New Zealand First has launched its election campaign by unveiling a $1 billion plan to survey the country’s offshore basins for oil and gas, promising greater energy security and economic growth if elected.
Speaking to more than 800 supporters at Auckland’s Due Drop Centre, leader Winston Peters said the proposed National Subsurface Development Survey would identify potential offshore reserves for future domestic use and export.
“We will find those energy reserves, we will extract them, and what we find we will use to make our country prosperous again,” Peters said.
He argued New Zealand could no longer rely on overseas fuel supplies and said the country had significant untapped offshore potential.
Peters said the policy would help restore economic sovereignty and resilience, adding the goal was to “extract our own fuel, have fuel security, use it, export it, and make our country prosperous and self-reliant again”. He urged voters to “Party Vote New Zealand First” at the 2026 election.
Just finished our campaign launch in Manukau at the Due Drop Centre with over 800 attending.
Great response to our policy announcement for a $1b investment into identifying oil and gas sites in our deep sea basins, so we can extract our own fuel, have fuel security, use it,… pic.twitter.com/cu3OeqU86k
— Winston Peters (@winstonpeters) July 19, 2026
Who will actually get the billion tho? Him and his zionist mates?
What a clown
This was done 30 odd years ago how about actually drilling for gas and oil
Lying through his teeth as he urges voters to “Party Vote New Zealand First” at the 2026 election.
The Opal files showed the way?
Just what did Piggy do? And can it be undone?
https://www.infonews.co.nz/news.cfm?id=17241
Before senile and brain-dead dummies applaude Winston remember this?: In April 2018, the Labour-led coalition government (the covid terrorists), supported by Peters’ NZ1 party, announced a BAN ON ALL new offshore oil and gas exploration permits. Looks like NZ1 slobbers still all slobber NZ1 slop: Just read above again.
As Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Winston Peters was instrumental in negotiating this policy. And as neccessary majority KINGmaker he will AGAIN and again and again support ANYTHING that get’s him into megalomanic power. You should be old enough to comprehend that, ay?
The ban prevented any new permits from being issued in New Zealand’s vast exclusive economic zone, effectively halting future offshore exploration projects.
Look what I found this afternoon…
https://petitions.parliament.nz/23a3fbae-eda3-467d-0244-08dea0c20f4d?lang=en
I think what’s actually going to get this mob re-elected by the middle class is fear of Labour and the Greens, vicious tax policies. You can see both the Nats and NZL playing to this with their bill boards. Suffice to say, New Zealand has no future and the best thing anyone can do, is plan to leave.
Excellent news. NZF is just making restitution for the NZ economy after the tyrant made a captain’s call to shut down the oil and gas production.
Well all I hope for is that someone actually;y does this and sees it through. One way or another this has to be better than what Hipkins has said about renewables like the rest of the world but if you are paying attention you would know its not reliable and its not cheap.
Some more quotes of his from RNZ story.
He described the party as being the “greatest challenge to blind ideology, to social elitism and to the status quo”. …..
He described fighting for the “hardworking blue-collar Kiwi battler” and no longer accepting the status quo, who represent the “establishment”.
Strange that. He’s been the status quo safety net every time NZ First joins a coalition government. His deputy Shane Jones enjoyed his social elitism, having a limo on standby, when he was a few minute walk between locations he needed to be, flying his wife first class.
He has been enjoying his freedom camp voter baubles these last 3 years. Has he done anything to ensure jab mandates never happen again?
Has he done anything to get the mRNA jabs investigated?
Just look at some of the naive comments, the sheep keep coming back for more I’m afraid Zaggaz. Good comment nonetheless.
NZ First also want to raise the repayment threshold for student loans to $60,000.
Do they want people to pay them off? The median wage is approx $35 per hr, $72,800 on a 40hr week. With this policy someone earning the median wage would pay $1,536 per year to student loan, instead of $5,505 as it stands now. Average debt for a bachelors degree $28,500. 18 or 19 years to pay off instead of 5 or 6.
It is possible to go through university and NOT get a student loan. We have. Family member who has done that. In order to do this you need to save money to get there, then work part time during your study. The key problem is that you have to be incredibly disciplined. No drinking, no overseas trips, no flying home at the drop of a hat, cooking all your own meals, living in the inferior room in the flat….it IS possible. Furthermore this young person in our family has just been offered TWO jobs on the same day because their CV is littered with work experience, volunteer roles etc. when lined up against someone who has never worked but he’s the same academic qualifications, it’s not hard to see who gets the job.
