| Peters v Collinge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Court | High Court of New Zealand |
| Full case name | Winston Peters v John Collinge |
| Decided | 1993 |
| Citation(s) | [1993] 2 NZLR 554 |
| Court membership | |
| Judge(s) sitting | Fisher J |
| Keywords | |
| illegal contracts | |
Peters v Collinge [1993] 2 NZLR 554 is a case regarding illegal contracts at common law, involving the unenforceability of contracts interfering with the democratic process.
Winston Peters was a maverick National Party MP in 1992, and the Party was going through the process of expelling him. Peters was MP for Tauranga, comfortably held the seat, and it was anticipated that he would retain it no matter which party he stood for. In the run up to the 1993 general election, in order to retain Tauranga, the party required Peters to sign a form agreeing to not stand in any electorate for any political party other than the National Party. This was somewhat problematic for Peters, as he would soon start the new political party New Zealand First. [1]
Peters subsequently filed in court an interim injunction to have this declared invalid. John Collinge was named as the defendant, as he was the president of the National Party.
The High Court ruled that this term interfered with the democratic process, making it illegal under common law, thus was legally unenforceable.
Winston Raymond Peters is a New Zealand politician who has been the leader of New Zealand First since it was founded in 1993. He was re-elected for a fifteenth time at the 2023 general election, having previously been a member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 1981, 1984 to 2008 and 2011 to 2020. Peters has served as the 13th deputy prime minister of New Zealand and 25th minister of foreign affairs since November 2023.
New Zealand First, commonly abbreviated to NZ First or NZF, is a political party in New Zealand, led by and identified with veteran politician Winston Peters. The party has formed coalition governments with both major political parties in New Zealand: with the New Zealand National Party from 1996 to 1998 and 2023 to present, and with the New Zealand Labour Party from 2005 to 2008 and 2017 to 2020. New Zealand First currently serves in a coalition government with both National and ACT as part of the Sixth National government.
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