Peters gets a blow in at National

Winston Peters

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters yesterday delivered his strongest attack of the campaign against National's "secret agenda" before what is expected to be a counter-balancing attack today on Labour.

Mr Peters also attacked National's tax cuts and said it had to "come clean" on what would be cut to pay for them.

National leader Don Brash returned the volley from Mr Peters' home patch, questioning the former Treasurer's understanding of economics, but neither ruled out a future relationship.

In fact, Dr Brash was more enthusiastic than he has been about Mr Peters' party, saying he would be "very happy to talk to any of the three" potential partners - New Zealand First, United Future and Act - and "perhaps more than one".

Speaking in Christchurch Mr Peters seized upon leaked emails of advice to Dr Brash from what Mr Peters called National's three Rs - "Ruth, Roger and Roger" - to accuse National of being puppets to a "new right" and big business secret agenda.

It was revealed at the weekend that Dr Brash received advice before and after his successful coup against Bill English from Business Roundtable chief executive Roger Kerr and Act luminaries Ruth Richardson and Sir Roger Douglas.

Mr Peters said the Labour and National governments of the late 1980s and 1990s ditched election promises for their own secret agendas.

"The usual political whisperers were there then too - destructive, divisive and undisciplined.

"It seems National's agenda all along has been to deceive the public of New Zealand with an artificial debate about tax cuts, while scheming to unload its secret agenda on an unsuspecting public ...

"I make this unequivocal promise to you today - we will not be propping up any National or Labour secret agenda - not now, not ever."

Struggling to claim definition in an election campaign dominated by big-spending promises, Mr Peters said his party "won't be caught up these foolish games".

Condemning National's tax-cut promises, he talked about a need for greater spending in health and in the aged-care sector.

"These people who have bored us with their rhetoric about fiscal prudence and transparency are going to borrow to pay for a tax cut."

He said Labour and National had lost their credibility trying to out-bid each other.

"What has the last 21 years been about - listening to these tinder-dry idiots talking about frugality, providence, fiscal management and - in a binge to win the election - it's all out the door."

In Tauranga, Dr Brash said he had "never seen Mr Peters as an expert on the economy".

"I'm happy to stack my experience against his in that area any time. We've costed the programme very carefully. We've made a commitment there will be no reduction in health and education spending."