‘Laziest MP I’ve come across’: Stuart Nash comments on MP’s parental leave sexist, PM says
Wednesday, 22 July 2026
The prime minister and a senior Cabinet minister have labelled comments made by NZ First candidate Stuart Nash about Napier MP Katie Nimon sexist and disgusting.
On the latest episode of Cross Party Lines, former senior National minister Chris Finlayson read out a text message from Nash which came after he had previously said Nimon would beat Nash in the Napier electorate.
Nash had texted that “comments like yours motivate me and drive me harder. Katie took nine months off on full pay went back for a week, then took another month off.
“Laziest MP I’ve ever come across, nice woman but ill suited to the rigours of being an electorate MP.”
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Finlayson said he had contacted Nimon who replied that she took 10 weeks of maternity leave and she was working in the electorate before going back to Parliament, but “Nash never lets facts get in the way of a good story”.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he believed the comments were sexist.
“I think his comments around women have been quite derogatory over a number of years, frankly, and I can tell you, Katie Nimon's an incredibly hard-working MP.
“She's a real talent for this place, and most importantly, she is someone who's taken parental leave, as you would reasonably expect, as I have encouraged her to do so.”
Nash held the Napier electorate between 2014 and 2023 for the Labour Party.
He was booted out of Cabinet after sharing confidential information.
The former MP made headlines last year when he gave a crude definition for what a woman is on The Platform.
He said in a statement that he has “real respect” for working parents.
'Let me be clear: this campaign is about who shows up and delivers for Napier, and I'm happy to be judged on my own track record, achievements and work ethic. That's the contest I want.
“And for what it's worth, I've got real respect for any working parent raising a newborn alongside a demanding job - that was never in question. That is why I was part of a government that supported the extending of paid parental leave - the law change that the National Party voted against, twice.'
NZ First leader Winston Peters has also been approached for comment.
Finlayson provided The Post with a copy of the text message.
Nimon responds
Nimon said she gave a “little giggle” when she saw Nash’s comments because they were not true.
“I didn't take nine months off, I took 10 weeks off, was back to work in my electorate after about 10 weeks part-time. Came back to Wellington after six months.”
The Napier MP said a vote for NZ First could see “someone like that ending up in Cabinet potentially”.
“The only way to avoid that is to party vote National.”
She was “doubtful” that she’d receive an apology from Nash.
Nimon was asked what women in her electorate would think of the news.
“I think that it's just going to reiterate that hard-working women that have babies ‒ and credit to anyone that has more than one, my goodness ‒ [are] probably going to feel a little bit bothered, but actually quite proud that they have a working mum that's representing them at the moment.”
Nicola Willis ‘outraged’ by Nash’s comments
Senior Cabinet minister Nicola Willis was “outraged” by Nash’s comments and made reference to his past remarks.
“He used a particular phrase, which I personally found extraordinarily offensive, and all he's done is gone and doubled down on that and confirmed that that is his view towards women ‒ that actually women who have children and raise them, and then also have the temerity to take on major roles in public life, are somehow lazy and ill-suited to that task.”
Willis said she first heard about Nash’s comments in Parliament’s debating chamber on Wednesday.
“The prime minister said to me, Have you heard what Stuart Nash said? And when he paraphrased it, I said, well, surely that would not be the case, And then I watched the footage of the text message that Chris Finlayson had been sent by Stuart Nash in his own words, and I was outraged.”
She said Nash would have to explain himself and believed New Zealanders would not want to have him back in Parliament.
Chris Bishop says remarks are ‘disgusting’
Senior Cabinet minister Chris Bishop called Nash a “sexist dickhead” and said: “Stuart Nash needs to take that kind of misogynistic behaviour and stay in Napier. I mean, that's just disgusting.
“Katie took some time for parental leave, as she should have done. But I know for a fact because I was visiting Hawke's Bay while she was on parental leave.
“We were turning the sod on the Hawke's Bay Expressway, and she had her baby with her while we were doing the the sod turning.”
Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour said he’d never ask someone to do what he was not prepared to do himself.
“I've never had a baby, so I'm not here to bag anyone or accuse them that does, and what I can gather, she's done more in her three years representing Napier than he'd done in nine, and she had a baby.
“So good on her.”
When approached for comment, deputy NZ First leader Shane Jones said he did not want to “follow up” on the comments until he could get a “full briefing”.