Peters first entered the New Zealand House of Representatives for the National Party in the 1978 general election, taking office in 1979 after a high court ruling initially nullified his victory.

[21] This followed a successful campaign by Peters and other members of his Ngāti Wai iwi to retain their tribal land in the face of the Labour government's plan to establish coastal-land reserves for the public.

[47] Michael Laws, then New Zealand First's campaign manager, later claimed that Peters had already decided to enter into an agreement with National and used his negotiations with Labour simply to win more concessions from Bolger.

[61] In negotiations with Helen Clark after the election, Peters secured the ministerial portfolios of Foreign Affairs and Racing in the Labour-led government, a move which apparently lay at odds with his earlier promise to refuse the "baubles of office".

[75] On 29 August 2008, Peters offered to stand down from his portfolios as Foreign Affairs and Racing Minister,[76] pending an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office as to whether the donations from Sir Bob Jones and the Vela brothers reached New Zealand First as intended.

[92] During the 2014 general election, Peters tactically endorsed the Labour candidate Kelvin Davis in the Te Tai Tokerau Māori electorate as a means of opposing the Mana Movement MP Hone Harawira.

[100][101] At New Zealand First's convention in South Auckland on 16 July 2017, Peters announced that if elected his party would hold a double referendum on eliminating the Māori seats and reducing the number of MPs in Parliament from 120 to 100 in mid-term 2017–2020.

[148][149] On 9 October 2021, Peters attracted media attention after he alleged that a female sex worker connected to the criminal organisation Mongrel Mob had caused the Northland Region's COVID-19 scare by traveling to Whangārei on false pretenses.

[175][176] University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis speculated that National's coalition talks would be influenced by Peters' demands and history of playing a "kingmaker" role in previous elections.

[179] Due to the prolonged negotiation process, Peters criticised a law change by the previous Labour Government allowing voters to register on election day for delaying the Electoral Commission's publication of final results by one week.

After Luxon informed Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro that he had the numbers to form the incoming government, the three leaders signed the coalition agreement on 24 November, which was subsequently released to the public.

During a meeting with Canadian High Commissioner to Indian Cameron MacKay in New Delhi, Peters clarified that New Zealand's position on Hardeep Singh remained unchanged and that he was not questioning Canada's claim.

[201][202] Peters announced on 22 April that New Zealand would spend NZ$7 million on a humanitarian aid package for Ethiopia and Somalia to help tackle regional food insecurity.

[204] Peters has criticised Bob Carr, formerly the Premier of New South Wales and the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, for his criticism of AUKUS, including a seminar he gave in Wellington against it with Helen Clark in April 2024.

[224][225] On 13 February 2025, Peters spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar by phone about the importance of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the need for its full implementation including the release of all hostages and the resumption of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.

[226] In late January 2024, Peters was part of a delegation of government ministers from the National and New Zealand First parties that attended the annual hui (meeting) at the Rātana Church's pā (village) near Whanganui.

[229] On 17 March 2024, Peters delivered a State of the Nation speech in Palmerston North where he likened the previous Labour Government's co-governance policies to "race-based theory" in Nazi Germany.

[235] In late June 2024, Peters invoked the first use of the "agree to disagree" provisions in the coalition agreements in response to the Government's announcement that it would allow the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned in its present form and retain Tony Blakely as its chair.

Interislander subsequently acknowledged that a crew member had prematurely selected a turn on the autopilot that caused the ferry to sail offcourse to Titoki Bay instead of its intended shore point "The Snout.

[256] In 2000 Peters described the risk of dog meat gaining popularity in New Zealand if Asian immigration continued, saying that such "abused flesh is highly valued as an aphrodisiac by these ghouls".

[257] In 2002, he said "we place our country at risk by bringing in thousands of people whose views are formed by alien cultures and rigid religious practices", and claimed he had "Chinese blood" after his comments sparked controversy.

During the interview, he stated that he would want prospective migrants "to salute our flag, respect our laws, honour our institutions and, above all, don't bring absolutely anti-women attitudes with them, treating women like cattle, like fourth-class citizens".

[260] In May 2003, he said Prime Minister Helen Clark was the "only politician in the Western world who can talk on foreign affairs with both feet in her mouth", and in 2005 described National MP Murray McCully as "the only member of this House to eat a banana sideways" when he challenged Peters on it.

Radio New Zealand said that "Mr Peters told Morning Report (RNZ) the comments were made in the context of recent terror attacks in London and that Imams around the world were saying the same thing.

[288] In mid March 2024, Peters controversially likened co-governance to Nazi race theory, drawing criticism from the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand's spokesperson Ben Kepes and Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins.

[290] Peters' remarks had contradicted statements by Christopher Luxon and Shane Jones during Māori King Tūheitia Paki's Koroneihana (coronation anniversary celebration) that the National and NZ First parties would not support the Treaty Principles Bill beyond its first reading.

[292] In 2002, Peters described big city media commentators as "smart alec, arrogant, quiche eating, chardonnay drinking, pinky finger pointing snobbery, fart blossom.

[294] On 28 November, Andrew Shaw, a veteran broadcaster who served on the board of New Zealand On Air (which oversaw the PIJF funding), resigned after social media posts in which he said of Peters: "He's not truthful.

[299] ACT leader David Seymour disputed Peters allegations against the Public Interest Journalism Fund, stating that "many people felt that [the PIJF] was distorting [media's] priorities.

"[298] On 18 December 2023, Reporters Without Borders Asia-Pacific Bureau Director Cédric Alviani criticised Peters' attacks on journalists and media organisations, and called on Prime Minister Luxon to reaffirm his government's support to press freedom.