NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / Business

Jamie Mackay: Winston Peters - if the MAGA cap fits, wear it

Jamie Mackay
By Jamie Mackay
The Country·NZ Herald·
21 Mar, 2022 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Winston Peters amongst the Wellington protesters in February. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Winston Peters amongst the Wellington protesters in February. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Jamie Mackay
Opinion by Jamie MackayLearn more

OPINION:

This column is about Donald Trump and Winston Peters. And why, if the MAGA cap fits, wear it.

Way back in 2018 BC (Before Covid) when international travel was still a thing, I led a group of intrepid Kiwis on a farming tour to the US.

It was back in the days when Air New Zealand flew directly to such exotic locales as Houston. After a fascinating tour of the Nasa Johnson Space Centre and a few photo-ops at the George H W Bush statue in downtown Houston, we took a flight to bluegrass country. Yup, Lexington Kentucky, the thoroughbred horse-racing capital of the world.

From there it was on to Louisville (and the Muhammad Ali Museum), Nashville (surprisingly, one of the coolest cities I've been to), Memphis (to pay our dues to Martin Luther King Jr and Elvis Presley) then down the Mississippi to party town New Orleans for a bit of jambalaya, crawfish pie and gumbo.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The reason for this geography lesson about the midwest and southern states was because for the entire time we were there, I never met an American who did not vote for Trump in 2016, let alone not support him two years later. While the east and west coasts vote Democrat, heartland America is staunch Republican. Much like provincial New Zealand was for the National Party until 2020.

I've long been fascinated by American politics and presidents. John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama are my personal favourites. Trump is my least favourite (cue the hate comments from the right) but maybe he's the most memorable. His deplorable behaviour around the 2021 Capitol riots plumbed depths none of the other 44 Commander-in-Chiefs have ever sunk to.

Occasionally I flick across to Fox TV, just to remind me how relatively balanced our much-maligned media is. So imagine my horror when I came across Trump fervently addressing a rally about "woke" politicians and media and I found myself nodding in quiet agreement.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It's not drawing too long a bow to draw some comparisons with the Washington insurrection and the Wellington protests. Unfortunately the latter, albeit well-intentioned for some, deteriorated into a riotous rabble. Thankfully, unlike Washington, no lives were lost. But it was ugly.

Which begs another comparison. Is it fair to label Winston Trump-like? A shameless opportunist? The master of finding a political itch to scratch? A charlatan, as he walked amongst his people on the front lawn of Parliament?

But just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water and completely dismiss NZ First, Winston's loyal henchman Matua Shane Jones plays a blinder. The self-titled Prince of the Provinces last week wrote an excellent opinion piece in the Herald. And it had Winston's paws all over it.

Jones, in taking the Government to task over Three Waters, wrote "the public does not recall giving the Labour Party permission to impose its Treaty of Waitangi co-governance master plan".

He went on to say "Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has a superior agenda in mind … providing it goes through her Treaty purification plant … and then hand over 50 per cent control to Iwi – a radical move from contaminated water to toxic politics. It is high time to call time on how the Treaty of Waitangi is being dragged into policy areas where it is of dubious value, alienates people, and eats away the goodwill of past decades".

The Prince of the Provinces, and by osmosis Winston, articulate exactly what many of us are thinking, but are afraid to say for fear of the woke cancel culture that prevails (cue the hate comments from the left).

What chance we'll see the pair of them parading around the provinces in 2023 with their MAGA caps? Make Aotearoa Great Again. And for what it's worth, they've got a fair point.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Business

Business

Kiwi stole millions from his dad, reportedly blamed dad's girlfriend

Business

Government's giant internet, security upgrade under way for 2500 schools

Business
|Updated

United Airlines profits dip, company says world getting 'less uncertain'


Sponsored

Tired of missing out on getting to global summits to help grow your business?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

Kiwi stole millions from his dad, reportedly blamed dad's girlfriend
Business

Kiwi stole millions from his dad, reportedly blamed dad's girlfriend

'Treacherous, deceitful and calculated caper' blamed on elderly man's girlfriend.

17 Jul 02:43 AM
Government's giant internet, security upgrade under way for 2500 schools
Business

Government's giant internet, security upgrade under way for 2500 schools

17 Jul 02:00 AM
United Airlines profits dip, company says world getting 'less uncertain'
Business
|Updated

United Airlines profits dip, company says world getting 'less uncertain'

17 Jul 12:19 AM


Tired of missing out on getting to global summits to help grow your business?
Sponsored

Tired of missing out on getting to global summits to help grow your business?

14 Jul 04:48 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP