Peters hits back over ‘racist’ call

Labour leader Andrew Little is at risk of getting stuck in the middle of ructions between his potential coalition partners after NZ First leader Winston Peters fired a warning about “consequences” at Green Party coleader Metiria Turei for calling him racist.

Turei said Peters had a “very racist approach to immigration” and in her speech at the Green Party campaign launch yesterday attacked his “divisive” approach, saying a future Government which had only NZ First as a support partner would be “disastrous”.

Peters quickly fired back, saying it was the Greens who had separatist policies when it came to Maori and ownership of water.

“My warning to the Greens is don’t call New Zealand First racist — an allegation that is spurious — and think there won’t be consequences.”

Little said it did not worry him and he did not want to get drawn into it. However, he seemed to send a hint of his own to the Green Party to dial back the criticism on immigration.

Despite Peters’ reaction, Turei was sticking to her guns a few hours later. “I’m telling it like it is.” She said Peters’ attacks on immigrants and blaming immigrants for infrastructure problems was wrong.

“And his attacks on the Muslim community have been outrageous and wrong.”

However, Turei said it did not mean the Greens could not work with NZ First. Nor did she believe Labour’s policy to cut immigration by up to 30,000 a year was racist. The Greens believed the cause was underinvestment in infrastructure by the Government.