April 10, 2025 • 7 mins
On his last day before heading away on paternity leave, our long-standing political correspondent celebrates Winston Peters’s 80th birthday and their nearly five-decade-long careers in politics.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here's our political correspondent of long long standing, Barry Soper.
He's been around for a long time. He knows where
all the bodies are buried. We're going to pay tribute
to Winston Petersberry. But this is your bit of a
treat for me today, even though we are cousins. It's
your last day on the job before paternity leave, which
means for z B listeners, Heather's back on Monday.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
So that's the good and the bad, I assume, Jamie, No,
not at all. Well, it'll be over to the listeners
to decide.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Hey, we could talk about the Treaty Principal's Bill getting
kicked to touch. I'm sick of that. The wombat Greens,
I can't even bother Trump and his tariffs is done
to death. But I want to talk about talking about
where all the bodies are buried. You and Winston peters
No one goes as far back with Winston as you.
In fact, you both started in parliament about the same time.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Ah, yeah, you're right there, Jamie. He in fact came
into Parliament in nineteen seventy eight and then out for
a spell in nineteen eighty one and came back in
nineteen eighty four, and that's been the hallmark of Winston's career,
sort of being dumped out of the political limelight for
a while, right back in the full limelight, as he did,
(01:14):
of course in twenty twenty three. But the first time
I ever met Winston was interesting was at a National
Party conference in Dunedin, of all places, and Don McKinnon
introduced me to Winston Peters and from the very start
we had an argument, and Winston accused me of sending
(01:34):
his predecessor in his seat, that was Keith Allen, who
was known for the Ministry of Silly Wawks or the
Minister of He said, you send him to an early grave. Well,
very little to do with his hypoglycema. But nevertheless Winston
got off to that start with me and we've had
an up and down roller coaster ride ever since. Jamie.
(01:57):
But look like or dislike winter, he's a formidable politician.
He knows probably better than most, certainly better than most
in the current crop how to woo the public. And
prior to the twenty twenty three election, when Winston was
out of my hustings starting to pull in the crowds,
(02:18):
I said he'll be back and sure enough, Winston's back,
not just back, but fully back. Deputy Prime Minister well
for another less than a month, and of course Foreign Minister,
a job he excels and one that he loves.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Well, let's go back in time because I did a
wee bit of research and you'll know this anyhow, but
our listeners might be interested in this. Deputy Prime minister
under Bulger Shipley are Dern and Luxon. Now he got
what sacked from how many of those jobs too?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yes, and he got sacked by Jenny Shipley. They never
got on well at all. Helen Clark liked him right
until the end. They got on pretty well, and I
think she would speak pretty fon the album. Now. He
was difficult at times. I mean I had a major
running with him in the United States once where he
(03:11):
wouldn't let us know what his itinerary was when he
was going to be rebuilding our relationship with the United States.
We were so, we were told, so three of us
decided to trail them out there. It was like where's
Wally in Washington? Because he wouldn't let us know where
he was going. But in the end I discovered because
I've got some contacts there in the Senate. He was
(03:31):
going to see John McCain, and McCain, of course, became
the Republican nominee in the following presidential run. McCain I
rang his office. He said, yes, of course, come up.
You're welcome to have a chat to us. Before the
meeting starts. Winston comes along the corridor and sees us. Furious.
He was said, what are you doing here? And we said, well,
(03:54):
you're affording the approchemont with the United States, Winston, we'd
like to be in on it and have a look
at it. So they allowed us into the meeting. At
the start, McCain was raving about how if he was
in the position of power, that the anti nuclear issue
would no longer be one an impediment for the United
States and our relationship, so it was good news. Winston
(04:17):
kicked us out of the meeting in the end, interrupted McCain,
and then put out a press statement back home saying
that we had gatecrash the meeting. So I went on
he is saying, well, that is actually untrue. We didn't
we were invited to it. When I got back, Helen
Clark had me out to her office and apologized on
behalf of Winston. No apology from Winston, of course, and
(04:40):
we had a bit of a falling out there and
he refused to take me or allow me to go
on a trip to North Korea with him, which was
a bit disappointed about. But now we get along like
a house on fire.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Yeah, as you said, excels as Minister of Foreign Affairs,
he's had that job under Clark Dern and Luxon. Interestingly,
when he set up New Zealand first and iineteen ninety three.
I mean he's obviously been the leader since then, but
he's had six deputies from toe Neray to Shane Jones.
