‘Heck knows’: Kiri Allan reveals ‘initial’ NZ First approach
Monday, 8 June 2026
Former Labour Cabinet minister Kiri Allan says she was approached by NZ First about running in this year’s general election ‒ but doesn’t know why the socially conservative party thought she’d be a good fit.
NZ First hasn’t denied a conversation took place, but says there was never any “official approach”.
Allan, who served as justice minister under prime ministers Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins before quitting after being arrested for careless driving, revealed to The Post she had an “initial discussion” about standing for NZ First, but ultimately ruled it out for two reasons.
“First, I’m not so interested in returning to politics. Secondly, I’m not so sure that there is a policy slash values alignment with the party.”
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Asked whether someone came to see her in-person or made an approach over the phone, Allan only said she had a “conversation” with someone in the party.
She wouldn’t confirm who, but said it wasn’t party leader Winston Peters.
“I do have a lot of respect for some of the senior members of the party,” Allan said.
Asked why NZ First may have felt Allan was the right person to join the party, she said: “Heck knows”.
However, she said the wide range of candidates from across the political divide confirmed to be standing for NZ First “reflects the broad church of voters that they are seeking to attract”.
NZ First did not respond to specific questions, but in a one-line statement, party spokesperson Darroch Ball said “there was no official approach by NZ First to Kiri Allan to stand for the party”.
In recent months the party has confirmed ex-Labour minister Stuart Nash, ex-National minister Alfred Ngaro and the former deputy leader of the New Conservative Party, Elliot Ikilei. Current minister Casey Costello is a former ACT candidate.
Allan, who entered Parliament in 2017, left politics in 2023 after being arrested for careless use of a motor vehicle following a late-night collision with a parked car in Wellington. She also blew over the legal limit for breath alcohol and was given an infringement notice.
“It was a pretty intense evening. You make a series of decisions – I made a series of decisions,” Allan would later say. “You regret them for a lifetime.”
NZ First has had a dramatic surge in the polls since returning to Parliament - and Government - in 2023.
At the last election it secured about 6% of the vote, bringing eight MPs into Parliament, though polls now consistently show the party in double digits - at least one as high as 15%.
Meanwhile, Allan’s memoir - Go Hard or Go Home - has been confirmed for an August release.
Asked by The Post whether the book’s release date had been delayed, Allan confirmed it was pushed back - but not for any scandalous reason.
“I’m naughty,” she said, adding that just meant she “got the transcript in a little late”.
“We talked about, I think, July, and so we moved it back one month … I was tardy.”
Allan’s publisher Penguin has been approached for comment.