Peters Winston: General Debate 
Peters Winston: General Debate 
[Volume:636;Page:6944] 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 New Zealand First wishes to thank the Minister of Immigration for his policy announcement yesterday. For far too long immigration as we all know was an issue everybody was too scared to talk about or to do anything to address the underlying concerns that ordinary New Zealanders had. One political party broke that mould and was prepared to speak out. One political party was in touch with ordinary New Zealanders on this matter. One political party stood up to the criticism and castigation of the woolly lily-livered left—and right—to challenge the failings of our immigration system. When others were too PC to stand up and do what was right one political party had the backbone and courage to speak out on behalf of New Zealanders. 
That party was New Zealand First. We remember the snide comments and the outright abuse we copped when we dared to raise immigration issues. We remember how others ran and hid or put their heads in the sand over immigration matters. Now we see the truly glorious irony that fundamental changes to our immigration laws aspects of which we had been championing and defending for years are going to happen. It was New Zealand First that had long said that our appeal system for example needed refining and tightening—and it is about to be done. It was New Zealand First that wanted greater powers to deport those we do not want or need in this country and this will happen. It was New Zealand First that advocated we must match our immigration policy to demands in the labour market and this is becoming a reality. It was New Zealand First who not only highlighted the failings of our border security systems but promoted robust change; we now see this coming into effect. It was New Zealand First that said there were too many loopholes in the visa system and this is now being tightened. For years New Zealand First has highlighted the failings in the decision-making process and now this is getting addressed. I want to thank the Minister for that. 
We could go on but it is worth making two points before I come to a conclusion. The first is that we welcome the Government’s move on this front which we ensured was part of our supply and confidence agreement with the Government. The second is that the media needs to reorganise and to recognise that it was New Zealand First not all the johnny-come-latelys who all now want to jump on the immigration bandwagon that ensured the issue got addressed. In short New Zealand First blazed the trail and we are here now working towards a solution. Some talk in politics—and some act. 
Whilst I am at it I tell members I noticed that in a certain book called  
The Hollow Men 
 at page 83 there is a deliberate strategy on the part of the National Party in the last campaign to try to steal New Zealand First’s policy on immigration. We forecast of course months earlier that National would do just that. But how they got to announce a policy closing into the campaign proper without the media mentioning it is slightly beyond us. In short I say to the New Zealand media that if they truly want to report to the market place what products are out there on show—so that voters might be able to make a fair choice as to who they will vote for—then for heaven’s sake they should follow what is going on in the political arena. 
If we go again to that book to page 159 we see an enormous effort to try to counter the policies that a party namely New Zealand First has held since its formation. That happened on the issue of one law for all. It happened even on the issue of having referenda used far more widely in New Zealand. You know it is said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Well it is if we recognise it. It is if we admit it. It is if we tell people that actually this is not our policy or National’s policy but this is the policy that belongs to New Zealand First. My message to the media is that if they had told the public that then their desire to get National into power might have happened. But the media did not—and National did not get into power. 
The debate having concluded the motion lapsed.