New Zealand First’s Hamilton East candidate Nicola Labori has put the economy, reducing bureaucracy and tighter immigration controls at the centre of her election campaign, while calling for major changes to climate policy, local government and diversity initiatives.
Speaking during a wide-ranging interview on People in Politics with independent journalist Penny Marie, Labori described the 2026 election as a “critical inflection” point and said frustration with bureaucracy and what she regards as declining accountability had ultimately pushed her towards national politics.
Labori was born in Wellington to an Irish immigrant mother and New Zealand father and spent much of her childhood on a rural property. She later completed a Bachelor of Commerce at Victoria University before working in Australia and subsequently settling in the Waikato.
She said her political outlook developed partly through personal encounters with regulation while she and her husband developed property and attempted to establish businesses.
Labori subsequently became involved in local government issues and was elected to a community board, where she said she has used the position to scrutinise council decisions and ask difficult questions.
One of her most significant battles involved restrictions on horse riding at Raglan beaches. Labori said a group she was involved with challenged the relevant council bylaw through judicial review after questioning the evidence and process behind the restrictions. She said the experience strengthened her view that public authorities needed greater scrutiny and accountability.
Turning to Hamilton East, Labori identified household finances and the wider economy as the dominant concern she encounters from voters.
“It’s definitely cost of living. It’s the economy. The economy. The economy,” she said during the interview, arguing New Zealand’s economic problems had developed over many years and could not be reversed within a single parliamentary term.
Despite being a first-time parliamentary candidate, Labori rejected suggestions she lacked relevant experience. She said effective decision-making involved correctly identifying a problem, researching it and consulting people with different perspectives before weighing the costs and benefits of possible solutions.
Economic development features prominently in her political outlook. Labori argued New Zealand should encourage investment, resource development and productive enterprise while reducing regulatory barriers she believes suppress entrepreneurship.
She also expressed strong opposition to current climate policy and said that, if given the opportunity to repeal one law immediately, she would choose the Climate Change Response Act.
Labori questioned New Zealand’s participation in international climate arrangements and argued the country should reconsider how it approaches energy and environmental policy. She also said nuclear energy should be open for renewed public discussion rather than automatically excluded, pointing to technological advances and its potential role in supporting economic development.
Immigration was another major theme. Labori said New Zealand should continue accepting migrants where their skills are needed but argued immigration should be controlled and centred on people who intend to contribute to and integrate into the country.
She characterised the broader political divide as increasingly being between “globalism versus nationalism,” arguing that excessive migration and globalisation could weaken national identity.
Labori also backed New Zealand First’s push to restrict voting rights to citizens and supported linking citizenship more closely with access to New Zealand Superannuation and other entitlements. She argued citizenship should carry particular rights and responsibilities and criticised the ability of some non-citizens to participate in local elections.
She took an equally uncompromising position on diversity, equity and inclusion policies, arguing institutions should return to selection based primarily on merit rather than demographic characteristics.
Local government would be one of Labori’s preferred areas of focus if elected. Drawing on her community board experience, she expressed scepticism about large-scale council amalgamations and called for stronger accountability over spending, regulation and decision-making.
Her political philosophy, she said, broadly aligns with New Zealand First’s emphasis on nationalism, social conservatism, individual rights, family and what the party describes as common-sense government.
Labori said she intends to continue campaigning and advocacy regardless of whether she enters Parliament after the election.
Her closing message was for voters to investigate candidates rather than making decisions based on familiarity or superficial impressions.
“Do your work because you can vote for the wrong person and we all have to live with the consequences,” she said.
Labori said she is campaigning throughout Hamilton, attending coffee meetings and other gatherings where voters can question her directly ahead of the election.
