Winston Peters

The Right Honourable Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters PC MP
Peters in 2019
13th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2023
Prime Minister	Christopher Luxon
Governor-General	Cindy Kiro
Preceded by	Carmel Sepuloni
In office 26 October 2017 – 6 November 2020
Prime Minister	Jacinda Ardern
Governor-General	Patsy Reddy
Preceded by	Paula Bennett
Succeeded by	Grant Robertson
In office 16 December 1996 – 14 August 1998
Prime Minister	Jim Bolger Jenny Shipley
Governor-General	Michael Hardie Boys
Preceded by	Don McKinnon
Succeeded by	Wyatt Creech
25th Minister of Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2023
Prime Minister	Christopher Luxon
Preceded by	Grant Robertson
In office 26 October 2017 – 6 November 2020
Prime Minister	Jacinda Ardern
Preceded by	Gerry Brownlee
Succeeded by	Nanaia Mahuta
In office 19 October 2005 – 29 August 2008
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Preceded by	Phil Goff
Succeeded by	Helen Clark (Acting) Murray McCully
8th Minister for Racing
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2023
Prime Minister	Christopher Luxon
Preceded by	Kieran McAnulty
In office 26 October 2017 – 6 November 2020
Prime Minister	Jacinda Ardern
Preceded by	David Bennett
Succeeded by	Grant Robertson
In office 19 October 2005 – 19 November 2008
Prime Minister	Helen Clark
Preceded by	Damien O'Connor
Succeeded by	John Carter
Leader of New Zealand First
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 July 1993
Deputy	Tau Henare Peter Brown Tracey Martin Ron Mark Fletcher Tabuteau Shane Jones
Preceded by	Office established
Ministerial offices 1990–1998 1st Treasurer of New Zealand In office 16 December 1996 – 14 August 1998 Prime Minister Jim Bolger Jenny Shipley Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Bill Birch 35th Minister of Māori Affairs In office 2 November 1990 – 2 October 1991 Prime Minister Jim Bolger Preceded by Koro Wētere Succeeded by Doug Kidd
Parliamentary offices Member of the New Zealand Parliament Incumbent Assumed office 14 October 2023 Constituency New Zealand First List In office 23 September 2017 – 17 October 2020 Constituency New Zealand First List In office 28 March 2015 – 23 September 2017 Preceded by Mike Sabin Succeeded by Matt King Constituency Northland In office 26 November 2011 – 28 March 2015 Succeeded by Ria Bond Constituency New Zealand First List In office 17 September 2005 – 3 October 2008 Constituency New Zealand First List In office 17 July 1984 – 17 September 2005 Preceded by Keith Allen Succeeded by Bob Clarkson Constituency Tauranga In office 24 May 1979 – 28 November 1981 Preceded by Malcolm Douglas Succeeded by Colin Moyle Constituency Hunua
Personal details
Born	Wynston Raymond Peters (1945-04-11) 11 April 1945 (age 79) Whangārei, New Zealand
Political party	New Zealand First (1993–present)
Other political affiliations	National (1979–93)
Children	2, including Bree[1]
Relatives	Jim Peters (brother) Ian Peters (brother) Lynette Stewart (sister)
Alma mater	University of Auckland
Signature
Peters' voice Winston speaking during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Recorded 11 April 2024

Winston Raymond Peters PC (born 11 April 1945) is a New Zealand politician who has been the leader of New Zealand First since it was founded in 1993.^[2] He was re-elected for a fifteenth time at the 2023 general election,^[3] having previously been a member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 1981, 1984 to 2008 and 2011 to 2020. Peters has served as the 13th deputy prime minister of New Zealand and 25th minister of foreign affairs since November 2023.

Peters was born in Whangārei to a family of mixed Ngāti Wai and Scottish descent. He was raised in Whananaki in rural Northland before attending school in Dargaville. Widely known simply as "Winston",^[4] Peters has had a long and turbulent political career since first entering Parliament following the National Party win in the 1978 general election. Peters first served in the Cabinet as minister of Māori affairs when Jim Bolger led the National Party to victory in 1990. He was dismissed from this post in 1991 after criticising his own Government's economic, fiscal and foreign ownership policies. Leaving the National Party in 1993, Peters briefly served as an independent before founding New Zealand First, a populist party.

As leader of New Zealand First, he held the balance of power after the 1996 election and formed a coalition with the National Party, securing the positions of deputy prime minister and treasurer, the latter position created for Peters. However, the coalition dissolved in 1998 following the replacement of Bolger by Jenny Shipley as prime minister. In 1999, New Zealand First returned to opposition before entering government with Labour Party Prime Minister Helen Clark, in which Peters served as minister of foreign affairs from 2005 to 2008.

In the 2008 general election, after a funding scandal involving Peters and his party, New Zealand First failed to reach the 5% threshold. As a result, neither Peters nor New Zealand First were returned to Parliament.^[5] In the 2011 general election, New Zealand First experienced a resurgence in support, winning 6.8% of the party vote to secure eight seats in Parliament.^[6] Peters returned to Parliament and spent two terms in opposition before forming a coalition government with the Labour Party in 2017. The new prime minister Jacinda Ardern appointed Peters as deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs. Peters was acting prime minister from 21 June 2018 to 2 August 2018 while Ardern was on maternity leave.^[7][8] He failed to be elected for a third time in the 2020 election, but staged another comeback in 2023 and is part of the Sixth National Government.^[9][10] After entering into a coalition agreement with National leader Christopher Luxon, Peters serves as Luxon's deputy prime minister from 27 November 2023 to 31 May 2025; he will be succeeded by David Seymour.^[11]