Winston Peters fires up for ‘political war’
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has promised a ‘‘political war’’ over superannuation. The firebrand politician has also claimed his party will be at the heart of New Zealand’s version of the Brexit ‘‘surprise’’.
Peters made the comments in a fiery speech to more than 120 delegates at Grey Power’s annual general meeting in Palmerston North on Tuesday.
He said the feeling that big political parties are ignoring people was bubbling over in New Zealand – and it showed in debates like the one about superannuation.
‘‘There’s only one party in New Zealand who can say the one thing that matters in this election: ‘We hear you.’ When this election is over, we’re going to see the same expressions of surprise in the media we had after Brexit and Trump.’’
Grey Power Manawatu president Lew Findlay said every party was invited to speak at the Grey Power AGM, but only one party sent its leader and older people will remember that.
Peters predicted the election would boil down to a three-way fight – ‘‘tired, old and arrogant’’ National, a marriage of Labour and the Greens that ‘‘explodes the day after the election’’, and NZ First riding a rising tide of populism.
Peters said superannuation’s net cost was 3.8 per cent of gross domestic product – almost half the OECD average.
There needed to be a focus on improving productivity, not withholding the hard-earned reward of people who have contributed for 45-50 years.
‘‘If we can build the kind of economy Australia has, [super] won’t cost us any more in 2050 than it does today.
‘‘They come for you because you are easy to come for. Why would they do any different after September 23 if you let them get away with it.’’