Latest news with #NZFirst
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Prime Minister Chris Luxon faces questions on building product investment, immigration numbers
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will face questions this morning on the latest boost for builders, the Foreign Minister's concerns on immigration numbers and the new road cone hotline. He will join Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking at 7.30am. It comes after Luxon said the Government would be increasing the number of building products available in New Zealand, including plasterboard, cladding systems, external doors and windows. He made the announcement at the weekend with Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk, who said thousands of overseas building products had been given the green light for construction. '[This ends] costly monopolies on a small number of products that are currently used in New Zealand,' Penk said. 'It is 50% more expensive to build a standalone home in New Zealand than in Australia. That is frankly outrageous.' Luxon is also expected to face heat this week from NZ First leader Winston Peters, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, over his concerns about the number of migrants entering New Zealand. Peters said he is observing an 'alarming development' overseas where 'careless immigration policies' are 'transforming cities' and 'changing centuries of development and social life'. He referred to his party as 'nationalist' while his coalition partners are 'globalists', and believes Kiwis are increasingly worried about immigration issues. 'We intend to turn that problem into a success story, so people do understand that, when you're coming here, there are some fundamental things you need to sign up to,' he said. 'If you don't want to sign up to it, don't come.' Meanwhile, Luxon's new hotline to curb overzealous road cone use has come under scrutiny, with a chief executive of a traffic management company saying he is very doubtful it will work. Traffic management planning company Parallaxx helps train WorkSafe staff for the hotline, but chief executive Dave Tilton is sceptical of the concept, partly due to the number of people a report needs to go through before action is taken. 'We absolutely have oversupply [of road cones] beyond the minimum without question ... but I'm very doubtful that this particular thread [the hotline] is going to bear fruit in fixing it.'
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Winston Peters: ‘Careless' immigration ‘transforming cities', Nigel Farage's Reform ‘compelling'
Peters, who is the Foreign Affairs Minister, spoke about what he described as an 'alarming development' overseas. 'People are concerned as to where their countries are going, and New Zealanders are no different. They are more acutely aware of the problem we're dealing with here than the politicians are. 'They have seen the international circumstances of careless immigration policies transforming cities, changing cities, changing centuries of development and social life, and people feel at risk because of it.' He pointed to several European countries, including England, where he said there were concerns about 'people who have come there who don't salute the flag, don't salute the values of the country, don't salute the people who were there before them, don't respect the right to have your own religion'. 'These sorts of things are values that we need to stress. If you don't subscribe to that, don't come here.' He believed New Zealand was experiencing similar issues. 'Some of these people are out there celebrating diversity, flying all sorts of flags. We have one flag in this country and it's been there since 1904 ... That's what they should be saluting. People have died for it.' NZ First leader Winston Peters speaks to the Herald about his party's view on immigration. Photo / Mark Mitchell His comments come against the backdrop of the rising popularity of Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. It has soared past Labour and the Conservatives in recent polls, though a general election could be several years away. Peters has told the Herald he is 'friends' with Farage and that they communicate. He was 'entertained' by the Reform leader last time he was in the UK. 'I think that there are things to do with that party and New Zealand First which are so similar. That is why we've got confidence going into the future.' Those similarities were 'true grit, determination and principles'. Asked whether he looked at Reform and its targeting of immigration, Peters responded: 'Yes, I do. It's very compelling, but that they had to come to that is a serious worry'. Farage, best known for his Brexit advocacy, takes a hardline approach to immigration policy. Last year, he said British culture was 'under threat' and 'in decline', and proposed a freeze on non-essential migration. He warned of riots last year if migrants did not 'integrate' into their communities. While Farage has faced allegations of emboldening racism – he denies this and says Reform is 'non-racist' - his party appears to be influencing the public debate in the UK about immigration. An Ipsos poll in May found Reform had the highest level of trust on immigration policies, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party has taken a stronger line on border issues. In a May speech, Starmer said the UK risked becoming an 'island of strangers'. He later expressed regret after criticism that his comment echoed British politician Enoch Powell, who said in 1968 that the UK's white population could find themselves 'strangers in their own country'. Massey University distinguished professor Paul Spoonley previously told the Herald that he didn't believe there was a similar anti-immigration sentiment here. 'Australia, Canada and New Zealand target skilled migrants, and we use our point[s] system to identify who's going to be appropriate. We have a very managed immigration system. Most of Europe does not.' Winston Peters met Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in the United Kingdom last year. Photo / Facebook/Winston Peters 'Still our plan', 32 years on The interview with Peters was held as NZ First celebrates its 32nd birthday. When it was formed, the party laid out 15 principles, including acknowledging that, while New Zealand would need 'overseas skills and expertise', it did not want immigration to be 'an excuse for our failure to train, skill and employ our own people'. That remained 'as much a principle now as it was back then', Peters said. 'We, like wise countries, have always believed we should be training and employing our own people first and not use immigration as an excuse not to do that. That is still our plan.' He expressed concern about the current number of migrants to New Zealand. In the year to May 2025, there was a net migration gain of 15,000, driven by 140,000 arrivals offset by 125,000 departures. The number of arrivals is down from a peak of roughly 235,000 in late 2023, but still above the long-term average of 119,000. However, due to the large number of departures, the net gain is below the average of nearly 28,000. Peters' concern about the immigration figures is in part prompted by his desire for New Zealanders to be employed, but he also remembers a time when arriving migrants were supported by appropriate infrastructure. 'There was a time when we were getting people from around the world putting down £10 to get here. They were coming to a job and a house and infrastructure, schooling, everything. Teachers and doctors and all sorts of people were coming here.' New Zealand's infrastructure deficit and pressures in the health system are well-reported, and Peters said work was under way on a population policy that he hoped would be revealed this term. 'If you're going to bring in people that you essentially need, we've got to make sure we've got the infrastructure for them,' he said. Net migration gain is below the long-term average, but about 140,000 people still arrived here in the year to May. Photo / Alex Burton In 2003, while speaking from the opposition benches in Parliament, Peters complained that 'a hundred thousand New Zealanders are out of work, yet we are bringing in tens of thousands of immigrants'. With Peters now in power, the Herald put it to him that, at the end of June, 216,000 people were receiving Jobseeker support while thousands of migrants were arriving. He responded that, if his party's message had been given more prominence, it would have 'far more members and we'd be in control of the circumstances now'. 'Unfortunately, you didn't, and we're working for the next campaign to ensure that this time our voices are heard on the way through. 'We are still saying that the drivers to take people from secondary school into employment aren't strong enough. 'Too many people are able to access social welfare without making every effort to get employment, to get jobs. How come we've got so many people who are so-called job-ready but not in jobs?' Part of NZ First's coalition agreement with National included strengthening obligations for beneficiaries and sanctions if those were not fulfilled. Coalition engagement While NZ First may have strong views on immigration, it's National MP Erica Stanford who is the Immigration Minister. 'She's inherited the most difficult portfolio, and it's very hard to try to meet the demands of employers who need essential workers when we've had such a haphazard system,' Peters said. The Government announced last month that it would establish a Parent Boost Visa in September. Based on a National Party election policy, it will allow the parents of migrants to visit New Zealand for up to 10 years as long as they fulfil certain criteria, including having health insurance. As the Herald has reported, the visa has no cap, but Stanford doesn't expect it will lead to an 'explosion' in migration. However, Cabinet documents warned there was 'significant uncertainty' about how many people might take up the visa and that there would be impacts on the health system. Asked for NZ First's view on the policy, Peters stressed that conditions attached to the visa required migrants to pay their medical costs. 'There'd be no cost on the New Zealand taxpayer. Why should the New Zealand taxpayer be paying for someone to come here as a worker, but also now they've got somebody else who is coming here to access our social welfare for free? 'The condition was they would not be required, would not access our social welfare system. That's still our position.' Officials' advice, however, highlighted that, even if the parents had insurance, they could take up spots in GP clinics and emergency rooms. Peters said it was the Government's responsibility to fix 'our GP problem'. He also suggested that, while the visa had no cap, there was a limit on how many people would meet the criteria. Ministers were warned of an impact on the health system from Parent Boost. Photo / File In 2023, NZ First campaigned on having a cap of 1000 on the Parent Resident Visa. It's currently 2500. Asked if he was happy with that cap, Peters responded: 'There are a number of things we're not happy with, but we're working on them every day and every week with the ministers who are concerned. 