NZ First and Labour’s attacks ratchet up, but can they work together again?

Monday, 24 March 2025

Protestors and hecklers disrupted New Zealand First leader Winston Peters as he delivered his State of the Nation speech in Christchurch on Sunday.

Is there any chance of NZ First and Labour working together again next year? Political reporter Glenn McConnell explains the leaders’ latest jabs and what that means for any coalition negotiations.

Winston Peters called Labour “liars” and “losers”. Chris Hipkins called Peters a “chaotic” Donald Trump impersonator.

Their recent history of trading barbs and insults meant it was, perhaps, unsurprising when Peters, the NZ First leader, ruled out partnering with Hipkins, the Labour leader, on Sunday.

The next day, Hipkins hit back by describing Peters as “an angry old man shouting at the clouds”.

“Winston Peters just fires about madly attacking anything that moves. He attacks the current Government. He attacks his own side. He attacks the Opposition. As I said every day, he’s looking more and more like an angry old man shouting at the clouds,” Hipkins responded.

Peters delivered his annual “state of the nation” address over the weekend, speaking to a rowdy bunch of supporters and hecklers in Christchurch.

His big speech focused often on the Labour Party. He mentioned Labour at least 30 times during his speech. Labour was his most discussed party, with more mentions than the Greens, Te Pāti Māori, National, and even NZ First itself.

During that speech, Peters said it was “comical” how badly Labour’s leaders were performing. He said they were on the way to a “woke, cultural, globalist and Marxist Left”.

Winston Peters targeted Labour during his state of the nation speech.

And when he left the stage, Peters was asked for clarification. Would he be willing to work with the Labour Party after next year’s election?

These were his replies:

“I’m not here to talk about any other party apart from the party that is going to be a very, very critical component of politics going forward,” he said, referring to his own party, after being asked if he would rule out working with Labour next year.

“We are not wasting our time with a present bunch of unreformed losers,” he said, after being asked if he would ever be able to work alongside Hipkins again.

He continued, “[While] Labour is a bunch of unreformed losers, the answer is no.”

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has further criticised NZ First’s Winston Peters. (file photo)

So has Peters definitively ruled out working with Labour?

There were a few caveats during his responses on Sunday. He avoided answering the first question, and then hit out at the “present bunch” of MPs and their leader.

So on Monday, Peters was again asked whether he would be willing to work with Labour.

“This is amazing. I ruled them out in 2022, well before the last election, on the basis of their deceit and lies,” he told TVNZ’s Breakfast.

He continued, “I told you, and I told everybody else, not this crowd. Ever. There are some decent people there, but the leadership is corrupt. The leadership is appalling. The leadership is prone to enormous lying.”

On RNZ’s Morning Report, he levelled the same allegations of dishonesty against the Labour Party.

In those answers, again, Peters’ criticism is blustery and intense - but it comes with the same caveat. He is attacking “this crowd” and the current leadership, although he acknowledges there are “decent people”.

Winston Peters and Jacinda Ardern signed a coalition agreement to form a government in 2017.

So he has ruled out the current Labour leadership, under Hipkins. But he hasn’t definitively ruled out the Labour Party.

Why is this such a big deal?

If Labour and NZ First rule out working with each other going into the 2026 election, they will have weaker positions going into the subsequent coalition negotiations.

It also positions the Labour Party closer to Te Pāti Māori and the Greens.

On current polling, Hipkins would be able to lead a three party coalition. There are two credible formations for Hipkins: A Labour, Greens and NZ First coalition (as happened in 2017), or coalition of current Opposition parties with Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori.

What does Hipkins make of this?

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has shown no sign of bridge building with Winston Peters.

Hipkins, speaking to reporters early this year, said he would rule parties in and out before the 2026 election.

“When we get closer to the election, I’ll set out who I think we can work with and why - and who I think we can’t work with, and why. I think it’s unlikely our position on NZ First will change,” he said.

Before the 2023 election, Hipkins ruled out negotiating with NZ First. Hipkins said Peters likes to point out that he ruled Labour out first.

Over the year so far, Hipkins’ criticism of Peters and NZ First has dialled up. Publicly, he has given little - or no - signal that he’s trying to build a bridge with Peters, who he worked with for three years until the 2020 election.

Asked last month about the likelihood of them working together again, Hipkins said he didn’t want to have to indulge the “conspiracy theories” that came with NZ First.

Winston Peters takes questions from the media about NZ First's constitution, pushing back on claims about diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

“Frankly, I’m not interested in indulging in conspiracy theories around water fluoridation, anti-vax conspiracies, and I’m certainly not in politics to support the tobacco lobby,” he said.

“We ruled out working with New Zealand First at the last election, and I think that’s unlikely to change.”

He called Peters a “pale imitation of Donald Trump” after NZ First took aim at diversity in the public service.

“Winston Peters seems to take the views that he has values, but if you don’t like them - well he’s got some other ones as well,” Hipkins said.

“Winston Peters absolutely adores Donald Trump. He wants to be just like him. He is a pale imitation, but he’s giving it a go.”

And then on Monday, Hipkins poured further fuel on the fire. He said Peters was wrong to be blaming him for their falling out during their last coalition, and he should instead be looking at NZ First’s own team.

“Look, he hasn’t got very good aim,” Hipkins said. He said Peters’ recent complaints about the relationships and sexuality education guidelines had come about thanks to NZ First’s own work.

“Rather than this anti-woke campaign, Winston Peters might like to wake up,” Hipkins said.

Could this change?

Neither leader has held back in their scathing reviews of each other.

It leaves little, but not zero, room for partnership.

Peters’ criticism has been targeted at Hipkins.

If there was a leadership change at Labour, then that would offer a clear way for NZ First and Labour to work together again. If he was able to argue that the Labour Party had “reformed” that could also prove to be a way in without reneging on previous comments.

Likewise, Hipkins has not definitively ruled out working with NZ First.

And there is still a lot of time between now and the 2026 election.