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Applause at Cambridge Town Hall as Peters takes aim at Paris accords, Labour and ‘flimflam’

Sunday, 14 June 2026

NZ First leader Winston Peters used his Cambridge speech to attack the woke ‘mind virus’, the Paris climate accords and Labour plans for ‘free stuff’.
NZ First leader Winston Peters used his Cambridge speech to attack the woke ‘mind virus’, the Paris climate accords and Labour plans for ‘free stuff’.

Winston Peters fired the starting gun for the 2026 election at a speech in Cambridge on Sunday, garnering huge applause with comments about gender politics, the Indian Free Trade Deal and the Paris climate accords.

Speaking to hundreds in a packed Cambridge Town Hall from 2pm, the Foreign Minister and NZ First Leader drew huge applause when he pledged to “quit Paris and invest in our own environment”.

His comments on the New Zealand First Gender Bill also drew large applause.

Peters was in his element at the widely publicised public meeting.
Peters was in his element at the widely publicised public meeting.

“Not about being anti-anyone,” he said.

“This Bill is about protecting women and girls’ rights, freedoms and safety.”

He also said it was “astounding legislation like this is needed”.

Steve, who declined to give his surname, said he liked what some of Winston Peters had to say and that it was ‘obvious our main political parties are bought and paid for’.
Steve, who declined to give his surname, said he liked what some of Winston Peters had to say and that it was ‘obvious our main political parties are bought and paid for’.

“We were told at the time, by politicians and many in the mainstream media, that we were going down a ‘rabbit hole’ and ‘on another planet’,” he said.

“Really? Look at recent events, both internationally and in New Zealand, the pendulum is swinging back towards common sense and is proving us right, which begs the question, which planet are the rest of them on?”

Peters also aimed barbs at Labour and their plans to price cap public transport and offer free doctors visits.

NZ First shows its priorities at the entrance to the Town Hall.
NZ First shows its priorities at the entrance to the Town Hall.

“Newsflash, nothing is free,” he said.

“Free actually means taxpayers pay for it.”

He also likened Labour leader Chris Hopkins to Oprah Winfrey at one stage, saying Hipkins is “sounding like Oprah, those episodes where free stuff gets handed out”.

It was standing room only in Cambridge.
It was standing room only in Cambridge.

Peters also cautioned a Labour Government may include Green and Māori Party members, asking “which policies of the Greens or Māori Party will they be forced to include in government?”.

“Defund the police? Death Tax? Wealth Tax? Entrench Te Tiriti and co-governance? Banning all gas fuelled vehicles by 2030? This is all madness.”

The bulk of Peters’ ire was saved for the Indian Free Trade Deal, which he described as an immigration Trojan Horse.

A lone Palestine protester, who refused to give her name, engaged in heated discussions with some of the departing audience after Winston Peters’ speech.
A lone Palestine protester, who refused to give her name, engaged in heated discussions with some of the departing audience after Winston Peters’ speech.

He said the deal offered “no progress for our dairy products at all” and would commit to New Zealand investing $32 billion into India.

“No-one has told you about that,” he said.

He also said supporters of the deal had been peddling “flimflam and outright misinformation”.

He said the deal would produce a 0.1% lift to New Zealand GDP by 2050.

“So why all the bulldust about how good it is?”

He said the main point of the deal was immigration, warning “no Free Trade Agreement in our past has included immigration. Never”.

As for why, he said the reason was “none of these parties [National, Labour and Act] is focused on a country called New Zealand. These parties are globalists.”

“Our country currently has a high number of unemployed youth – and yet these parties support this FTA that will guarantee an increase in an uncapped number of foreign students taking your kids’ jobs,” he said.

Peters also outlined measures he said NZ First would take to tackle the cost of living crisis.

“Just in the last few months New Zealand First has already announced policies on breaking up the power companies, splitting the supermarket duopoly, establishing a competitive state owned bank – just three opening initiatives to meaningfully tackle the cost of living,” he said.

“And we are going to return royalties to the regions, create a KiwiSaver generation for newborns and increasing contributions, establishing a New Zealand Future Fund … and there are many more coming.

“Those are what you call real policies that tackle the cost-of-living issues for kiwis and start to build a country we are all proud of.

“We are asking you to keep hope alive, to give us the tools, so we can finish the job,” he told the audience.

“To protect and to save our great country New Zealand.”