Leader's Letter
December 2005
Leaders Report
Rt Hon Winston Peters
2005 has been an eventful year and New Zealand First, more than any other party, has had a range of highs and lows. We fought a gruelling election campaign and sadly lost some talented MPs as a result. But in a campaign in which we were targeted like never before and in which the two old parties engaged in irresponsible big spending promises (with little or no media scrutiny of whether they were affordable or not) we must not lose sight of the fact that we bucked the odds and we survived. There are certainly lessons to be learnt from the campaign, but the key to our long-term success is to look forward with optimism, not to wallow in the past. And we have much to look forward to as a party.
We responded to the unique and politically volatile situation we found ourselves in post election by making a judgement call, which we believe will achieve long-term stability for the nation. While this was not our preferred position, the circumstances required us to take a responsible path. We were faced with the genuine prospect of a hung parliament and an early election if we did not.
This type of paralysis required a circuit breaker and New Zealand First stepped into the breach, at much risk to ourselves because we knew some would criticise us for doing so, to resolve the potential crisis.
But we have ensured that by breaking this impasse that it is the policy priorities we campaigned on that are the focus of our agreement with Labour. These have formed the basis of our negotiations. So as a result of our decision, there will be increased superannuation, a Golden Age Card, a huge injection of funds into the eldercare sector, 1000 extra police, changes to the laws surrounding the Treaty industry and immigration, lower company taxes and higher wages and a focus on growing our exports to build a high wage economy.
There are many more policy concessions, which we secured from Labour – an outcome of which appears elsewhere in this newsletter.
These policy gains are important because they highlight our value as a party in the political system. It is worth remembering that many of these would never have occurred were we not there. So your vote for our party has ensured that the policies you voted for are able to come to fruition. That is how democracy is supposed to work.
So as we move forward as a party, we do so with great optimism. We have a great policy platform to build on going forward. We have a great team of MPs promoting our policies and values and we have a strong and great party organisation to support us.
I must at this time pay tribute to Doug Woolerton and Kay Urlich for all the work they have done for the party over the past 12 years as party president and treasurer. Both were there right from the beginning for New Zealand First and have played a fundamental part in our growth as a party. Working as a party official entails long and often thankless hours of work behind the scenes. They have delivered wonderful service to our party over the years and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.
Our party AGM on 20 November saw former MP Dail Jones elected as party president. This is exciting for the party, to have such an experienced and talented party member take the reigns as we prepared for the 2008 election. We must all now focus on supporting Dail and his team in their task of steering the party machine towards 2008. May I also congratulate Charles Sturt for his election as party Vice President and all of the new Board members. It is a strong team with a range of experience and qualities. Our thanks, too, to outgoing Vice President George Groombridge. George
and Shirley have made an enormous contribution to our party over the years and their work in the Wairarapa has been outstanding.
Our AGM this year was an overwhelming success. The mood was positive which bodes well for our future. While the focus was clearly on electing new office holders, it is pleasing to note that we conducted our business on the whole in an optimistic and proactive way. It was also pleasing to see so many (almost 300 people) at a post election AGM. It just goes to show how wrong the doomsayers are.
Our caucus has performed strongly since parliament has resumed, particularly in my absence. We have demonstrated the truism that it is not the size of the dog in the fight that matters, but rather the size of the fight in the dog. While National and Labour may have the larger numbers, we have the talent and skills to keep them both on their toes. While under intense pressure, our caucus has risen to the challenge.
I am encouraged by how well the party is progressing. We are an integral part of New Zealand’s political fabric and we
serve those the others neglect. We are unique in politics, because we do not have any puppet masters pulling our strings as other do. So we must move forward now, in the sure knowledge that we are playing a valuable role in our nation’s progress and that we have much more to contribute into the future. A future which is looking brighter by the
day.
Thank you for your hard work and support in a difficult year.
Rt Hon Winston Peters
LEADER NEW ZEALAND FIRST
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