Winston Peters on regional fund - Get off your ... and apply

Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Is Shane Jones' billion dollars for provincial growth actually a "slush fund," that is mainly being funnelled into Northland, rather than being shared around the regions?

The Country's Jamie Mackay put this question to Winston Peters on today's show and got a strong denial from the acting Prime Minister.

"Well it's not a slush fund for a start, and that's a highly loaded word framed to try and damage a brilliant idea to save some of the sorry circumstances that are out in the provinces."

Listen below:

Peters says applications for the fund were received from Northland before other regions, and that if people want to make use of the money, they "should get off their provincial you-know-what and make an application and make sure it stacks up."

"You get these people who whinge and whine about this fund ... I say now there are hundreds and hundreds of millions sitting there waiting for someone to make a legitimate application for them. Maybe some people should have a good hard look in the mirror before they blame us."

Also in today's interview: Winston Peters talks about what he will be doing on his visit to Southland and Donald Trump's latest antics.