Former Labour, National MPs explain their switch to NZ First

Former Ministers who have defected to New Zealand First say they did not leave their parties - their parties left them.

Former Labour Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash and former National MPs Harete Hipango-Brownlie and Alfred Ngaro were at the party's 33rd annual conference in South Auckland on Saturday.

Speaking at the conference, Nash acknowledged two other Labour stalwarts who have gone to NZ First - Rino Tirikatene and Dover Samuels.

He said the Nash family and the Tirikatene whānau were two of the "staunchest" Labour families, and the "old Labour" values still ran "strong" through his veins.

"Like other former ministers - my mate Dover Samuels, the Honourable Shane Jones - we didn't leave Labour, Labour left us."

He said Labour was a "pale reflection" of the party his family once represented.

"Labour used to stand up for those that work the hardest, now they stand up for those who complain the loudest. Labour built the first state house, now they defend those who trash them."

"The first education policy that Labour announced is that boards of trustees once again must give effect to the treaty, to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. How does that drive educational attainment? Peter Fraser - arguably the greatest education minister that we have ever seen - would be horrified at the party that he saw today," he said.

Tirikatene - who was not at the conference due to family illness - told RNZ in a statement that he was not running for Parliament but supported the party's principles and policies.

"I support the principles and policies which fit well with my personal beliefs. And Winston and Shane are whanaunga of mine, and I support them 100 percent," he said.

Speaking to RNZ, Samuels said Labour was "fossilised".

"They don't exist. They're extinct. The Labour I knew is no longer alive."

"One of the policies that we had - the mantra that was driven into the Labour hierarchy - was we're here to close the gaps for Māori, and the specific policies that was adopted was supposed to deliver that, but it actually delivered the alternative. It didn't deliver anything."

Hipango-Brownlie told the conference her "moment of clarity" came during the Covid lockdowns.

"From my office in Parliament, I looked down onto the Parliamentary grounds. I saw thousands of New Zealanders gathered from all walks of life, I also saw Winston Peters walking amongst them," she said.

"Whatever people thought of those events, I saw a true political leader, prepared to get out from behind the podium, walk amongst everyday New Zealanders, listen to them, and front up.

"My principles hadn't changed; they had simply led me somewhere I truly belonged, because I believe democracy matters. I believe equal citizenship matters. I believe freedom carries responsibility. I believe governments should serve the people, not the other way around. And I believe New Zealanders deserve leaders prepared to stand with them, not above them."

Speaking to RNZ, Ngaro hit back at people who said Peters "cobbled up the old retreads".

"I just believe that all of us have the same passion. We want to fight for what's important for our country and for our nation and for our children," he said.

"It's a calling - not a career - to come back and put our experience, again, to be part of this party. Winston's values align with my values, and I believe with many in the country, social conservatives all around the world are starting to say 'enough is enough'."

Ngaro said the party's socially conservative values were the reason why it was becoming so popular.

"People actually vote from their heart before they vote with their head, and so they want to look at people, hear what they say.

"Are they authentic? Are they genuine? Do they actually speak to the aspirations and dreams that people have inside their hearts for their families and their communities? And Winston, New Zealand First, does."

Another former National MP and broadcaster, Michael Laws, was at the conference. Laws left the National Party in 1996 to join NZ First and run their first ever MMP campaign.

He told RNZ that National's problems were "pretty easy to diagnose".

"They've forgotten who they are," he said.

"They have mistakenly believed that they're now a centre party, and at the end of the day, a centre party doesn't stand for anything, and they've moved away from many of their core values and traditions, which unsurprisingly, New Zealand First hasn't."

Winston Peters is set to hold a public meeting to officially launch the party's campaign and make a policy announcement.