‘Sliding towards 25%’: Winston Peters attacks ‘desperate’ National
Tuesday, 23 June 2026
NZ First leader Winston Peters has hit back at the National Party, calling its recent behaviour 'desperate' as its support slides in the polls.
The criticism follows comments from National campaign chair Simeon Brown, who likened minor coalition partners NZ First and ACT to children who need National to act as the parents and keep the peace.
Peters claimed National 'blatantly stole' an NZ First proposal after National announced a policy at its annual conference to make KiwiSaver compulsory and enrol children from birth.
A recent Talbot Mills poll placed National at 29% and NZ First rising at 12%, prompting Peters to claim it is 'panic time' for his coalition partner.
NZ First leader Winston Peters says the National Party is acting in “desperate” ways due to poor polling, after its campaign chair referred to NZ First and ACT as squabbling siblings who needed the oversight of their parents.
“Desperate people behave like that,” Peters told NZME on Tuesday, referring to Simeon Brown’s comments. “What’s he going to say when they’re sliding down towards 25% in the polls?”
Brown made his remarks over the weekend, when National held its annual party conference and announced a policy to make KiwiSaver compulsory and enrol children from birth. Peters, accusing National of repackaging an earlier NZ First proposal, said his coalition partner “blatantly stole” the policy.
National leader Christopher Luxon, speaking at the conference, used the announcement to position National as the “serious” party in Parliament, while Brown, earlier in the day, likened coalition partners ACT and NZ First to squabbling siblings who needed National to be the adults in the room.
“There are two kids in this house. They get on fine with Mum and Dad, but not always with each other. One wants the heater on, the other throws the window open. One wants the rugby on, the other wants football. It’s up to Mum and Dad to keep the peace,” he said. “None of it breaks the household – it’s just a distraction.”
ACT leader David Seymour said on Sunday he was “surprised” to hear Brown’s remarks, while Peters on Tuesday said the attack was “really quite astonishing”.
“I’ve been around a long time, and I’ve seen this before. It’s panic time, and to attack their coalition partners was really quite astonishing,” he told NZME.
“If he was attacking on policy, fine, but if you’re attacking on personalities, I don’t understand why he would do that, other than - as I say - desperate people do desperate things.”
The National Party has been hovering around the 30% mark in recent polls, while NZ First climbs. The latest poll, released by Talbot Mills last week, showed National on 29%, and NZ First on 12%.
As November’s election approaches, the two parties have increasingly criticised each other, with Luxon and National finance spokesperson Nicola Willis in recent months raising the possibility that NZ First will form a government with Labour after the vote.
Peters has repeatedly denied that speculation, and did so again on Tuesday after a question on that possibility.
“What’s wrong with you people? Do we need to come and put a brand on your head: ‘We’re not going with Labour’,” he told NZME during his interview. “I haven’t been around this long to come on this programme to come on to talk about that sort of wanker question.”
Peters said “the need for stability” of government was of paramount importance to him and the voters he spoke with.