Very, very true!!!
I did the same, and even had to go offshore because the Unis here wouldn’t take me due to low NCEA and for not being part of an ‘in the know’ family!!
When I turned 21, I applied to Uni’s overseas with a list of jobs and volunteer work I did whilst still in NZ, and later Oz.
My two degrees are from Muslim Nations…they took my transfer and work experience credits when the Unis at home in NZ and in Oz would not!
Knowing that I would have broken the unwritten code of status-quo enforcement, I remained here overseas in a secure profession, have the same amenities (if not better), with outstanding salaries, and garner respect and ideas from my colleagues, some of whom are from other Western Nations and who also found themselves locked-out of higher education by ‘low scores’ (SAT, NCEA, etc.) and / or the status-quo of only certain people being allowed to ‘get ahead’, and not incessantly ‘kept-down’ by the appointed bullies ie head boys, head girls, prefects, etc.
Prior to age 21 and enroling in an overseas University, I was an apprentice at 16 in the plumbing trade. That helped with Uni fees overseas which, BTW are only 1/4th the cost compared to if I had stayed in NZ or Oz..!
Well done. Everyone is different. I personally partied and smoked most of my money – it was the 90s, heaps of students smoked.
I worked part time jobs too though. Interest on the loan was a killer for years, but I paid it off, more quickly once the interest was removed.
But I knew others more disciplined than I back then. Much to their credit
So many good ideas Winston, shame we didn’t see them earlier. Will we see them after the election too?
I would go further. Rebuild the oil refinery.
Here’s a summary:
Product Main use in New Zealand This is the current situation.
Petrol (91, 95 & 100 Octane) Cars, motorcycles, small engines Imported
Diesel. Trucks, buses, tractors, construction equipment Imported
Jet A-1 fuel. Commercial and military aircraft Imported
Marine fuel oil. Ships and ferries Imported
Bitumen Roads, highways, airport runways. Mostly imported
Sulphur Fertiliser manufacture imported.
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) Soft drinks, beer, food processing, welding, greenhouses Now sourced from other industrial producers/imports
Fuel gas (used internally) Powered the refinery itself No longer applicable.
Before it closed, Marsden Point supplied approximately:
85% of New Zealand’s jet fuel
67% of diesel
58% of petrol
75–85% of bitumen
100% of marine fuel oil
Products many people don’t realise came from the refinery
Bitumen used for:
State highways
Local roads
Airport runways
Car parks
Waterproofing
This was one of the refinery’s most important non-fuel products. After the closure, New Zealand switched largely to imported bitumen.
Sulphur. The refinery recovered sulphur from crude oil instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. It was used to manufacture:
Superphosphate fertiliser
Sulphur-based fertilisers
Agricultural chemicals
This was particularly valuable for New Zealand’s farming sector.
Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
A by-product of refining was captured rather than simply vented.
It was supplied for:
Fizzy drinks
Beer production
Food packaging
Greenhouses
Industrial welding
When the refinery closed, some industries had to find alternative CO₂ supplies.
Marine fuel oil. This heavy fuel was used by:
Coastal shipping.
International ships visiting New Zealand.
Some industrial boilers.
Marsden Point was New Zealand’s sole producer of this fuel.
Could it have made other products?
Yes. Modern refineries can also produce:
LPG (depending on refinery configuration)
Kerosene
Solvents
Lubricating oil base stocks
Petrochemical feedstocks
Waxes
Asphalt products
The refinery supported many sectors beyond motorists:
Road construction
Agriculture
Aviation
Shipping
Beverage manufacturing
Food processing
Chemical manufacturing
The real nonsense is. NZ still uses these products. Closing the refinery did not make a difference to the amount needed. It uses more.
i.e. A ship comes to deliver goods here. A second ship full of heavy fuel is sent to refuel the first ship.
The people who voted Green have low intelligence.
Green on the outside to hide the ‘red’ on the inside.
Awesome summary, thank you.
The refinery was closed so that foreign corporations can make their profit of us sheeple and ALL parties in the waspnest were part of that corruption.
A better question is why do people have to pay “twice” for tertiary education that is already funded by their tax dollars?