Since the organization’s founding in 1993, New Zealand First has been led by politician Winston Raymond Peters. In the 2023 general election, he was re-elected for the fifteenth time. He had served as a member of Parliament (MP) from 1981 to 1981, 1984 to 2008, and 2011 to 2020.
Since November 2023, Peters has held the positions of 25th minister of foreign affairs and 13th deputy prime minister of New Zealand.
Peters was born into a mixed Ngāti Wai and Scottish family in Whangārei. He was raised in the small Northland town of Whananaki and then went to Dargaville for his education. Nicknamed “Winston” by most, Peters has had a lengthy and tumultuous career in politics since joining Parliament as a result of the National Party’s victory in the 1978 general election.
After Jim Bolger led the National Party to victory in 1990, Peters held the position of minister of Māori affairs in the Cabinet for the first time. After questioning the economic, budgetary, and foreign ownership policies of his own government, he was removed from this position in 1991. After departing from the National Party in 1993, Peters briefly held an independent position before establishing the populist New Zealand First Party.
After the 1996 election, as the head of New Zealand First, he maintained the balance of power and forged an alliance with the National Party, gaining Peters’s job of treasurer and becoming deputy prime minister. But once Bolger was replaced as prime minister in 1998 by Jenny Shipley, the coalition fell apart. After going back into opposition in 1999, New Zealand First was led by Labour Party Prime Minister Helen Clark into government, where Peters held the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2008.
Between March 10 and 13, Peters is scheduled to go to New Delhi and Ahmedabad, India. During his tour, he is scheduled to meet with S. Jaishankar, his Indian counterpart, and Bhupendra Patel, the chief minister of Gujarat State.
Since the formation of the new coalition government last year, this is the minister’s first trip to South and Southeast Asia.
Peters is expected to make stops in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 14 and 15, and Singapore on March 15, after his return from India. On March 16, he will return to New Zealand.
Peters described India as a “massive economy” and said it was time for New Zealand to start moving forward with its relations with India.
Gujarat has strong ties to the Indian diaspora in New Zealand and is seen as a driving force behind India’s recent economic expansion.
According to Peters, he also plans to use the trip to emphasise the mutual interest between India and New Zealand in promoting the development of the Pacific region.
New Zealand ought to be doing more business with India and will do so going forward. India’s leading role, both globally and regionally, is acknowledged by New Zealand.
South and Southeast Asia is a priority for the coalition government because it is essential to preserving and advancing the security and prosperity of New Zealand.