'We want the outcome and the finality of a policy to be accepted and hopefully across the political divide.' So why should people vote for NZ First over National or Act when it comes to immigration policy? 'There's only one nationalist party in this country, and you're looking at it. The rest are globalists. They don't deny that. 'We're a nationalist party, and I see the success of Croatia, modern Croatia. I see the success of modern Poland. These countries are focused on their people's national interests first and foremost because that's what democracy is answerable to: the people, not the world, but your own people.' Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. In 2025, he was a finalist for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Peters challenged on tobacco links
Public health researchers at the University of Otago have called on the prime minister to show some leadership and remove the tobacco and vaping portfolio from New Zealand First, following allegations the party has been colluding with tobacco giant Philip Morris. Documents from a Radio NZ investigation show Philip Morris provided NZ First with a draft piece of regulation which the deputy prime minister at the time, Winston Peters, supported. They show NZ First assured Philip Morris they would "put that draft into the policy mix". Mr Peters said the documents referenced were more than six years old, and the attempt to attack NZ First was "old, stale, repetitive, and utterly baseless". The allegation comes after NZ First list MP and Associate Health Minister Casey Costello led the repeal of the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022. It effectively scrapped laws aimed at slashing tobacco retailers, removing 95% of the nicotine from cigarettes, and creating a smokefree generation by banning sales to those born after 2009. University of Otago Aspire Aotearoa Research Centre co-director and public health researcher Prof Janet Hoek said the fact the documents were six years old was "neither here nor there", because NZ First had repeatedly denied having any connections with the tobacco industry. The revelation raised questions about how easily companies were able to access politicians, and the kind of lobbying that went on behind closed doors. "The challenge that he [Mr Peters] has to address is that there have been allegations that he's been dealing with tobacco companies and using their documents to inform policy. "None of his statements, none of his rebuttals, address that concern. "What we need is some transparency — some actual evidence showing that these allegations that have been put forth in the documents don't stand, and that's not what he's been able to provide. "I think he really needs to be held to account here." She said Mr Peters' instinctive response was "attack is the best defence". "I think there's actually a real question about integrity of the political process here, and what people want to feel is that politicians are acting in the best interest of the country, not the best interest of the tobacco company." Prof Hoek said the "discrepancy" was further decreasing trust in the government, and called on Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to assert some leadership and removed the tobacco and vaping portfolio from NZ First, and entrust it to a politician without alleged links to tobacco giants. "We know that tobacco companies operate in the shadows by lobbying politicians. "What these documents reveal are claims that tobacco companies are not just lobbying, they are writing policy. "The New Zealand public will be disgusted to learn that is how the party that should be promoting public health is allegedly behaving." Fellow Aspire co-director Prof Richard Edwards said the repeal of New Zealand's world-leading smokefree legislation prompted a huge outcry from communities affected by smoking, health organisations, health professionals and public health experts. "The repeal raised questions about influence of the tobacco industry. "Subsequent industry-friendly policies like tax cuts for heated tobacco products only increased those concerns, and the recent revelations of close links between NZ First and Philip Morris suggest these concerns were well-founded." He called for the urgent reintroduction of the repealed measures, which were very likely to rapidly reduce the enormous harm from smoking, and protect future generations from smoking. Asked to respond to the accusations, a spokesman for Mr Peters pointed to a social media post online. In it, Mr Peters said the documents referenced were more than six years old, and the "attempt to attack NZ First is old, stale, repetitive, and utterly baseless". He said multiple government departments had themselves proactively reached out to "big tobacco" for direct feedback and advice on tobacco legislation. He accused Radio NZ of being "clearly lefty biased", and their "bottom-of-the-barrel attack reporting" had caused New Zealanders to lose trust in them and switch to other stations. "The smokefree legislation that we implemented is working," he said. "New Zealand First is proud of the smokefree legislation, which is backed by Action for Smokefree 2025 (ASH), that we have implemented and that we are still implementing."
