Winston Peters says any of his MPs who don't like their list rankings will just "have to live with it".
The New Zealand First list released yesterday saw Asenati Lole-Taylor dropped from eighth to 16th and Andrew Williams dropped altogether.
"There are always some losers and always some winners in any selection process, and we all have to live by that process and the party's decision," Mr Peters said on Firstline this morning.
Mr Williams was listed 13th on a draft list leaked earlier this month, a move he called a "bolt out of the blue". Mr Peters took issue with the former North Shore Mayor's reaction.
"If you breach the confidentiality rules of the party and attack other members – particularly at that level – the consequences are what they should be," he says.
As for Ms Lole-Taylor, Mr Peters says it wasn't his choice to see her dropped to a spot on the list where her re-election is unlikely.
"It's not my judgement; it's the judgement of a full group who are chosen by the party to make these selections and as I say, we have to live with them… Every party list has demotions, every party list has promotions. It's always a most difficult time for candidates, but that's just the way it is and we have to live with it."
Mr Williams has been replaced in the third spot by Richard Prosser, best-known for his anti-Muslim "Wogistan" quip in 2013.
"So he made one mistake and apologised for it – we're all allowed to make one mistake," says Mr Peters. "You've got ministers making mistake after mistake after mistake at an enormous cost to the country – they're still there."
Former MP Ron Mark is back on the New Zealand First list, despite still being Mayor of Carterton. At number nine, his return to Parliament probably depends on New Zealand First increasing their party vote from the 6.7 percent the party won in 2011.
But Mr Peters reckons Mr Mark could win the Wairarapa seat on his own.
"We think he's going to be in anyway because all of our polling and support says we are on a surge, contrary to what your media polls say, which always underrate New Zealand First – everyone does.
"We think he can win Wairarapa because he is the only candidate known there, that's experienced there, that hits the ground running and won't learn on the job at the expense of the people in Wairarapa."
Newcomers to the top eight of New Zealand First's list include Fletcher Tabuteau in Rotorua and Clayton Mitchell.
3 News
source: newshub archive
