Former National minister Alfred Ngaro to stand for NZ First

Alfred Ngaro, who held ministerial roles under Bill English and later formed his own party, says NZ First aligns with his values on sovereignty and social conservatism.

Former National minister Alfred Ngaro has announced he will seek to return to Parliament as a candidate for New Zealand First.

Ngaro described the move as pragmatic and realistic, saying the party offered the best opportunity and reflected his priorities. "It's a party that's proven itself to be influential, stands for the values that I stand for, sovereignty of a nation and its decisions, patriotism, love the people, and at the same time, common sense, social conservative values," he told the Q+A programme.

Ngaro was National's MP for nine years and held portfolios including Pacific Peoples and Community and Voluntary Sector under Bill English. He left Parliament in 2020 and launched NewZeal in 2023, which secured 16,109 votes — around 0.5%, well short of the threshold.

He said larger parties can lose focus when trying to appeal widely. "When you try to be all things to all people, you tend to at times compromise on the big issues," he said. Ngaro, the first New Zealander of Cook Islands descent elected to Parliament in 2011, said he had received no guarantees about his position on the New Zealand First list.