Scoop
5 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
PM Must Act To End Tobacco Industry Interference In His Government
Health Coalition Aotearoa is calling on Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to show leadership and strip NZ First of the tobacco and vaping portfolio, following damning revelations of collusion between NZ First and tobacco giant Philip Morris. A detailed RNZ investigation uncovered documents showing Philip Morris provided NZ First with a draft piece of regulation which the Deputy Prime Minister at the time Winston Peters supported. Winston Peters was described by JUUL representatives as "industry friendly and highly geared towards commercial interests." NZ First reportedly assured Philip Morris they would "put that draft into the policy mix." The World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which New Zealand signed in 2005, explicitly warns of the "irreconcilable conflict" between the goals of public health and the interests of the tobacco industry. Under this treaty, governments must protect health policy from tobacco industry interference. "By allowing tobacco industry influence, this Government is breaching its obligations under the World Health Organization convention, says Professor Chris Bullen, Health Coalition Aotearoa tobacco spokesperson and University of Auckland professor. "These documents confirm what many have long feared: tobacco companies are influencing health policy in Aotearoa. The Prime Minister must demonstrate he expects the highest standards of integrity from his Ministers and reallocate the tobacco and vaping portfolio," says Professor Bullen. Tobacco companies' intensive and covert lobbying comes as no surprise. However, evidence NZ First MPs have been complicit in these arrangements will shock the public, who expect higher standards from politicians. The evidence in the media today gives an explicit example of how officials are exposed to communications, meetings and relationships with a powerful industry on policy that is supposed to be protecting public health. And yet another example of this Government favouring commercial interests over people's lives and health. Winston Peters told reporters yesterday "I've always been industry friendly". Matching rhetoric of NZ First Minister Shane Jones last year confirmed Philip Morris External Relations Manager Api Dawson was involved in 'soundings' about the party's tobacco policy. Professor Bullen says the revelations offer Luxon a clear opportunity to put New Zealanders' health ahead of dirty politics. "This is a test of leadership. He must reassign the tobacco and vaping portfolio to someone with no ties to the industry. New Zealanders expect transparency and a Government that acts with integrity. "The Government has already damaged Aotearoa New Zealand's international standing by repealing popular, widely acclaimed smokefree measures - a move that has seen a stall in the decline of smoking prevalence, while inequities persist. "The RNZ revelations show serious lack of judgement by this Government. It must end now. We are spending billions treating preventable diseases caused by smoking, while politicians allow the industry to keep selling the products that cause these harms. It's reckless and it's wrong," says Professor Bullen. Health Coalition Aotearoa is calling for: Immediate reassignment of the tobacco and vaping portfolio from NZ First to a politician free of any ties to the industry, and who will prioritise New Zealanders' health over corporate profits. The Ministry of Health to exclude the nicotine industry from policy processes, interact only when necessary, and document all interactions in alignment with the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to which Aotearoa is a Party. Stronger rules on lobbying and conflicts of interest across government. Health Coalition Aotearoa is running a campaign to mitigate the harmful impact of industry involvement in public health policy. The Government to prioritise the advice and expertise of those working to reduce tobacco and nicotine harm when changing tobacco policies. "All the current Government's coalition parties have links to the tobacco industry. That must end," said Professor Bullen. "The Prime Minister has a choice: run a government based on integrity or stoop to a new level of dirty politics. He must act now."
