The blind spot that cost Stuart Nash
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has removed candidate Stuart Nash from the party following a series of public blunders. The analysis contrasts Nash's behavior with that of senior minister Shane Jones, who maintains a closer alignment with Peters' political strategy.
Why it matters
Internal party discipline and the management of public image are critical for minor parties attempting to maintain influence in coalition governments.
Analysis: New Zealand First is defying the odds of a minor governing party and riding a polling high, which made it all the more necessary to cauterise the wound that was Stuart Nash this week.
There are four things leader Winston Peters has no time for in politics and Nash was ticking all of them at the point the party told him it was time to go on Wednesday night.
Peters believes in second chances not being squandered, has no room for distractions he hasn't orchestrated himself, and has no time for negative media headlines out of tune with the party narrative, but more than all of that, he has zero patience for anyone in the party giving his political opponents an easy win.
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