A video of the deputy prime minister taking a puff in front of a "no smoking" sign along with Young NZ First executive member Robert Griffith and NZ First MP and candidate for Taieri Mark Patterson was posted on social media with the tagline, "Apparently smokefree policy only applies to some."
The post resulted in a mix of opinions.
Some supported Mr Peters, saying he had already said smoke-free New Zealand would never work and that people should not be dictated to.
But others were outraged at his "arrogant" disregard for the rules.
All of the University of Otago’s campuses have been smoke-free since January 1, 2014.
Mr Peters was at the campus to take part in Vote 2020 — a question and answer session run by students in the Department of Politics.
Mr Peters also visited Hillside workshop in South Dunedin. The State Owned Enterprises Minister was on a whistlestop tour of the southern city, where he also criticised Covid-19 restrictions in the South Island and said a potential new public holiday for Matariki was ill-timed.
Mr Peters said Hillside was on track to support more than 100 jobs thanks to a NZ First policy.
"I’m not coming promising someone something. I’ve already done it," Mr Peters said.
The cash injection would get the increased workforce, from a present 23, "back doing what it used to do in a more modern context".
"Before someone else comes in here and claims that they’re doing it, I’m making sure that you know that as the minister of railways [Minister of State Owned Enterprises] this is the first time this [Hillside] has been revived in decades.
"Having rail is a no-brainer — you’ve got to have balance. If you want to get your heavy cargo movements going at the cheapest carbon footprint price, this is it," Mr Peters said.
"‘Shovel-ready’ and being ‘job-ready’ is a phrase that comes from the Provincial Growth Fund, which is a New Zealand First invention."
Facing media in the Octagon, he said the South Island should not be under the Covid-19 alert level restrictions it is.
He also said Labour leader Jacinda Ardern’s promise to make Matariki a public holiday if re-elected was poorly timed when the country needed to be focused on returning to work.
"Covid-19 has been an event that has caused us to seriously focus with our eyes wide open on what our best assets are.
"They are on exporting, they are on manufacturing at home if
we can, they are on import substitution — all the things that one party’s argued for, for a long time," Mr Peters said.
"We haven’t had an announcement from Labour, apart from whether we’re going to get a new holiday," he said.
"And right now, work and sacrifice and collective effort is what’s required — not another holiday.
"Now is not the time when we are in the throes of huge financial challenges to start thinking about a holiday.
"I’m sorry — work is going to be our way out of it; working smarter and working more clever than we did in the past — not leisure and holiday time."
Related Stories
Comments
Any addiction is a cruel master. Many who have struggled with alcohol, gambling or nicotine will attest to the difficulty of breaking free of the monster, addiction. And at Winston's advanced years it is recognised as being much more difficult with the shock to the body of stopping using drugs frequently bringing on stress related diseases of key body organs. One more reason to consider whether a vote for NZ First this election is worthwhile.
And with that diatribe I am thinking of voting for him.
Rules are for the little people, eh Winnie?
Is Naomii Seah covering her mouth because of covid-19 or from Winston's breath? What is Winston miming? I wonder if he sucks on menthols?
Poor man--many who need to smoke at U of O often do it still on Uni property and not the reguired distance from the boundary. I feel sorry for them but like Winnie, give them a break.