Colin Craig's message at GreyPower's annual meeting in Tauranga drew comparison with pre-elections speeches from another political party that cultivated the retiree vote.

After warming up the audience of about 120 people with an apocryphal tale of a grandfather arrested because of anti-smacking legislation, the NZ Conservative Party leader covered a number of other issues that struck chords with an audience swayed in other election years by Winston Peters' attacks on foreign investments.

Conservative Party leader Colin Craig speaking at GreyPower's annual meeting.

'Do we want to sell our country out, when we would rather own it ourselves?” asks Colin. 'We want something we can pass on to our children and grandkids. We don't want foreigners coming in and owning it.

'It comes down to this: we have to decide who really owns the country – the government or the people?”

From there the talk turned to the value of the vote and the government's broken promises of binding referenda, how political power has been claimed by politicians when it is the people who have the vote.

'I believe the people can get it right; I do not trust the politicians to get it right,” says Colin.

He says it is time to empower the people of this country.

He also wants to get rid of the 300,000 signature level on referenda, saying you can get into parliament for 120,0000 votes and referenda should be set at the same level.

NZ Conservative MPs in Parliament on a list vote will can support a coalition partner in confidence and supply, but the Conservative Party will not sacrifice its principles and start changing its mind.

'Nobody who votes for us will get surprised,” says Colin.

The emission trading scheme is under attack as a taxation scheme that does nothing for the environment, except take money out of people's pockets. Colin promises better support for veterans, saying if people get hurt while in service to the country, the country should look after them afterwards.

Colin also spoke at a public meeting in Baycourt on Wednesday night.