David Farrar: Is this the proof Winston is planning to go with Labour

One of the most common questions I get asked by audiences is whether NZ First will go with National or Labour after the election. My response is that there is no reason to not take Winston at his word when he says he has ruled out Labour.

But now a speech by Winston has given extreme doubt over his pledge not to go with Labour. In terms of how he will pay for his Marxist plan to nationalise the BNZ, he says:

A limited tranche of the NZ Future Fund and ACC investment, structured as a commercial equity at arm’s length and a market rate of return.

Now there is no NZ Future Fund. However one of Labour’s few policies is to create a NZ Future Fund. So Winston’s speech refers to using a fund that can only possibly exist if he puts Labour into power.

So do we trust what Winston said in his speech ruling out Labour, or what Winston said in his speech pledging to use a fund that will only be created if he puts them into power?

Or do we think that the reference to the NZ Future Fund is a mistake that wasn’t caught by any of the NZ First researchers, press secretaries or Winston himself?

UPDATE: NZ First have said Winston was referring to a future fund which he supported at a NZF conference in October 24. This future fund can’t be found under NZF policy on their website (I did check). Of interest though is Winston said:

It would be ring-fenced, he said, “from politicians and ring-fenced from political interference

Yet now he is saying it would be used to buy BNZ, which is of course the opposite of ring fenced from politicians.

David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders