Winston Peters has launched a new attack on journalists, threatening to "sort out the media" when he returns from the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Japan.
It comes after a string of issues surrounding the Deputy Prime Ministers' party - including the Electoral Commission looking into a complaint around the NZ First Foundation, criticism of a company with links to NZ First making two unsuccessful bids for Government funding, and his lawyer threatening to sue National leader Simon Bridges and Nick Smith for up to $30 million.
RNZ reported the company NZ Future Forest Products made two funding bids to the Provincial Growth Fund and from the One Billion Trees Programme. Its founding director, Brian Henry, is Mr Peters' lawyer and Jan Trotman, Mr Peters’ partner, is also a director of the company. Both bids were rejected - one by officials and one by Labour Party ministers.
When asked about it this week, Mr Peters told media to stop the "narrow, myopic dirt when NZ First is concerned because we're not gonna take it" and called a journalist a "psycho".
He told them to “stop your narrow, myopic dirt when NZ First is concerned”.
Mr Peters doubled down last night on Twitter.
"For the first time ever NZ will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting, held this year in Japan," he wrote.
"So we're off to try and sort out the world. When we get back we're going to sort out the media."
He then released a video saying: "No more fake news. If mainstream media won’t do their job, then we will go direct."
He later wrote: "Just remember the National Party is the only Party being investigated by the SFO for electoral donations. Don’t hear media saying that do you?"
The Electoral Commission is looking into a foundation that’s bankrolling New Zealand First.
The matter has been reported extensively by the media.
The National/Jami-Lee Ross saga began in October 2018. Mr Ross took a complaint against National leader Simon Bridges to police over a $100,000 donation, and Mr Bridges repeatedly denied all allegations.
In March this year, the electoral donation complaint lodged was referred to the Serious Fraud Office .
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