Winston Peters swaps politics for comedy, leaves MPs from both sides in stitches after racing odds speech

December 21, 2017

Deputy Prime Minister had MPs on both sides of the House laughing while giving his odds on who would lead the National Party next.

Mr Peters was making his final speech of the year, and said that, as Minister of Racing, "it would be very remiss of me ... not to offer some odds on the leadership of the National Party".

He started off with Amy Adams, who he said "has played such a long game it will be all over before the starts - 30-to-1".

Moving on to Judith Collins, "The favourite from Papakura ... she's been playing a short game for a long time, so I've got her odds at 5-to-1".

Simon O'Connor was "an outsider from Tamaki - the oldest young man in New Zealand politics - he's 50-to-1".

Jonathan Coleman, whom Peters labeled "the $154m deficit Coleman man from Northcote - has in the past not got out of the gate (the DHB gates, that is) so he's 100-to-1".

Nick Smith was described as "another outsider, the Nelson member at least has the virtue of embodying how old and tired National looks ... I love having Nick Smith in this house - because he makes me look young".

"That only leaves 3 pretenders," Mr Peters continued.

"Steven Joyce won't make it to the start - his form is terrible ... he's the $11.7b fiscal hole - it was all fake news, the election campaign was worse for it.

"George Elliot once said that there are men whose very presence infuses in others deep trust and reverence - Mr Speaker, the member for Tauranga [Simon Bridges] is not such a man ... he is a one-lane bridge blocking a highway full of caucus ambition that will quickly run him down if he gets in their road.

"That leaves only one... there's a real chance that National's Manchurian candidate [Jian Yang] will steal the leadership odds - I've got him on 2-to-1 to be the next leader."

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