Former Labour cabinet minister Stuart Nash, former National MP Harete Hipango-Brownlie, and former National MP Alfred Ngaro all spoke at the New Zealand First 33rd annual conference in South Auckland, publicly explaining their decisions to align with the party (RNZ).

Nash, who held ministerial portfolios in the Labour government, framed his departure in terms of the party having moved away from him. "We didn't leave Labour, Labour left us," he told the conference. He described the current Labour Party as a "pale reflection" of the party his family once represented (RNZ).

Nash also acknowledged that he is not the only former Labour figure to have moved to New Zealand First. He named Rino Tirikatene and Dover Samuels as Labour stalwarts who have also joined the party (RNZ).

Tirikatene, the former Labour MP for Te Tai Tonga, told RNZ he is not running for Parliament again. He said he supports New Zealand First's principles and policies. He also noted that Winston Peters and Shane Jones are his whanaunga, and that he supports them "100 percent" (RNZ).

Samuels, another long-serving former Labour MP, was more blunt in his assessment. Speaking to RNZ, he described the Labour Party as "fossilised" and "extinct" (RNZ).

On the National side, Hipango-Brownlie told the conference her "moment of clarity" in switching parties came during the Covid-19 lockdowns. She said she saw Winston Peters walking among protesters gathered at Parliament grounds during that period, which she cited as evidence of his leadership (RNZ).

Ngaro, also formerly National, addressed the suggestion that Peters had simply recycled former politicians. He pushed back against claims that Peters "cobbled up the old retreads," saying the defectors share a passion to fight for the country (RNZ).

The RNZ article covering the speeches and interviews, credited to reporter Lillian Hanly, was published on 18 July 2026 (RNZ).

The convergence of former MPs from both major parties at a single NZ First conference is unusual in New Zealand politics. Cross-party defections do happen under MMP, but they tend to be isolated. Having multiple former MPs from both Labour and National publicly align with a single minor party at the same event is less common, and it gives NZ First a visible bench of parliamentary-experienced figures ahead of the next electoral cycle.

The language each defector chose is worth noting. Nash's framing that "Labour left us" positions his departure as ideological drift within Labour rather than a personal rupture. Samuels went further, declaring the party effectively dead. Tirikatene's framing was familial as much as political: his reference to Peters and Jones as whanaunga locates his support in kinship ties as well as policy agreement. Hipango-Brownlie's account draws on a specific, highly visible moment during the protest occupation of Parliament grounds, using Peters's presence there as a leadership credential.

Ngaro's defence against the "old retreads" line signals that the criticism has already been raised, whether in media coverage or within political circles. His response reframes the group not as recycled MPs but as motivated defectors with a shared purpose. Whether that framing lands with voters is a separate question, but it indicates the line of attack NZ First's newest recruits are prepared for.

None of the former MPs who spoke at the conference currently sit in Parliament. Tirikatene confirmed he is not seeking a return. The roles, if any, that Nash, Hipango-Brownlie, and Ngaro intend to play for NZ First beyond the conference were not detailed in the RNZ reporting.