The Spinoff
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Government under fire over sweeping changes to voting rules
The government's electoral overhaul introduces new restrictions critics say will disproportionately affect young, Māori and lower-income voters, writes Catherine McGregor in today's extract from The Bulletin. Enrolment deadline brought forward The government has unveiled wide-ranging changes to New Zealand's voting laws, including scrapping same-day enrolment and tightening rules on campaigning and donations. Under the proposals, from the next election, voters must be enrolled by midnight on the Sunday before advance voting begins – 13 days out from election day. Justice minister Paul Goldsmith said the current system, brought in by Labour in 2020 with NZ First's backing, places 'too much strain' on the Electoral Commission and delays final results. 'We used to be able to get an outcome of the election in two weeks,' Goldsmith said. 'It went out to three weeks … If we do nothing, it'll be longer than that.' Goldsmith insisted the changes are 'significant, but necessary'. But critics have called foul, reports Thomas Manch in The Post (paywalled). Green Party electoral reform spokesperson Celia Wade-Brown described it as a 'dark day for our democracy', and Labour's justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said the move was 'despicable'. Critics have raised concerns that the changes will disproportionately affect Māori and Pasifika, young people, and those in unstable housing, with Webb noting that people with 'busy lives' are exactly the kind the system should be helping to vote. Seymour's 'dropkicks' jab draws backlash Government messaging on the changes took a sharp turn when deputy prime minister David Seymour dismissed affected voters as 'dropkicks'. 'Frankly, I'm a bit sick of dropkicks that can't get themselves organised to follow the law … then going along and voting to tax away hard-working people's money,' Seymour told reporters. Webb responded in Parliament, calling the remarks 'outrageous' and showing 'disrespect' to over 100,000 New Zealanders who enrolled on election day in 2023, reports Glenn McConnell in Stuff. While Seymour focused on people failing to enrol in time, the law would also partly disenfranchise voters who had recently moved – such as students or renters – by disallowing changes of address during the advance voting period, notes Laura Walters in Newsroom. In 2023, 134,000 voters updated their enrolment details during this window, and under the new rules, their party vote might count, but their electorate vote would not. Does comparing ourselves with Australia make sense? Goldsmith defended the proposed 13-day cut-off by pointing to Australia, where voters must enrol 26 days before election day. 'I have every confidence New Zealand can manage within the 13-day deadline,' he said. Speaking to Checkpoint's Melissa Chan-Green, constitutional law expert Andrew Geddis called the comparison flawed, noting that voting is compulsory in Australia. 'They put a lot of sticks in the system,' he said. 'If you're not enrolled and don't vote, they chase you and fine you.' Geddis said it was misleading to suggest New Zealand could replicate the same compliance without a similar level of enforcement. He also questioned whether speeding up final election results was worth disenfranchising tens of thousands of voters, pointing out that special votes – which would be dramatically reduced under the new law – historically favour left-leaning parties. After the 2023 election, special votes shifted two seats away from National and toward Te Pāti Māori and the Greens. Geddis conceded that counting special votes was taking longer than in the past, but noted the Electoral Commission had issued a set of recommendations on how it could be sped up. 'That recommendation did not include what the government's doing,' he said. 'The government is doing something off its own bat, where the people who run the elections did not think it was necessary.' 'Manurewa Marae rule' prompts ban on kai near polling places Another headline reform is a new $10,000 offence targeting 'treating' near polling places – defined as offering free food, drink or entertainment within 100 metres while voting is taking place. The move appears inspired by the controversy at Manurewa Marae, which served as a polling place for the 2023 election and offered hāngī and other refreshments during the voting period. The Electoral Commission investigated a number of complaints of treating at the marae but concluded there was no breach, citing a lack of 'corrupt intent' and describing the provision of kai as manaakitanga. Geddis said the law change amounts to legislative overreach: 'A hammer has been taken out to smash the walnut.' While the government says the rule will bring clarity, it also risks deterring community engagement and complicating efforts to boost turnout in marginalised areas. As with many of the bill's provisions, the new rule's perceived alignment with government interests will likely come under intense scrutiny in coming weeks.
