Auckland (The NZ Today)
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has moved to shut down speculation over any potential post-election deal with the Opportunity Party, after comments from his deputy Shane Jones appeared to leave the door open.
The clarification came after Jones told Duncan Garner’s Editor in Chief podcast that NZ First had not yet formally ruled Opportunity in or out of any future coalition arrangement.
Jones said the party had been concentrating on its own campaign and had not spent significant time considering the possibility of working with Opportunity.
His remarks created uncertainty because Peters had previously signalled strong opposition to the party.
That uncertainty deepened briefly in Whanganui on Monday when Peters initially suggested he had not ruled Opportunity out, before arguing that he did not believe the party would cross the 5 percent threshold required to enter Parliament without winning an electorate seat.
He later clarified his position more firmly to the New Zealand Herald, saying NZ First would not work with Opportunity.
The exchange comes as Opportunity continues to feature in coalition discussions after several recent polls placed it close to, or above, the 5 percent threshold.
Opportunity leader Qiulae Wong has previously said her party could work with either National or Labour, subject to agreement on its policy priorities. The party has also published five “bottom lines” it says would form the basis of any support agreement.
National leader Christopher Luxon has repeatedly ruled out working with Opportunity, while ACT leader David Seymour has taken a less absolute position and has previously said he would be willing to speak with Wong if necessary.
Jones’ comments therefore raised fresh questions about where NZ First stood, particularly if election results produced a closely divided Parliament.
Speaking in Whanganui, Peters dismissed the likelihood of Opportunity becoming a decisive force after the election and questioned whether its recent polling support would translate into seats.
He also used the public meeting to heavily criticise mainstream media coverage of NZ First’s campaign, telling supporters he believed the party was being under-covered compared with its rivals.
Around 600 people attended the Whanganui event, where Peters spent much of his speech attacking both Opportunity and sections of the media.
He criticised Opportunity’s proposal for a Future Generations Commissioner and rejected suggestions the party could become a post-election “kingmaker”.
The coalition question has become increasingly prominent during the campaign as smaller parties position themselves around the two major blocs.
Opportunity has publicly stated that it would negotiate with either side, while National has continued to rule the party out.
Source: NZ Herald
