NZ First leader used his first speech since losing power to attack the Government now operating without him on a laundry list of culture war issues.

But Labour was not alone: Also on Peters’ hit list at his party’s annual general meeting was the media, the Greens, National, the Māori Party, cyclists, “cancel culture,” and the increased usage of te reo in public life – particularly the phrase "Aotearoa”.

“Who signed up to this plan to change New Zealand’s name? Who was asked. When were you asked?” Peters said.

He took particular issue with the fact the Climate Change Commission used the word “Aotearoa” over 1300 times in a recent report but “New Zealand” just 161 times.

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NZ First was booted from Parliament in 2020 after winning just 2.6 per cent of the party vote and no electorate seats.

But Peters promised they would “be back” at the end of his speech to the party’s annual general meetings in East Auckland.

Peters attacked the Government over mental health, the decision to buy the land at Ihumatao, upping the Bright Line Test, remove referendas on Māori wards, the vaccine rollout, the feebate, the He Puapua report, KiwiBuild, and the stalled light rail project in Auckland.

He called the feebate “breathtaking economic illiteracy” and said the light rail project faced “insurmountable hurdles”.

Peters said the Government was “enabling a wave of rights-based activism in-and-outside of Government.”

“Everything in 2021 is now rights-based – or indigenous-rights based – demanding co-governance, or the climate strikers demanding the right to be taught more of their obsession in the curriculum.”

Peters conceded that Ardern remained popular, said he had backed her “crisis leadership” and noted was National “haemorrhaging.”

“They say ‘so why did you not go with National in 2017?’ Well have a look at the mess they are in!”

He said the economy was under-performing compared to peers like Denmark and Singapore, even if public spending was keeping it somewhat inflated.

“Future taxpayers are going to well into this decade and the next for the debt daily being racked up,” Peters said.

“Productivity continues to be anaemic, and we remain a narrow-based economy with significant hidden unemployment, homelessness, and despair – especially in Wellington and Auckland.”\Peters also defended his record in Government through the 2017-2020 term, saying Kiwis would see the benefits of the Provincial Growth Fund over the next 50 years.

He said NZ First “alone” could be thanked for new Government funding on the new Scott Base in Antarctica, restoring railway workshops in Dunedin, and a mussel farm in Opotiki.

And he defended his focus on being a “handbrake” on Labour – saying no one wanted to drive a car without a handbrake.

Speaking after the speech, former MP Shane Jones said the party was “one thousand per cent” behind Peters leading them in 2023.

“It’s a bit like [All Black coach] Steve Hansen said: ‘After a bad game, flush it down the dunny and move on.”

Jones declined to fully endorse the attack on the word “Aotearoa” however – saying he had a big problem with the Climate Change Commission pushing “socialism” and RNZ using te reo to push a progressive agenda instead.

“I think the way in which our language has been stretched hides an absence of deep thinking. And I'm arguably one of the best speakers in the country,” Jones said.

“I actually think that Radio New Zealand is possessed of an ideology that only pushes the left wing of New Zealand politics, and they use our language, as if it's only designed to advance progressive agendas.”

Asked if he personally had a problem with the word “Aotearoa” Jones replied that any changes to the constitution should go to a referendum.

NZ First member Josh Van Veen said the party could make a comeback in 2023 if it promoted a more positive message, rather than just talking about policies it had stopped happening.

“I think there is a good chance of a comeback, provided that the party can offer a positive and constructive vision for the future because I think that is ultimately what most New Zealanders want, that's what matters to them first,” Van Veen said.

He said many members shared his view that the 2020 campaign ended up being overly negative and focused on the “handbrake.”

“I think the constituency that they need to appeal to is the blue collar conservative Labour voter, who probably voted for New Zealand First and 2017 and 2014, who went back to Labour in the last election.”

Van Veen said Ardern in 2020 had made people feel safe and proud of New Zealand, two qualities likely to appeal to NZ First voters.

He was confident Peters was still keen to lead the party into the 2023 election.

NZ First member Ranjith de Silva was also confident Peters would stick around for 2023, when he will be 78-years-old.

“Joe Biden in the US, he’s leading the biggest economy in the world – 78 years old!” he said.

Former MP and Party president Brent Catchpole said the party had good momentum with many new member signups since the last election.