‘We are going to win’: Winston Peters rules out being in opposition days before election

New Zealand First leader Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters has ruled out sitting in opposition after Saturday’s general election.

He told William Terite on Pacific Mornings: “We are going to win.”

With just days until voters head to the polls, Peters says he has no contingency plan if New Zealand First fails to return to government.

Asked by Terite whether he would stay on if the party missed out, Peters answered with a verse from the Bible.

"He who, having set his hand to the plough, looks backwards, is not fit for the kingdom of heaven," Peters said.

"If we set our hands to the plough this campaign, and we ain't looking backwards, we are going to win. Stand back and watch."

Watch Winston Peter's full interview below.

Asked if he had a backup plan, Peters was blunt: "No. No. We never came across the Pacific all this way without having an endpoint destiny in our mind, and we kept going until we got there. Politics is like that."

He also dismissed the idea that this could be his final Pacific Mornings interview as leader of NZ First: "Most definitely not."

Peters says he believes his party will perform better than recent polls suggest.

Political polls look at how people may vote and what they think about current political topics. Photo/RNZ/Tim Collins

He argued that some voters may not be telling pollsters how they really intend to vote.

"I've got a serious suspicion, born of experience, that a lot of people are not telling the polls what they think," he says.

He described the campaign as the most underwhelming he has seen, criticising what he sees as a focus on photo opportunities rather than public meetings.

For Pacific voters, Peters is putting a strong focus on immigration, visas and what he describes as a need for a more practical relationship with Pacific families.

He says NZ First would offer Pacific overstayers a two-year clemency period, although he stopped short of calling it a coalition bottom line.

“It doesn't have to be a bottom line. But you'd better organise yourself and here comes the mantra, cousins don't rip off cousins.”

"Pacific voters happen to believe in God. They believe in their church. And they are sick and tired of politicians who don't," said Winston Peters. Photo/PMN News/Thomas Tarurongo Wynne

Peters says Pacific voters are also looking for politicians who share their faith.

"Pacific voters happen to believe in God. They believe in their church. And they are sick and tired of politicians who don't," he says.

He also says Aotearoa’s visa system is not working for Pacific families especially whey they need to travel quickly because of a death.

"The visa programme is so out of date," he said.

Peters says he wants to reduce the cost of visas but accepts visa-free travel would take more work.

"I can't organise you visa-free, because there's a whole lot of other work required," he says. "But what I can do is massively change the cost structure, so it's fair."

Winston Peters says he wants to reduce the cost of visas but accepts visa-free travel would take more work. Photo/RNZ/Yting Lin

He says he was shocked to learn how little visa processing was being done in Sāmoa.

"I said, this is a catastrophe. We're going to fix that the first chance we get."

Peters also pointed to his experience in coalition negotiations, saying: “Who's been the most successful negotiator when it comes to coalition talks? Winston Raymond Peters.”

Asked whether he wants to return to the foreign affairs portfolio, Peters would not be drawn, saying his team had been told to "keep our eye on the prize".

His final pitch to Pacific voters was direct. “When it comes to helping the Pacific, no other politician has any chance of matching what I've tried to do.”

Labour has challenged the clemency proposal with deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni telling PMN News in September: "It worries me that they're saying they'll give this two years clemency. By and large, our Pacific people follow the rules."

The Labour Party promises to make it easier for people from Pacific countries to visit family in New Zealand through an expansion of visa-waiver access to Pacific Islands Forum nations. Photo/PMN News/ Composite

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has promised visa-free entry for citizens of Pacific Islands Forum countries for stays of up to three months.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has not made the same commitment, instead pointing to changes his Government has already made.

"We've sped up the processing by about three times and lowered the cost by around 25 per cent," Luxon said in Apia in March.

With advance voting already underway, New Zealanders go to the polls on Saturday 7 November, with voting closing at 7pm.