Three former politicians have publicly explained why they have joined New Zealand First, speaking at the party's annual conference in South Auckland. Stuart Nash used to be a senior minister in the Labour government. Harete Hipango-Brownlie and Alfred Ngaro were both National MPs. All three are now aligned with New Zealand First (RNZ).

Nash said the Labour Party had changed and no longer reflected his values. "We didn't leave Labour, Labour left us," he told the conference. He called the current Labour Party a "pale reflection" of what it was when his family was involved (RNZ).

Nash also named two other former Labour figures who have joined New Zealand First: Rino Tirikatene and Dover Samuels (RNZ).

Tirikatene, who was the Labour MP for Te Tai Tonga, told RNZ he is not planning to run for Parliament again. He said he supports New Zealand First's policies. He also noted that the party's leader Winston Peters and MP Shane Jones are his whanaunga, meaning his relatives, and that he supports them "100 percent" (RNZ).

Samuels was more direct. He told RNZ the Labour Party is "fossilised" and "extinct" (RNZ).

Hipango-Brownlie, who came from the National Party, said her "moment of clarity" happened during the Covid-19 lockdowns. She said she saw Winston Peters walking among protesters at Parliament grounds, and she saw that as a sign of his leadership (RNZ).

Ngaro, also formerly National, pushed back against the idea that Peters had just rounded up old politicians. He said the group was not made up of "old retreads" but shared a passion to fight for the country (RNZ).

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

In New Zealand politics, it is unusual to see this many former MPs from both major parties publicly line up behind a single smaller party at the same event. Politicians do sometimes switch parties, but usually it happens one at a time. Having several do it together gives New Zealand First a visible group of people who already know how Parliament works, which could help the party heading into the next election.

The way each person explained their move is worth noting. Nash framed his switch as Labour drifting away from its roots rather than a personal falling-out. Samuels went further, saying the party is effectively dead. Tirikatene's reasons were as much about family as politics — he called Peters and Jones his whanaunga, tying his support to kinship as well as policy. Hipango-Brownlie pointed to a specific moment during the Parliament protests as proof of Peters's leadership.

Ngaro's defence against the "old retreads" label suggests the criticism has already come up in media or political circles. He tried to reframe the group as motivated people with a shared purpose, not recycled politicians. Whether voters accept that framing is a different question, but it shows the kind of criticism these new recruits are preparing to counter.

None of the former MPs who spoke currently sit in Parliament. Tirikatene confirmed he is not trying to get back in. The RNZ reporting did not detail what roles, if any, Nash, Hipango-Brownlie, and Ngaro plan to take on within New Zealand First beyond the conference.