Ryan Bridge: Can we rule out a NZ First/Labour coalition?

Can you trust Winston Peters not go with Labour next year?

No you can’t. He hasn’t ruled it out.

Despite National scoring a higher party vote in 2017, he went with Jacinda.

Labour has not ruled Winston out. Winston has not ruled Labour out. Winston has ruled out Chippy, so a leadership swap in the last seven weeks of the campaign, or even during negotiations, is possible. 

Hipkins is a party man, and if the choice was opposition for his caucus or the Treasury benches, he’d fall on his sword.

So it’s a live scenario. 

If Labour and NZ First get enough to form a coalition together, wouldn’t he prefer that to another threesome on the right?

He hates Chippy because of Covid and his ‘what is a woman’ malfunction in that press conference, but the party’s been working hard to shake the overly wokey/dopey vibes since then.

Also, he hates Seymour. 

And if there was a chance for him to extract big spending policies, some regional fund, manufacturing energy deals, and more gold card benefits, I reckon he’d go for it.

The scenario becomes much less likely if the Greens and whatever might be left of TPM need to prop them up.

He hates them much more than Seymour, and would look stupid going into government with a Green handshake and a hongi.

The rule with Winston is pretty simple: all options are on the table and this time next year, as summer approaches and the weather warms, we will be doing stake outs at his beach house and his crowbar villa in Central Auckland.

Waiting outside, microphones ready, guessing who the patron saint of Kiwi politics will anoint to lead the country.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Can you trust Winston Peters not to go with Labor
next year? That is the question on everybody's lips, and
the answer is no, you can't. He hasn't ruled it out.
And remember you will remember that he went with Desinda
in twenty seventeen, even though National got a high proportion
of the vote. Labour has not ruled Winston out. Winston
has not ruled Labor out. Winston has ruled Chippy out.

(00:21):
So all that means is we could see a leadership
swap in the last seven weeks of the campaign, bug
of the unions and even during negotiations. All these things
are possible. Hopkins is a party man and if the
choice was opposition for his caucus or the Treasury benches,
he would fall on his sword. So it's a live scenario.
Is Labor and New Zealand first? If they, I should

(00:41):
say Labor and New Zealand first get enough to form
a coalition together, wouldn't Winston prefer that to another threesome
on the right. He hates Chippy because of COVID and
what is a woman malfunction at that press conference. But
the party's been working hard to shake the overly wokey
dopey vibe since then. Also, Winston doesn't like Seymour, and

(01:02):
if there was a chance for him to extract big
spending policies, some regional funding, you know they love that
at New Zealand first manufacturing energy deals, more gold card benefits,
whatever it might be, I reckon he would go for it.
The scenario becomes much less likely if the Greens and
whatever might be left of Tapati Mardi needing to prop

(01:22):
them up. He hates them much more than he hates
Seymour and would look stupid going into government with a
green handshake and a hongy. The rule with Winston is
pretty simple. All options are on the table, and this
time next year, as summer approaches in the weather warms,
will be staking out his beach house and the Crowbar
villa in Auckland, waiting on the Kingmaker for more from

(01:45):
Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live to News Talks
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