Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters has softened his stance on the controversial three-strikes law, indicating he thinks it "doesn't work".
He made the comments on Newshub Nation on Saturday morning when asked about plans for justice reform.
"If we get all these other things right, then you can deal with the three-strikes law because it will be very blatant and obvious to the public that they don't work," he said.
This represents an about-face for New Zealand First, who last month stymied Justice Minister Andrew Little's attempts to scrap the piece of legislation.
In a press release at the time New Zealand First spokesperson for law and order Darroch Ball said, "The law provides a firm framework to deter recidivism, and sends a clear message to our most serious offenders."
When asked to clarify his position on Saturday, Mr Peters said: "Well, the trouble is, you’ve got something like 116 now waiting on the third strike, so something that has not worked ever since the much-disgraced ACT member bought it in."
The "much-disgraced" ACT Party member Mr Peters refers to is David Garrett, a former ACT MP who championed the three-strikes Bill as part of the National Government in 2010.
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