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NZ First Leader Winston Peters has spurned an opportunity extended by the Labour Party to join forces to repeal the Act Party’s Regulatory Standards Act.

In a missive posted in transit on his way to Hanoi, Vietnam, Peters turned accused Labour MP Duncan Webb of playing political games and mocked a spelling mistake in a Labour press release.

NZ First supported the Regulatory Standards Bill through the House, honouring a pledge it made during coalition talks to pass the law, which was demanded by the Act Party. However, last week, Peters said he would campaign on repealing the bill at the 2026 election.

On Tuesday, Labour MP Duncan Webb offered Peters and NZ First the chance to fulfil that pledge early, introducing a members’ bill to the ballot which would repeal the law, and writing to Peters asking his party to support it.

“Winston, are you in?‚” read Webb’s press release on the bill.

“Labour has committed to scraping [SIC] the Regulatory Standards Act in its first 100 days - but we don’t need to wait. We can do it right now, if Winston Peters is willing to walk the walk,” Webb said.

Peters had a crack at the spelling of “scrapping”, writing, “[n]ext time “scrapping” is with two ‘P’s. Not one. Unless you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel".

We have always said from the start that the people should decide this issue. We first proposed a referendum. In the absence of that, we will now be seeking a mandate from New Zealanders at next year’s election for the next government to undertake repeal.

Peters accused Webb of playing political games, writing to NZ First to support the bill only 50 minutes before going to the media.

“Mr Webb might want to use this serious issue as a political football but we don’t.

“NEWSFLASH: We in NZFirst stick by our word and our coalition agreements. Labour doesn’t know what commitment and integrity means.,” Peters said.

All three opposition parties have said they would repeal the law if they form a government at the next election. Their combined 55 votes are not enough to repeal it this term. The addition of NZ First’s eight votes would tip the balance, however.

The situation has echoes of the Green Party’s decision to support a National Party member’s bill to repeal the waka jumping law in the 2017-2020 Parliament, despite having helped the government pass the law that same Parliament.

The argument of the Greens at the time was that while their confidence and supply agreement to support the Labour-NZ First coalition required them to pass the law, it did not prohibit them from voting to repeal it.

NZ First’s ministerial positions mean the opposition does not have enough votes to bypass the member’s ballot and introduce the repeal bill directly to Parliament. The bill would still need to be drawn from the ballot.

NZ First would also have to put up with the Act Party’s taunts that it is gearing up to support a Labour-led government at the next election.

Act Leader David Seymour said Peters’ decision to campaign on repealing the law suggested he was “getting ready to go with Labour again”.

“Even though it’s been obvious to everyone from the start, Winston Peters has finally admitted that this law is a bad idea, despite his party voting for it in Parliament,” Webb said.

“Today I’m giving him the chance to fix that mistake. I have contacted New Zealand First and asked for their support – let’s see if they will back their words with action."