you doing this as a member's bill? Why
aren't you doing it as a government bill? Because a
member's bill it may or may not happen for decades.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
It'll be making it. I can assure you this because
there's enormous pressure for the political parties in Parliament to
address this issue. Chris Simquins was asked this question. You
recall in twenty twenty three an he said, you get
back to the people. Didn't want to talk about it,
didn't know, he didn't he couldn't describe what a woman was.
That's how bad things have got.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
But why don't you do it as a government bill?
Because I mean, you're doing the same thing as him, right,
this is on the back burner. If it's a member's bill,
why don't you do it as a government bill.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
I can guarantee you'll not be on the back burner.
We will make sure it's on the front burner. And
it's sure he started.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
But you can't win because it has to get drawn
out randomly out of a biscuit. And so why don't
you do it as a government bill and do it now?

Speaker 2 (03:24):
Because when you're trying to negotiate a former college and
government there many people don't have the priority on some
of the most fundamental things my party does.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
Who's holding it up? Is it national or is it act?

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Well, we'll see who's holding it up. But here's the point. Yeah, no,
I doesn't laugh. That's not a laughing matter. The women
are the majority of population of this country. That's the
first thing. And the second thing is, well, I want.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
To know who's holding it up Onston somebody's holding it up.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
Well, we'll we'll find out who's holding it back and
we'll ensure that the public knows it.

Speaker 1 (03:55):
Hey, listen, tell me something. What did Nichola get you
for you? But happy birthday? By the way, what did
nico I get you for your birthday?

Speaker 2 (04:03):
Actually?

Speaker 1 (04:03):
A drawing, a train drawing?

Speaker 2 (04:06):
No, no, no, a blow up of someone else's drawing.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
One of those newspaper cartoons.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
No, no, I didn't have times. It was the last
day I was letting my heading off to the four
country Pacific to I barely had time to look at us.
Said look, i'll look at it when I get back. Yeah. No,
thank you.

Speaker 1 (04:26):
Then, and did you have a knees up?

Speaker 2 (04:30):
No? I didn't. And well there were attempts to have
a knees up, but I made sure I avoided him.
But I ended up. This was a catastrophe. I went
on the wrong way, but I gone Hawaii first and
back to Tongue. I would have avoided my birthday because
the eleventh would have been in two different days. But
I went to Tongue and then I went to Hawaii
and I got I got it twice trying to avoid it.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
It sounds like calmer. Hey, Happy birthday, Winston, and thank
you for your time. That's Winston Peter's New Zealand First Leader.
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