March 18, 2024
Peters’ co-governance speech like drunk uncle says Hipkins
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has gone back into campaign mode, using his state of the nation speech in Palmerston North yesterday to attack the previous Labour Government and comparing co-governance to what was seen in Nazi Germany.
He said the left had run roughshod over society and the people of New Zealand with ideas and plans they had never campaigned on – but he made no mention of New Zealand First’s failure until after the election to reveal its intention to ditch smokefree regulations.
He said co-governance – which has been used in areas where Maori have a treaty interest in natural resources – was race-based theory.
“”I’ve seen that sort of philosophy before. I saw it in Nazi Germany. We all did. We’ve seen it elsewhere around the world in the horrors of history, but here right in our country and tolerated by people whose job was to keep the system honest, this happened, where some people’s DNA made them better than others,” Mr Peters said.
He said there was no way the Treaty of Waitangi could have been a partnership, and Maori signed up to it because they wanted Crown protection from other outside rapacious colonial powers.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the speech vindicated his decision before the election to rule out working with Mr Peters, and Kiwis deserve better than a deputy prime minister who behaves like a drunk uncle at a wedding.