Ron Mark returns to NZ First, Winston Peters unveils $45,000 grant to encourage more births

Former New Zealand First minister Ron Mark is returning to the party and will contest this year’s election as a candidate.

Mark’s candidacy has been announced at NZ First leader Winston Peters’ public meeting today in Masterton.

It comes as Peters unveils new election policy proposing to create a “Kiwi Kids Grant” for parents, one of whom must be a New Zealand citizen, who have three children.

The grant would be worth $5000 per child for each of their first three years, meaning families would receive $45,000 in total.

Mark, a former Carterton Mayor, unsuccessfully contested the Wairarapa electorate in the 2014, 2017 and 2020 elections. However, he spent six terms as a list MP after first entering Parliament in 1996.

He adds to NZ First’s new candidates who are aiming to return to national politics, including former National MPs Alfred Ngaro, Michael Laws and Harete Hipango-Brownlie. Former Labour MP Stuart Nash was recently made to resign after controversial comments about National MP Katie Nimon.

Earlier this week, Mark wouldn’t confirm whether he would run as a candidate but made several comments indicating the party had moved on from him.

Speaking to the Herald on Tuesday evening, Mark said he was “still thinking” and confessed, “every day is a new thought of no”.

“To be perfectly honest with you, I’ve had a very good offer in Europe and I have a job offer doing the type of work internationally that I think I was very good at while I was the Minister of Defence; defence diplomacy I found to be my forte.

“When one is offered a very good job and I will tell you, Luxembourg, doing the sort of work supporting Ukraine that I’ve been doing ... coming up five years now, it’s very appealing.”

Former NZ First minister Ron Mark sits at the same table as leader Winston Peters at the party convention in Auckland. Photo / Adam Pearse

Mark said his experience at the party’s recent two-day conference indicated he may not be needed.

“What it told me is they don’t need me. The party’s come of age.

“Does New Zealand First really need Ron Mark? I don’t think so.

“People like me maybe do need to accept that we aren’t the party anymore.”

However, Mark acknowledged an interest in having another stint as Defence Minister, saying it was the “only job I’d want”.

“I’d hate to do it and find that I had no effect on government policy.

“I’ve watched four Ministers of Defence and they don’t impress me much, but then they don’t have my background, do they? No one in that House does.”

NZ First grant aimed at declining birthrate

Peters also spoke to a new election policy to offer a tax-free grant to people who had three children.

Named the Kiwi Kids Grant, the policy would introduce a universal, tax-free annual grant of $5000 for the first three years for each of the first three children.

It would be administered as a monthly payment through Inland Revenue, although the first year grant for the first child could be taken as an upfront sum. The party costed the policy at $400 million per year once fully implemented.

One of the parents must be a New Zealand citizen to be eligible.

In a statement ahead of Peters’ address, he referenced the country’s current birthrate of 1.53 births per person, which fell below 2.1 births per person which the party said was needed to maintain the population.

NZ First leader Winston Peters unveiled a new policy at his public meeting in Masterton. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

Peters also pointed to the “dramatically decreasing” number of births from New Zealand citizens versus that of non-citizens.

“Put in simple percentage terms; in 2006, 87% of all births were by citizens and 13% non-citizens,” Peters said.

“Last year that percentage was just 72% New Zealand citizens giving birth, and 28% non-citizens.

“This equation is severely unbalanced and will only equal a diminishing Kiwi population.

“This is an essential investment in our country’s future demography, culture and sustainable economic future.”

Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.