What is a comeback? – Stuart Nash returns to politics with NZ First

Summarised by Centrist

Former Labour Cabinet minister Stuart Nash is returning to politics as a New Zealand First candidate, confirming he will contest the Napier electorate at the 2026 election.

Nash held the Napier seat for three terms before leaving politics after being sacked from Cabinet by then Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in 2023.

He said that he accepts some voters may not forgive him for crude comments he made in response to the question “What is a woman?” during an interview on The Platform last year. After the interview, Nash also attempted to have The Platform remove the comments, according to host Sean Plunket.

“I would be naive to think all New Zealanders will forgive me,” Nash said, adding that he would need to work hard to prove he was respectful to everyone.

Nash said he “deeply, deeply” regretted the remark, calling it an “extremely poor attempt at humour”.

The comment led to his resignation from recruitment firm Robert Walters and the Taxpayers’ Union board. He was also removed from a government trade trip to the United States after being deemed a distraction.

Nash was first elected as a Labour list MP in 2008, later winning Napier in 2014. He served as a minister in the Labour-led government from 2017, holding portfolios including police, revenue and fisheries.

His Cabinet career ended after contacting the police commissioner about a sentencing matter and revealing Cabinet details to donors.

Nash is now sharply critical of Labour, saying the party has lost touch with its traditional working-class base and is more at home in “university common rooms” than “smoko rooms or rugby clubs”.

Nash’s main electorate opponent in Napier is expected to be National MP Katie Nimon.

Nash said the party vote would remain his main focus.

Editor’s Note: NZ First MP Jenny Marcroft introduced the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill in Parliament last week. The bill would define “woman” in law as “an adult human biological female” and “man” as “an adult human biological male”.

Marcroft said a “woke contagion” had infected the health department, replacing “women” with terms such as “pregnant people”, “people with a cervix”, “individuals capable of childbearing” and “chest-feeders”. She cited Casey Costello’s earlier letter to Health NZ as an attempt to push back, but said the language had persisted.

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