Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Winston Peters is a prominent New Zealand politician and has been minister of foreign affairs from 2005, although he does not have a seat in the cabinet. As the leader of the New Zealand First Party, he has been an important political figure in the country, speaking out in favor of Maori rights and against immigration. Winston Raymond Peters was born on April 11, 1945, at Whangarei. His father, Len Peters, was a Maori, and his mother, Joan (née McInnes), a New Zealander of European descent. He attended Whangarei Boys’ High School and Dargaville High School before going to Auckland University, where he gained degrees in history/politics and law. Becoming a teacher and a lawyer, he was also a rugby player, being chosen as captain of the Auckland Maori rugby team. After teaching at Te Atatu International School and then at Auckland University, he was a blast furnace worker for Broken Hill Proprietary Company in Newcastle, Australia, and a tunneler for the Snowy Mountains Project. In the early 1970s Peters and other members of his Ngati Wai iwi, a Maori tribal group, campaigned against the Labour government, which was planning to take control of coastal land for the public, alienating Maori land claims. The campaign led by Peters was successful and led to the 1975 Land March led by Whina Cooper. As a result, Peters entered national politics, contesting the Northern Maori seat for the ... log in or subscribe to read full text