New Zealand First leader Winston Peters was finally allowed on the set of TV3’s The Nation this afternoon, after standing just off-camera for what producers estimate was more than 78 hours.
Peters, who had been acting like he was meant to be there, and promised he would have something “explosive” to say, was finally allowed on the broadcast shortly after 12:30pm this afternoon, following the resignation of Justice Minister Judith Collins.
“We did feel a bit bad,” said producer Tim Watkin of the situation. “He’d been standing there for, what must’ve been about three days, really, just hovering. We’d go home in the evening and leave the lights on for him, but he didn’t seem to move.
“We’d have thought he was dead if he didn’t keep asking us if he was on yet.
“At around midday, we were preparing the set for [3 News political editor] Paddy Gower to go live, and he clearly felt it was a bit incomplete, so he just looked to me and he said, ‘Oh alright, bring Winston on, then.’”
When Peters finally appeared on the broadcast at 12:30pm, he appeared not to know where he was, grumbled to himself, and then failed to put his mic on, before dropping it and struggling to pick it back up.
“Oh bloody hell,” he said, as Gower watched him in silence.