Peters 'confident' of winning Northland

Winston Peters on the campaign trail in Auckland on Thursday. Photo: Getty Images
Winston Peters on the campaign trail in Auckland on Thursday. Photo: Getty Images

Winston Peters says he's "confident'' he can win his Northland seat and get his party back into Parliament.

The New Zealand First Leader addressed a small crowd on Auckland's waterfront on Thursday afternoon in a rally designed to draw attention to his proposal to move container operations to Northland.

Mr Peters has pledged to have the relocation completed by the end of 2027 - opening 77ha of prime waterfront land for public use and the development of a new cruise ship terminal - if his party is elected.

His plan would stop vehicle deliveries by the end of 2019 and free up Captain Cook Wharf ahead of the America's Cup.

Speaking to about 50 people on Thursday, he said other cities such as London and Sydney had undertaken similar revitalisations of their waterfronts with great success.

"We will equip Auckland to be a city of the 21st century,'' he said.

Mr Peters wants legislation to move all container operations to Northport at Marsden Pt near Whangarei by the end of 2027.

His party's plan would create a "special economic area'' near Northport, which would be duty-free, GST-free and tax-free. Peters said another such area could later be established in Southland.

It would require the immediate upgrade of the Auckland-to-Northland rail line, including a new rail spur to Northport. KiwiRail has put the cost of doing so in the billions of dollars - which doesn't include any upgrade of Northport.

He said another proposal, to move the port to Thames, was too expensive. Economics experts backed the Northland proposal, Peters said. However, when asked which experts, he couldn't give any names.

During a question and answer session, where Mr Peters answered questions on everything from capital gains tax to why Queen St only had one public toilet, he also said he would put the national anthem to a referendum.

No one ever sang it in pubs, he said.

Turning to Saturday night's election, Mr Peters said he would be using all the hours he had left up north.

"It's been a long grinding campaign around New Zealand... we are relying on coming home to Northland strongly and changing the regional outcome of New Zealand politics,'' he said.

While he didn't take anything for granted, he said people should know he was the best candidate for the north.

Asked about internal polling, Mr Peters said: "Let's just say I'm getting on with the job and I'm confident about [Saturday] night.''

He was also asked about being the "kingmaker'', which he criticised as a pointless question.

"I despise that phrase, frankly. I nor my colleagues are in the job to be king or queen maker,'' he said.

"I wish media would elevate their sights a bit more ... to things that do matter in this country - the economic change that's required and the social underpinning of so many concerns by way of expenditure by treasury,'' he said.

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