ANZAC Day 

ANZAC Day was a meaningful day for the team, with all of our MPs attending commemoration events both here and abroad. 

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters was in Gallipoli, Türkiye, giving an address at the dawn service there. Given the challenges currently facing many countries, his message was particularly poignant as he acknowledged the fallen soldiers who lost their lives fighting for democracy.  

“We have emerged from a global pandemic a more divided world. Regional instabilities and the chaos they create threaten the security of too many. 

So we must all do more. Demand more. And deliver more.  Never has diplomacy been more needed to de-escalate conflicts and ease tensions. That is our lesson and resolve when leaving Gallipoli today.”  

Watch Winston's full ANZAC speech in Gallipoli here.

Shane Jones, speaking at a dawn service in Kaitaia, spoke of passing on the stories of sacrifice to future generations, to instil the importance of our nation’s history. 

“These flags represent our indivisible citizenship, our indivisible identity as New Zealanders. No politics here on ANZAC Day”.  

Globe-trotting  

Parliament was back in recess as school holidays came around, and not only was the New Zealand First team out and about across New Zealand, but four of our caucus also embarked on international trips, advocating for New Zealand First values further afield.

Associate Minister of Agriculture, Mark Patterson, lead a delegation of New Zealand wool manufacturing businesses to the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide. Speaking at this event, he had the opportunity to showcase the attributes of New Zealand wool and promote the innovation of our wool manufacturing capability to a large international audience. 

Find out why Mike Hosking is becoming a Mark Patterson fan here for updates on how he continues to champion the prosperity of one of New Zealand’s finest products. 

Jenny Marcroft has been in the Pacific Islands this week as part of her Oceans and Fisheries portfolio and also attended ANZAC Day commemorations in Noumea, New Caledonia (above). 

New Zealand First MP Andy Foster joined an all-party Parliamentary delegation that visited Taiwan earlier this month. The week-long trip included engagements around energy cooperation, cybersecurity, and visits with the nation's political leaders.  

Pictured below, Andy is with the New Zealand delegation meeting Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen. 

Covering plenty of ground in his Foreign Affairs portfolio, Winston Peters still made time for interviews back home between trips. Here are a couple of his recent interviews: 

• Winston Peters | Foreign Affairs Minister 
• Peters: Govt not abandoning independent foreign policy  

New Zealand based  

Throughout New Zealand, our MPs have been meeting with various community groups and attending events to hear from everyday kiwis about what is important to them. 

Minister for Regional Development, Shane Jones has continued his passionate advocacy for the mining and minerals sector in order to secure a more prosperous economy for New Zealand. A personal highlight for him was the bigger-than-life sized, electric ‘tonka truck’, when he visited an Otago gold mine. 

Shane has also been privy to various events celebrating the opening, or work of numerous projects started under the Provincial Growth Fund. He continues to be fore front and centre on projects that boost the resilience of New Zealand regions. 

Make sure you catch up on some of Shane’s latest interviews: 

• Shane Jones speaks with RCR after his speech in Remuera on Saturday afternoon  
• Shane Jones | Minister of Regional Development  
• Politics Central: Don Brash and Shane Jones  

Casey Costello has spent the week in and around Christchurch visiting multiple organisations, as well as hosting another of our April tour meetings with Jamie Arbuckle, and attending local ANZAC commemoration services. 

Jamie Arbuckle and Tanya Unkovich were also representing New Zealand First at dawn services in their own areas, and hosting April tour meetings along with community meetings in their respective meetings. 

Make sure you stay up to date with our MP team by following their Facebook pages.