Three former MPs from across the political spectrum have publicly explained their decision to join New Zealand First, speaking at the party's 33rd annual conference in South Auckland. Former Labour cabinet minister Stuart Nash, former National MP Harete Hipango-Brownlie, and former National MP Alfred Ngaro each addressed the conference (RNZ).

Nash, who held ministerial portfolios under the Labour government, said his departure came down to the party changing around 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 one his family once represented (RNZ).

Nash also pointed out he is not the only former Labour figure to have moved across. He named Rino Tirikatene and Dover Samuels as long-serving Labour figures who have also joined New Zealand First (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, and noted that Winston Peters and Shane Jones are his whanaunga — his relatives. He said he supports them "100 percent" (RNZ).

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

On the National side, Hipango-Brownlie told the conference her "moment of clarity" 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 addressed the suggestion that Peters had simply rounded up former politicians. He rejected the claim that Peters "cobbled up the old retreads," saying the group shares 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 broader context here is that having multiple former MPs from both Labour and National publicly align with a single minor party at the same event is unusual in New Zealand politics. Under MMP, cross-party defections do happen, but they tend to be isolated cases rather than a cluster. This gathering gives NZ First a visible group of experienced parliamentary 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 falling-out. Samuels went further, effectively declaring the party dead. Tirikatene's framing was as much familial 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 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.