Former Labour Cabinet Minister Iain Lees-Galloway has labelled Winston Peters as an "attention seeker".
It comes after Peters on Wednesday accused Jacinda Ardern of "an appalling lack of transparency" over what she knew about the March 15, 2019, terror attacks before they happened in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
It came as a Coroners Court opened an inquest into events surrounding the attacks that killed 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques.
"We waited until today to find out, for the first time, that the Prime Minister's Office received information about the March 15 terrorist attack before the massacre took place," he wrote.
"Jacinda Ardern should be called to the hearing and asked to explain this appalling lack of transparency to the New Zealand public — let alone to the Deputy Prime Minister and government coalition partner."
Peters, who was deputy prime minister at the time of the attacks, said keeping "this basic information" hidden was unacceptable.
A timeline of what Ardern knew — and when — was reported widely at the time, the former PM explaining her office was sent the terrorist's manifesto minutes before the first attack at Al Noor Mosque at a press conference on March 16, 2019, one day after the attacks.
"I was one of more than 30 recipients of a manifesto that was mailed out nine minutes before the attack took place," Ardern said at the time.
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, Lees-Galloway and National Party member and political commentator Liam Hehir agreed the New Zealand First leader isn't acting out of character.
He accused Ardern of "an appalling lack of transparency" over what she knew about the terrorist attacks before they happened.
"It's just Winton Peters being Winston Peters, making everything about himself. Does there have to be a reason beyond that?" Hehir said.
Lees-Galloway added: "It just speaks to the chaos that Winston Peters brings to everything that he touches and the fact that he's an attention seeker and wants to make everything about himself."
Hehir said Peters' claims are "disgusting" but that it's "not even in the top 10 worse things he's ever said".
Asked if incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should stop engaging with Peters in the midst of coalition talks, Hehir said it would be a "big call".
"The only other option really is another election or it's to do some sort of deal with Labour.
"Chris Hipkins could pick up the call and say 'you know what Chris we'll get three list MPs to have a say during this Parliament and then you don't have to deal with Winston' and that would put Luxon in a very awkward position. You know I pray that that would happen but I just don't think it will."
Lees-Galloway said it'll be "chaotic" for Luxon if he has to work with Peters.
"It'll [also] be chaotic for those of us who live in New Zealand with that government, so there is an opportunity there for Chris Luxon to think 'what are the other ways that i could put together a government'."
Speaking to Breakfast yesterday, Labour MP Tangi Utikere used Peters' post to justify Labour leader Chris Hipkins' decision to rule out a coalition with New Zealand First.
"This is a prime example as to the type of behaviour that Chris Hipkins ruled out [in] working [with] New Zealand First."
Peters tweets again
Peters has not returned calls from 1News about his tweets, but posted about it again last night.
"The gaslighting media can't defend the facts out today that vital information of the locations of the terrorist attacks were known by the Prime Minister's Office before it happened — yet the PM the next day said the police couldn't act because they didn't have that detail. The mosques weren't even warned.
"This was my point about critical information not being passed on.
"This inquiry is to find out what went wrong and what steps could've been taken to save lives — no matter how inconvenient the facts are.
"It is unfortunate that today's media are more interested in click-bait and personal narratives rather than reporting the often inconvenient objective truth."
SHARE ME