Winston Peters

The Right Honourable Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters MP
Peters in 2024
13th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2023
Prime Minister	Christopher Luxon
Governor-General	Cindy Kiro
Preceded by	Carmel Sepuloni
In office 26 October 2017 – 6 November 2020
Prime Minister	Jacinda Ardern
Governor-General	Patsy Reddy
Preceded by	Paula Bennett
Succeeded by	Grant Robertson
In office 16 December 1996 – 14 August 1998
Prime Minister	Jim Bolger Jenny Shipley
Governor-General	Michael Hardie Boys
Preceded by	Don McKinnon
Succeeded by	Wyatt Creech
25th Minister of Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2023
Prime Minister	Christopher Luxon
Preceded by	Grant Robertson
In office 26 October 2017 – 6 November 2020
Prime Minister	Jacinda Ardern
Preceded by	Gerry Brownlee
Succeeded by	Nanaia Mahuta
In office 19 October 2005 – 29 August 2008
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Preceded by	Phil Goff
Succeeded by	Helen Clark (Acting) Murray McCully
8th Minister for Racing
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2023
Prime Minister	Christopher Luxon
Preceded by	Kieran McAnulty
In office 26 October 2017 – 6 November 2020
Prime Minister	Jacinda Ardern
Preceded by	David Bennett
Succeeded by	Grant Robertson
In office 19 October 2005 – 19 November 2008
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Preceded by	Damien O'Connor
Succeeded by	John Carter
29th Minister for Rail
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 December 2024
Prime Minister	Christopher Luxon
Preceded by	Vacant
Leader of New Zealand First
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 July 1993
Deputy	Tau Henare Peter Brown Tracey Martin Ron Mark Fletcher Tabuteau Shane Jones
Preceded by	Office established
Ministerial offices 1990–1998 1st Treasurer of New Zealand In office 16 December 1996 – 14 August 1998 Prime Minister Jim Bolger Jenny Shipley Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Bill Birch 35th Minister of Māori Affairs In office 2 November 1990 – 2 October 1991 Prime Minister Jim Bolger Preceded by Koro Wētere Succeeded by Doug Kidd
Parliamentary offices Member of the New Zealand Parliament Incumbent Assumed office 14 October 2023 Constituency New Zealand First List In office 23 September 2017 – 17 October 2020 Constituency New Zealand First List In office 28 March 2015 – 23 September 2017 Preceded by Mike Sabin Succeeded by Matt King Constituency Northland In office 26 November 2011 – 28 March 2015 Succeeded by Ria Bond Constituency New Zealand First List In office 17 September 2005 – 3 October 2008 Constituency New Zealand First List In office 17 July 1984 – 17 September 2005 Preceded by Keith Allen Succeeded by Bob Clarkson Constituency Tauranga In office 24 May 1979 – 28 November 1981 Preceded by Malcolm Douglas Succeeded by Colin Moyle Constituency Hunua
Personal details
Born	Wynston Raymond Peters (1945-04-11) 11 April 1945 (age 79) Whangārei, New Zealand
Political party	New Zealand First (1993–present) National (1979–1993)
Children	2, including Bree[1]
Relatives	Jim Peters (brother) Ian Peters (brother) Lynette Stewart (sister)
Alma mater	University of Auckland (BA/LLB)
Signature
Peters' voice Winston speaking during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Recorded 11 April 2024

This article is part of a series about Winston Peters
Early life Early political career MP for Hunua MP for Tauranga Māori loan affair Electoral history Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (1996–1998), (2017–2020), (2023–2025) New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs List of international trips as Foreign Minister Rise to power, 1990-1999 Fourth National Government of New Zealand (1990–1993) Winebox Inquiry 1993 Tauranga by-election 1993 New Zealand electoral reform referendum Establishment of New Zealand First 1993 New Zealand general election Tight Five Major minister of the Fourth National Government Mauri Pacific Fifth Labour Government Minister of Foreign Affairs (I) Views on Asian migrants Party donations scandal SuperGold Card Sixth Labour Government 2017 New Zealand general election Negotiations Minister of Foreign Affairs (II) COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand Government response COVID-19 Protection Framework Sixth National Government 2023 New Zealand general election Government formation Minister of Foreign Affairs (III) Coalition of chaos Carr–Peters scandal
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Winston Raymond Peters PC (born 11 April 1945) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 13th deputy prime minister of New Zealand since November 2023, his third time in the role. He has been leader of New Zealand First since he founded the political party in 1993.^[2] He was re-elected for a fifteenth time at the 2023 general election,^[3] having previously been a member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 1981, 1984 to 2008 and 2011 to 2020. Peters also serves as the 25th minister of foreign affairs, 8th minister for racing, and 29th Minister for Rail.

Peters first entered the New Zealand House of Representatives for the National Party in the 1978 general election, taking office in 1979 after a high court ruling initially nullified his victory. Peters rose in prominence during the 1980s as an eloquent and charismatic Māori conservative, first gaining national attention for exposing the Māori loan affair in 1986. He first served in the Cabinet as minister of Māori affairs when Jim Bolger led the National Party to victory in 1990. He was dismissed from this post in 1991 after criticising his own Government's economic and foreign ownership policies, particularly the neoliberal reforms known as Ruthanasia. Leaving the National Party in 1993, Peters briefly served as an independent and rewon his seat in a by-election. He then founded New Zealand First, a populist party with a distinctly Māori character,^[4] backed by ex-Labour and National voters alike disenchanted with neoliberalism. Peters started the Winebox Inquiry in 1994, which concerned companies using the Cook Islands as a tax haven.

As leader of New Zealand First, he held the balance of power after the 1996 election and formed a coalition with the National Party, securing the positions of deputy prime minister and treasurer, the latter position created for Peters. However, the coalition dissolved in 1998 following the replacement of Bolger by Jenny Shipley as prime minister. In 1999, New Zealand First returned to opposition before entering government with Labour Party Prime Minister Helen Clark, in which Peters served as minister of foreign affairs from 2005 to 2008. In the 2008 general election, after a funding scandal involving Peters and his party, New Zealand First failed to reach the 5% threshold. As a result, neither Peters nor New Zealand First were returned to Parliament.^[5]

In the 2011 general election, New Zealand First experienced a resurgence in support, winning 6.8% of the party vote to secure eight seats in Parliament.^[6] Peters returned to Parliament and spent two terms in opposition before forming a coalition government with the Labour Party in 2017. The new prime minister Jacinda Ardern appointed Peters as deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs. Peters was acting prime minister from 21 June 2018 to 2 August 2018 while Ardern was on maternity leave.^[7][8] He failed to be elected for a third time in the 2020 election, but staged another comeback in 2023 and helped form the Sixth National Government.^[9][10] After entering into a coalition agreement with National leader Christopher Luxon, Peters serves as Luxon's deputy prime minister from 27 November 2023 to 31 May 2025; he will be succeeded by David Seymour.^[11]