New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has taken a swipe at Labour's plan to make Matariki a public holiday, saying now is not the time when the country is facing "huge financial challenges" due to Covid-19.
Mr Peters made the comments during a visit to the University of Otago in Dunedin today as part of campaign efforts in the South ahead of October's general election.
Labour leader and coalition partner Jacinda Ardern announced in Rotorua today a pledge to make Matariki - the start of the Maori New Year - New Zealand's 12th public holiday, starting in 2022. It would be the first new public holiday in New Zealand in almost 50 years.
"As I've travelled around New Zealand I've heard the calls for Matariki to become a public holiday - its time has come," Ardern said.
But Mr Peters said hard work - not holidays - would help New Zealand cope with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
"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.
"We haven't had an announcement from Labour, apart from whether we're going to get a new holiday," he told media.
"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."
Although Labour's policy has no exact date for the holiday, it is expected to be in winter and would always fall within a Monday or a Friday within Matariki.
Mr Peters was met by a small, three-member contingent of Young NZ First members and a crowd of about 40 students when he arrived on campus about 1.20pm and attracted attention from students as he paused in the Link.
He answered several student questions including about the provisions made for non-English speakers going through New Zealand court systems, and maritime sovereignty.
Following the university visit, Mr Peters spent 15 minutes sparring with media in the Octagon. He said he would begin making policy announcements at the rate of “one a day”, starting tomorrow.
- By Hamish MacLean, ODT Online and NZ Herald
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Comments
Matariki holiday is a great idea, NZ desperately needs one as winter without holidays is way too depressing.
And Mr Peters is wrong, what kind of hard work he's talking about if life already is a rat race for those who work yet unemployment grows and there's not enough jobs for all? More leisure is good, maybe even 4 days work week would be the answer.
I think you may have misread the public reaction to this one Winston. Most kiwis want a new, additional holiday. More votes in supporting this than opposing it.
Another nail in the NZ First coffin, a few more points deducted at the next opinion poll. Bye bye Winston.