Stuart Nash NZ First conference remarks

The story so far

Former Labour minister Stuart Nash addressed the New Zealand First annual conference in early September 2025, declaring his allegiance to the party although he is not a member.^{6 Sep 2025} He is reportedly pitching to become an MP and has not ruled out campaigning for NZ First at the next election.^{6 Sep 2025} At the conference in Palmerston North, Nash used crude language to define a woman, reportedly leaving leader Winston Peters in disbelief.^{9 Sep 2025} His remarks about women, made in a radio interview, led to a formal review by recruitment agency Robert Walters, and Nash apologised on LinkedIn.^{10, 11 Sep 2025} Nash then resigned from his role at Robert Walters and from the Taxpayers' Union board, and was removed from a government trip to the United States because officials feared his remarks would be a distraction.^{11, 18 Sep 2025}

Latest

Nash has been removed from a government trip to the United States, with officials concerned his recent remarks about women would cause a distraction. He runs a consultancy and had already resigned from two other roles.^{18 Sep 2025}

Key moments

1. 6 Sep 2025Nash declares allegiance to NZ First at its annual conference, though not a member
2. 9 Sep 2025Nash uses crude language to define a woman at NZ First conference
3. 10 Sep 2025Employer launches formal review after Nash's remarks about women in radio interview
4. 11 Sep 2025Nash resigns from recruitment firm role and Taxpayers' Union board after apology
5. 18 Sep 2025Nash removed from government trip to United States over distraction concerns

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.