New Zealand First has posted a new video to its X timeline titled “Winston Peters on careless immigration policy”, where party leader Winston Peters delivers a strong critique of New Zealand’s immigration settings.
In the video, Peters says immigration once brought people who had jobs, homes and infrastructure waiting for them, but that has changed in recent years.
“Of late we’ve had an unfocused immigration policy… and we’re paying a massive price for it,” Peters says. “Anybody ask questions about an unplanned immigration policy? It’s instantly called something they can’t even spell. It’s called xenophobic. No, we’re not xenophobic. We’re just not zombies.”
He also takes aim at Labour’s record, saying 133,000 migrants entered the country in a single year, more than the entire population of Dunedin.
“Where was the funding and plan for any sort of infrastructure to cope with such numbers?” he asks.
While the video is not part of a formal campaign, it suggests NZ First may be gearing up to make immigration a key political issue. With migration numbers at historic highs and pressure mounting on housing, health and transport systems, Peters appears to be reinforcing his party’s long-held position on tightening immigration policy.
The message also repeats a common NZ First argument that raising concerns about immigration is not about race or xenophobia, but about planning and national capacity.
This latest post indicates the party could be preparing to put population and immigration policy back on the agenda as election discussions ramp up.
Share this post