Populist to become deputy prime minister
WELLINGTON: Veteran protectionist politician Winston Peters was appointed New Zealand’s new deputy prime minister and foreign minister yesterday, saying he would seek a greater voice in international affairs, including North Korea.
Mr Peters is among a handful of Western politicians to have visited North Korea when he was foreign minister in a previous New Zealand government in 2005.
New Zealand First party leader Mr Peters delivered government to the Labour Party through a coalition deal after the Sept 23 election failed to result in a majority for the governing National or Labour parties.
Mr Peters and Labour Prime Minister-designate Jacinda Ardern have found common ground in “fortress New Zealand”-type of policies, but trade and foreign ownership restrictions could hurt New Zealand’s reputation as an open economy and antagonise the likes of China.
Trade between the two countries has grown to more than NZ$20 billion a year and Chinese President Xi Jinping called the relationship “unprecedented” in its depth.
While Mr Peters was expected to be offered the deputy role after obtaining the balance of power, his appointment as both deputy prime minister and foreign minister was unexpected in most quarters.
Richard Shaw, politics professor at Massey University, said Mr Peters was a “conservative economic nationalist”.
“One of the things we’ve seen from him over the last couple of weeks is the concern with the extent that relatively unbridled free trade has on his constituents,” Mr Shaw said.
Many of Labour and New Zealand First’s policies during the campaign drew on voter concerns that immigration and foreign buyers of local homes were putting too much pressure on infrastructure and house prices.