\u201cVoting in our country should be a privilege of those who have sworn allegiance to New Zealand and who have made the commitment to make New Zealand their home and their future,\u201d Peters said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you haven\u2019t made that commitment or sworn that allegiance, we are happy to let you live here permanently, but why should you get a say in how this country is run or governed?\u201d<\/p>\n
Winston Peters, pictured at the polls in 2023, said New Zealand First wants to update the country’s electoral law so only citizens can cast their vote. Photo \/ Alex Burton<\/p>\n
Peters said NZ First believed citizenship should be the baseline for voting rights, arguing the current rules weakened democratic accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cVoting in general elections should be reserved for those who have made the full legal and civic commitment to this country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPermanent residence gives people the right to live, work, study, and build a life in New Zealand. <\/p>\n
\u201cCitizenship is different. Citizenship is the formal bond of allegiance, belonging, responsibility, and democratic authority.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew Zealand First believes that distinction should matter again.\u201d<\/p>\n
The announcement was a key part of Peters\u2019 wider speech to supporters and members of the public who packed into Warkworth Town Hall this afternoon.<\/p>\n
Peters listed what he described as NZ First\u2019s legislative wins this term and set out the party\u2019s priorities ahead of the November 7 election.<\/p>\n
He reconfirmed his party\u2019s plans to campaign on breaking up the electricity<\/a> and supermarket sectors<\/a>, buying back the previously state-owned Bank of New Zealand<\/a>, exiting the Paris climate agreement, and dissolving Auckland\u2019s Independent M\u0101ori Statutory Board. <\/p>\n He also spent a portion of his speech criticising \u201cwoke\u201d ideology, saying that NZ First<\/a> would continue its work on policies such as legally defining gender, opposing diversity initiatives, and dismantling co-governance efforts.<\/p>\n