Former Labour ministers Nash and Samuels defect to NZ First, declare Labour 'extinct'

Former Labour cabinet minister Stuart Nash told the New Zealand First annual conference in South Auckland that "we didn't leave Labour, Labour left us," calling the party a "pale reflection" of what his family once represented. Former Labour MP Dover Samuels told RNZ the party was "fossilised" and "extinct." Rino Tirikatene has also aligned with NZ First, though he is not seeking a parliamentary return.