Peters backs split voting as New Zealand election nears

His Ryan Bridge TODAY interview puts voter choice and explanations of MMP at the centre of the campaign's final week.

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nzherald.co.nz Story of November 2, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of nzherald.co.nz's most watched videos since yesterday, with 10,727 views.

HNOW: Ryan Bridge TODAY 2nd November 2026

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

3:33The opening bulletin places strategic voting among the issues facing the election campaign.
7:03Bridge criticises Netball New Zealand's rejection of an investment bid, arguing that professional players need financial backing.
9:34Peters backs vote-splitting and discusses NZ First's polling, campaign and the Provincial Growth Fund.
13:08Peters calls for clearer explanations of the electoral system so voters can decide for themselves.

Winston Peters wants voters told how the system works, then left to make their own choices. In an NZ Herald studio interview, the NZ First leader backs vote-splitting and objects to the way electoral strategy is being presented to the public.

"It is really offensive. Why don't you just tell the public how it works and let them decide?" he tells Ryan Bridge.

The distinction matters ahead of New Zealand's November 7 election. Under mixed-member proportional representation, voters can choose an electorate candidate from one party and give their party vote to another. The party vote largely determines each party's overall share of parliamentary seats; the electorate vote chooses a local MP.

The interview also covers NZ First's polling, campaigning and the Provincial Growth Fund. Peters criticises mainstream media coverage of his party, while Bridge questions him about its campaign position.

Elsewhere in the broadcast, Bridge delivers a separate editorial criticising Netball New Zealand's rejection of an investment bid and its refusal to give interviews. His argument is financial: principles alone cannot sustain the players' professional sport.

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