So some colorful characters in there.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Berry, Oh, absolutely, and he tends to attract them. And
again with your like or dislike Shane Jones, I love
him in the house because he's entertaining. He's like as
though he's preaching from the pulpit and does it so well.
And Winston and he get on very well. I would
imagine Shane Jones would see himself as the successor to
(05:31):
Winston after Winston finally gets out. But look, he might
be eighty, but he's picking along pretty well. I had
a drink with him late last year. He's ticking along
very well as stut as ever. And in fact, you know,
I wouldn't be surprised. In fact, I would expect it
that he'll be running again in next year's election. Now.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
They used to say him and bolge around the country
over a whiskey bottle back in the day, and he
was a bit notorious, the old green parrots and all that.
And I've had the good fortune of his company. You
were there as well, a wonderful lunch that turned into
an ether, remember that all those years ago. But anyhow,
he's notorious for his nocturnal behavior. But is he on
(06:13):
a health kick at the moment?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Oh well, it was suggested I think on Mike Hosking
by Mike Hosking this morning, that he is on a
health kick. But look, Winston is a social being. He
likes nothing more than to sit around and have a drink.
And I was last year, late last year, I was
in Wellington. We sat around, had a good old matter.
He loves having a talk, loves debating politics. You can
(06:38):
take issue with him, He'll give back as much as
he gets. And that's his relationship with the media. He's
pretty hard on the media. But of course now I
think I've sort of got so long in the tooth
that he tolerates me more than he used to do.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
He's currently our eighth longest serving politician, thirty seven years.
In a bit. The longest serving politician is a guy
by the name of Rex Mason. I've never heard of him.
He served for forty years, one hundred and ninety three days,
and I'm just doing the quick maths on the back
of an envelope here. If Winston does another term, he
will break that record.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah, But the thing is, you've got to remember, and
I've always reminded Winston and I've actually been involved in
politics longer than he has, because he's had several breaks
from the politics, being losing one election and coming back
the next. Whereas my record, Jomie dere I say that
began in nineteen eighty in the press gallery in Parliament
(07:36):
and I'm still doing it. I don't know how many
years that has been as well, over forty.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Well, Barry, enjoy your paternity leave, if such a thing,
if such a thing as possible. This is coming from
a former house husband, and we look forward to your
hearing you back, hearing your dulcet tones back. Should I
say on news talks, they'd be looking forward to Heather
coming back next week as well.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Good on you, Jomi, and I'm talking to you.
Here's our political correspondent of long long standing, Barry Soper.
He's been around for a long time. He knows where
all the bodies are buried. We're going to pay tribute
to Winston Petersberry. But this is your bit of a
treat for me today, even though we are cousins. It's
your last day on the job before paternity leave, which
means for z B listeners, Heather's back on Monday.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
So that's the good and the bad, I assume, Jamie, No,
not at all. Well, it'll be over to the listeners
to decide.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Hey, we could talk about the Treaty Principal's Bill getting
kicked to touch. I'm sick of that. The wombat Greens,
I can't even bother Trump and his tariffs is done
to death. But I want to talk about talking about
where all the bodies are buried. You and Winston peters
No one goes as far back with Winston as you.
In fact, you both started in parliament about the same time.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Ah, yeah, you're right there, Jamie. He in fact came
into Parliament in nineteen seventy eight and then out for
a spell in nineteen eighty one and came back in
nineteen eighty four, and that's been the hallmark of Winston's career,
sort of being dumped out of the political limelight for
a while, right back in the full limelight, as he did,
(01:14):
of course in twenty twenty three. But the first time
I ever met Winston was interesting was at a National
Party conference in Dunedin, of all places, and Don McKinnon
introduced me to Winston Peters and from the very start
we had an argument, and Winston accused me of sending
(01:34):
his predecessor in his seat, that was Keith Allen, who
was known for the Ministry of Silly Wawks or the
Minister of He said, you send him to an early grave. Well,
very little to do with his hypoglycema. But nevertheless Winston
got off to that start with me and we've had
an up and down roller coaster ride ever since. Jamie.
(01:57):
But look like or dislike winter, he's a formidable politician.
He knows probably better than most, certainly better than most
in the current crop how to woo the public. And
prior to the twenty twenty three election, when Winston was
out of my hustings starting to pull in the crowds,
(02:18):
I said he'll be back and sure enough, Winston's back,
not just back, but fully back. Deputy Prime Minister well
for another less than a month, and of course Foreign Minister,
a job he excels and one that he loves.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Well, let's go back in time because I did a
wee bit of research and you'll know this anyhow, but
our listeners might be interested in this. Deputy Prime minister
under Bulger Shipley are Dern and Luxon. Now he got
what sacked from how many of those jobs too?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yes, and he got sacked by Jenny Shipley. They never
got on well at all. Helen Clark liked him right
until the end. They got on pretty well, and I
think she would speak pretty fon the album. Now. He
was difficult at times. I mean I had a major
running with him in the United States once where he
(03:11):
wouldn't let us know what his itinerary was when he
was going to be rebuilding our relationship with the United States.
