New Zealand First Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters has accused the Labour Party of deceiving New Zealanders over the state of the economy and abandoning the country’s workers in favour of what he described as a divisive “woke, cultural, globalist, and Marxist agenda.”

Speaking to a packed James Hay Theatre in Christchurch on Sunday, Peters launched a scathing attack on Labour’s leadership, claiming former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Finance Minister Grant Robertson knowingly misled the public during the 2023 election campaign.

“Labour told us the economy was turning the corner — that there was no recession, jobs were growing, and wages were outpacing inflation,” Peters said. “They claimed, and I quote, ‘our economic plan is working.’ Ladies and gentlemen, that claim was a litany of lies.”

Peters said within six months, New Zealand was experiencing the worst economic downturn in over 30 years, with fewer jobs and a worsening cost-of-living crisis.

“Guiding a country is like piloting a massive ocean liner — it takes time to turn around. Every economic outcome we saw was the responsibility of the previous government. That’s a fact.”

He said Hipkins and Robertson could not escape the consequences of their mismanagement.

“Almost all of the slump — and the pain — is directly the result of Hipkins and Robertson’s work. And now, after destroying our economy, they want you to believe them again. It’s staggering.”

Peters ridiculed Hipkins’ later admission that Labour had failed to deliver on key promises like KiwiBuild and Auckland Light Rail.

“He literally said, ‘we hadn’t worked through the exact details’ — those are his words, not ours. You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do, but what you’ve already done. And Labour failed.”

Economic recovery underway but challenges remain

Peters said the coalition government was already turning the economy around, pointing to new figures showing growth of 0.7% for the last quarter — nearly 3% annually.

“This coalition is taking New Zealand out of recession, but we know it’s still tough out there. Labour’s cost-of-living rises have been cemented in. There’s more work to do — but at least now, there is real hope on the horizon.”

He accused the mainstream media of failing to hold Labour to account.

“Where was the media when Labour was misleading you all? Where were the questions? The scrutiny? Instead, they cheered them on.”

‘Labour no longer represents workers — they’re obsessed with woke ideology’

Peters said Labour had abandoned its roots, betraying the very workers and industries that built the party.

“Who do Labour represent now? It seems even they don’t know. They’ve become a party of moral outrage — obsessed with accusations, gotcha politics, woke ideology, and opposing anything that might offend someone, somewhere.”

He compared today’s Labour Party to a “recently divorced partner,” saying, “they’re standing back, asking, ‘don’t you miss me yet?’ Their lack of self-awareness is astounding.”

“Where are the real workers in Labour’s leadership? How many of them have had a real job, run a business, or done a hard day’s work? Almost none.”

Peters accused Labour, the Greens, and the Māori Party of competing in a race to the bottom.

“They’re fighting for the same woke, cultural Marxist space — obsessed with race, DEI, rainbow wars, and dividing New Zealanders. And Labour is right there with them.”

Vows to escalate the ‘war on woke’ — targets DEI, puberty blockers, and gender policies

Peters said New Zealand First was leading the fight against woke social engineering and would continue to target policies that undermine common sense.

“We announced that all public service hiring should be based on merit, skill, and competence — not targets for diversity, equity, and inclusion. And the reaction? The left and the media clutched their pearls in horror,” he said.

“Think about how far we’ve fallen as a country when pushing for merit is considered shocking.”

He said the party had already scrapped the “Relationship and Sexuality Education” guidelines in schools, halted He Puapua and co-governance, and protected women’s sport.

“We delivered on our promise — men cannot compete against women and girls. We have done that.”

Peters vowed to keep fighting, specifically targeting the use of puberty blockers on children.

“We may have won some battles, but the war is not over. We will not stop fighting against this nonsense.”

He revealed new Members’ Bills to combat woke banking practices, protect women’s spaces, and remove DEI requirements from the public sector.

“Our message is simple — if you’re part of the unelected bureaucracy pushing this nonsense, you’re either part of the solution or part of the problem. And if it’s the latter — get out of the way.”

Calls for review of Paris Accord commitments

Peters turned his attention to climate policy, calling New Zealand’s Paris Accord commitments economically suicidal.

“We’re talking about $22 billion of our hard-earned taxpayer money being siphoned offshore for no benefit. It’s a total economic and climatic shambles.”

He said New Zealand’s emissions were negligible compared to the world’s biggest polluters — China, the United States, Russia, and India.

“Those four produce nearly 60% of the world’s CO2 emissions. We produce 0.17%. Why are we punishing our farmers and economy while they sneeze and create more emissions overnight than we do in a year?”

Peters said it was “just common sense” to invest in New Zealand’s environment instead of sending money overseas.

Local democracy must be restored — fluoride decisions back to communities

Peters also took aim at the previous government’s removal of local council powers over fluoride decisions, calling it “a Soviet-era disgrace.”

“Local councils were stripped of their rights, and now they’re threatened with fines and even prison if they resist. This is not about fluoride — it’s about democracy.”

Peters said New Zealand First backed councils like Whangārei in their fight to return the decision to local referendums.

“It’s chilling that we’ve reached the point where elected councillors can be jailed just for doing their jobs and asking for a public vote. Only fascists would call local democracy a rabbit hole.”

‘It’s our country, stupid’ — Peters ends with a call to arms

Peters concluded with a rallying cry, urging New Zealanders to take back control of their country.

“We stand for economic nationalism. We believe the wealth we generate stays here — not sent offshore to benefit foreign economies.”

“As Clinton once said, ‘it’s the economy, stupid.’ New Zealand First is saying, ‘it’s our country, stupid.’ Together, we will take back control, take back our country, and Make New Zealand First Again.”

He finished by urging supporters to spread the message and not lose hope.

“Say yes to plain speaking over vowel sandwiches. Say yes to action, not words. Say yes to common sense over blind ideology. And say yes to New Zealand First.”