Peters, Winston (1945– )

New Zealand centrist politician; founder, in 1992, of the Maori-oriented New Zealand First Party (NZFP) and deputy prime minister from 1996. He emerged as a critic of the conventional monetarist economic strategy pursued by his party's leader, Jim Bolger, who was prime minister from 1990, and left the National Party in 1993 to form the NZFP. Under Peters' charismatic leadership, the NZFP, which campaigned for greater state economic intervention and Maori rights, secured 13% of the vote in the October 1996 general election. These elections were held for the first time under a mixed member system of proportional representation and produced an inconclusive result, with the NZFP holding the balance of power. A coalition government was formed after the election, with Bolger as prime minister and Peters as deputy prime minister and treasurer (finance minister). Under the coalition agreement, extra spending was promised on healthcare and other social initiatives and in 1998 a bill was passed giving South Island Maoris compensation for past injustices.

After studying law and politics at university, Peters began his political career in the centre-right National Party. He soon attracted attention as the party's most prominent Maori and as a result of his debating skills.