We were so, we were told, so three of us
decided to trail them out there. It was like where's
Wally in Washington? Because he wouldn't let us know where
he was going. But in the end I discovered because
I've got some contacts there in the Senate. He was
(03:31):
going to see John McCain, and McCain, of course, became
the Republican nominee in the following presidential run. McCain I
rang his office. He said, yes, of course, come up.
You're welcome to have a chat to us. Before the
meeting starts. Winston comes along the corridor and sees us. Furious.
He was said, what are you doing here? And we said, well,
(03:54):
you're affording the approchemont with the United States, Winston, we'd
like to be in on it and have a look
at it. So they allowed us into the meeting. At
the start, McCain was raving about how if he was
in the position of power, that the anti nuclear issue
would no longer be one an impediment for the United
States and our relationship, so it was good news. Winston
(04:17):
kicked us out of the meeting in the end, interrupted McCain,
and then put out a press statement back home saying
that we had gatecrash the meeting. So I went on
he is saying, well, that is actually untrue. We didn't
we were invited to it. When I got back, Helen
Clark had me out to her office and apologized on
behalf of Winston. No apology from Winston, of course, and
(04:40):
we had a bit of a falling out there and
he refused to take me or allow me to go
on a trip to North Korea with him, which was
a bit disappointed about. But now we get along like
a house on fire.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Yeah, as you said, excels as Minister of Foreign Affairs,
he's had that job under Clark Dern and Luxon. Interestingly,
when he set up New Zealand first and iineteen ninety three.
I mean he's obviously been the leader since then, but
he's had six deputies from toe Neray to Shane Jones.
So some colorful characters in there.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Berry, Oh, absolutely, and he tends to attract them. And
again with your like or dislike Shane Jones, I love
him in the house because he's entertaining. He's like as
though he's preaching from the pulpit and does it so well.
And Winston and he get on very well. I would
imagine Shane Jones would see himself as the successor to
(05:31):
Winston after Winston finally gets out. But look, he might
be eighty, but he's picking along pretty well. I had
a drink with him late last year. He's ticking along
very well as stut as ever. And in fact, you know,
I wouldn't be surprised. In fact, I would expect it
that he'll be running again in next year's election. Now.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
They used to say him and bolge around the country
over a whiskey bottle back in the day, and he
was a bit notorious, the old green parrots and all that.
And I've had the good fortune of his company. You
were there as well, a wonderful lunch that turned into
an ether, remember that all those years ago. But anyhow,
he's notorious for his nocturnal behavior. But is he on
(06:13):
a health kick at the moment?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Oh well, it was suggested I think on Mike Hosking
by Mike Hosking this morning, that he is on a
health kick. But look, Winston is a social being. He
likes nothing more than to sit around and have a drink.
And I was last year, late last year, I was
in Wellington. We sat around, had a good old matter.
He loves having a talk, loves debating politics. You can
(06:38):
take issue with him, He'll give back as much as
he gets. And that's his relationship with the media. He's
pretty hard on the media. But of course now I
think I've sort of got so long in the tooth
that he tolerates me more than he used to do.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
He's currently our eighth longest serving politician, thirty seven years.
In a bit. The longest serving politician is a guy
by the name of Rex Mason. I've never heard of him.
He served for forty years, one hundred and ninety three days,
and I'm just doing the quick maths on the back
of an envelope here. If Winston does another term, he
will break that record.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah, But the thing is, you've got to remember, and
I've always reminded Winston and I've actually been involved in
politics longer than he has, because he's had several breaks
from the politics, being losing one election and coming back
the next. Whereas my record, Jomie dere I say that
began in nineteen eighty in the press gallery in Parliament
(07:36):
and I'm still doing it. I don't know how many
years that has been as well, over forty.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Well, Barry, enjoy your paternity leave, if such a thing,
if such a thing as possible. This is coming from
a former house husband, and we look forward to your
hearing you back, hearing your dulcet tones back. Should I
say on news talks, they'd be looking forward to Heather
coming back next week as well.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Good on you, Jomi, and I'm talking to you.
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