Analysis - New Zealand First, led by Parliament's longest serving MP, is playing the long game - both in building party support and policy.Shane Jones' "drill baby drill" moment is "potentially" on its way, but can the party pull it off?At the New Zealand First convention over the weekend, leader Winston Peters announced a plan to invest a billion dollars into surveying what oil and gas supplies could be extracted from the country's offshore basins.Peters says it's a "game changer" and could lead to a fuel secure and resilient New Zealand, that also pays dividends. Just how much? That's not clear yet.And when exactly would it happen? Potentially "within six years" - plenty of time for more wars and changes in government.Labour doesn't support the idea and National won't give it a firm tick, only saying the party already supports oil and gas exploration, which means it's unclear it will get over the line exactly as it stands.That doesn't bother Peters though, who said "what we're trying to do is change the political dichotomy to understand the potential".Or, as the party said multiple times over the weekend, challenge the status quo - Pepsi versus Coke as Peters delighted in saying.That, of course, is what minor parties can get away with - Peters criticised National and Labour for only tinkering with the fuel security issue by offering solar panel solutions.It seems to be working better than most for New Zealand First, which is gaining support in all the polls.History would tell us minor parties tend to be punished after being in government - New Zealand First is defying that.What's more, it's eating into support from other parties, even gobbling up former politicians from both major parties.There were all the greatest hits you might expect from a New Zealand First event, including a rallying call against Indian immigration, even as people of Indian descent were working at the event, topping up the food and clearing the plates.Also - a request from a member for songs playing during the breaks to only play New Zealand music.But there was also a sense that something had shifted, perhaps evidenced by the greatest number of delegates present at a conference in the party's history, many telling RNZ with a gleeful honesty they'd ditched other political parties to be there.The event on Sunday.RNZ / Marika KhabaziOne member told RNZ that in previous years, they'd whispered about the fact they'd left other political parties for New Zealand First. This year, it was on full display."Grandad was blue, dad was blue, I was blue until I woke up," one new supporter told RNZ.There was no irony in his voice at the mention of waking up, despite supporting "Winston's war against woke".Here, too, Peters is playing the long game, lending his ear to those who don't quite fit in the "system".One member - a mum from the East Coast - said she was there that weekend for the vaccine injured and a desire to maintain family and Christian values.Her teenage daughter travelling with her said she felt the party was also about the next generation, despite being associated with people "older than me", she said.Another member told RNZ her voice hadn't been heard during interactions with a medical practitioner.Former National MP Harete Hipanga-Brownlie, now a New Zealand First candidate, said it out loud when describing the Parliament occupation protesting Covid-19 mandates."I saw thousands of New Zealanders gathered from all walks of life, I also saw Winston Peters walking amongst them."The religious connotations were obvious, as the party also picks up socially conservative voters, but it was also a clear line drawn back in 2022, when New Zealand First wasn't even in Parliament.Now, that support has clearly grown beyond just those railing against Covid-19 mandates that no longer exist, and a "globalist agenda".It's the economy, stupid, or - as Peters said - "it's about the economy" and the "blue-collared worker".The cost of power. The cost of grocery bills. The people doing it tough.All parties know this election will be another cost-of-living election, but no party is cutting through on the issue quite like New Zealand First.Tim, a solo dad who had driven from Wellington with his seven-year-old son for the convention, told RNZ it's the people that build the economy, but there was a sense from him that people in New Zealand were missing out, and priorities weren't in the right order.Peters clearly has a way with the people, he's even quite happy to sit at the back of the room while the convention took place, on a raised platform for cameras, rather than a real seat.He also has a way of convincing outcasts that New Zealand First will look after them.His opponents from other parties would say he can't be trusted - but those who have parted ways with, or been sacked by, those parties have come to him in droves."I didn't leave Labour, Labour left me," said Stuart Nash at the convention, ignoring that he was sacked, but adding that Labour doesn't represent "hardworking Kiwis" anymore.National's problem is "they've forgotten who they are" said former National MP Michael Laws, a "centre party doesn't stand for anything".During his first speech of the weekend, Peters gave a nod to the age of New Zealand First, "seconds out of the ring for round 33".That's a lot of rounds in a boxing match, and support has come and gone for Peters over that time. He knows exactly what it feels like to be chucked out.He's said repeatedly now New Zealand First will turn the polls into confetti, that the party has far more support than what is being reported.It seems at least some of that support is coming from National, and it makes it tricky for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who is increasingly scathing in his assessment of New Zealand First's comments about the Indian free trade agreement.But currently, Luxon's only way back to power is with his coalition partners, one of whom - New Zealand First - made the suggestion other parties should take off their knee pads when foreign leaders visit.Scapegoating immigrants isn't new, but harnessing a sentiment of discontent will make for a powerful election strategy.