Winston Peters: The Architect Of Political Decay | The Jackal


21 May 2025

Winston Peters: The Architect Of Political Decay

Winston Peters, New Zealand’s 80-year-old Deputy Prime Minister, has once again proven himself unfit for office and a complete hypocrite by dragging political discourse into the gutter while preaching decorum. Last week, Peters lamented declining standards in the House, only to hurl a homophobic slur at Chris Hipkins, calling him a “sausage eater who doesn’t know what a woman is”. This stupid remark, splashed across headlines, came minutes after his sanctimonious whining about parliamentary standards. The hypocrisy is staggering, but unsurprising from a homophobic politician whose career thrives on theatrical outrage and divisive rhetoric.


Peters’ recent antics at Wellington Railway Station further expose his disdain for civility. While announcing a few peanuts for rail, alongside the nodding fool Chris Bishop, Peters engaged in a profanity-laced shouting match with a heckler, telling the member of the public that he “looked like bollocks” and should “naff off”.

The glaring issue here isn't the insults, but that the National-led government’s weak rail funding announcment has once again gone under the radar. What mainstream media viewers won’t realise is that the coalition of chaos has reduced NZ Rails budget by 70% compared to Labour’s plan for long-term investment, with Nicola no boats Willis 2025 budgetting of $604.6 million targeting essential freight and metro rail maintenance only.

While this money addresses immediate infrastructure needs, it falls well short of the transformative investment needed for a sustainable, nationwide rail network system. Despite these facts, Peters did well to pretend that the National-led government's showboating about $604.6 million was somehow more than previously allocated, until he was called out by a concerned member of the public that is.

Instead of rising above, Peters sank to the occasion, later doubling down on Newstalk ZB by saying he wouldn’t care if the man lost his job for daring to exercise his right to free speech. Threatening someone’s livelihood for verbalising a political opinion isn’t just petty; it’s a chilling attack on democratic expression.


This isn’t Peters’ first foray into political thuggery either. In 2024, he was ejected from the House for his unhinged outbursts, including accusing Green MP James Shaw of lying in 2024 and lambasting Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick and others in a tirade that culminated in a showdown with Assistant Speaker Greg O’Connor. Unfortunately Peters’ unhinged tirades are not fully detailed in the official Hansard records, presumably because they are an embarrassment to New Zealand.


The NZ First leaders history is littered with similar low-lights. He even physically shoved an outspoken member of the public in Hamilton during a 2014 standup. Last year he resorted to calling Green MPs “sick idiots” after losing the debate. Then there’s his more recent foray into verbal diarrhea, like calling Chlöe Swarbrick a “groomer” for sticking up for a queer MP from her political party. These aren’t isolated incidents, but a pattern of boorish behaviour that alienates voters and poisons our political engagement.

Peters’ tactics of crude insults, vindictive threats, practiced profanity and performative outrage, aren’t just embarrassing; they’re a deliberate middle finger to the public, which has the intended consequence of emboldening his deluded followers into similar derogatory campaigning. By weaponising division and eroding trust in Parliament, he’s also turning people away from politics altogether, which is a questionable tactic given that low voter turnout tends to favour right-wing political parties.

We as a country deserve better than a Deputy PM who thrives on expletives just to grab the mainstream medias attention. The sooner Winston Peters steps down the better it will be for New Zealand and our fragile democracy.

Published by the Jackal