March 3, 2017 12:00pm by David Farrar

Little picks Winston over Greens for ISC

But in an Opposition two-step Labour leader Andrew Little on Thursday first announced he was nominating Peters for the intelligence and security committee – with the Greens support.

Peters will join Prime Minister Bill English, Little, and two Cabinet ministers; Chris Finlayson and Amy Adams, on the statutory committee that oversees the intelligence agencies the SIS and the GCSB.

Shearer quit Parliament late last year.

The Greens were keen to have their representative replace him on the committee but they will endorse Peters, who has been a member of the committee in the past.

Peters said Labour had raised the appointment with him.

“I said I would not be interested, unless the National Party leader was to endorse it at the very start. It is meant to be non-political and across the political divide.”

He was told English had endorsed it, so he had agreed. He said he had not had a chance to think about the Greens’ stance.

Peters is a good choice for the committee. Unlike the Greens he does not want to abolish the SIS and GCSB.