Michael Laws is returning to Parliament — or at least trying to.

New Zealand First has announced the former Whanganui mayor and Otago Regional Councillor will stand for the party in the Waitaki electorate at the next general election.

Laws, who lives in Cromwell with his wife Cheryl, has deep ties to the electorate. His father was Rector of Waitaki Boys' High School, his youngest son attends St Kevin's College in Oamaru, and Laws himself worked at Oamaru's Brydone Hotel while studying at the University of Otago — where he graduated with First Class Honours in History. He later completed a Master of Arts in Creative Writing at Victoria University.

He first entered Parliament in 1990, serving as an MP for National and then New Zealand First until 1996. He then ran New Zealand First's campaign for the country's first MMP election that same year before pivoting to broadcasting, publishing and journalism. He became one of New Zealand's most recognisable talkback hosts and wrote three bestselling books, including Gladiator: The Norm Hewitt Story. He currently hosts on The Platform.

Laws was elected Mayor of Whanganui in 2004 and re-elected in 2007, also serving three terms on the district health board. His tenure included pioneering anti-gang insignia bylaws that were later adopted nationally.

Since moving to Central Otago in 2013, he has represented the Dunstan constituency on the Otago Regional Council from 2016 and topped the party vote in the 2025 local body elections. He also helped found Vision Otago, which now holds significant influence on the council.

At 60-plus years of public life across Parliament, local government, broadcasting and advocacy, Laws brings a profile few candidates can match. Whether Waitaki voters want that profile is another question.

New Zealand First said Laws would be an asset to the party, bringing "a wealth of experience, skills, and leadership to parliament."

Share this article
The link has been copied!