Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has called Stuart Nash's comments about National MP Katie Nimon's maternity leave "sexist" and "grossly inappropriate" after they came up on a podcast by former National minister Chris Finlayson (RNZ).

Nash, now a New Zealand First candidate, sent a text message to Finlayson calling Nimon, the National MP for Napier, the "laziest MP" he had ever come across. The text said Nimon "took nine months off on full pay, went back for a week, then took another month off" and was "ill suited to the rigours of being an electorate MP."

Nimon told RNZ she was back working in her electorate after about 10 weeks and returned to Parliament after six months.

Luxon defended Nimon, calling her "an incredibly hard-working MP" and "a real talent for this place." He said he had encouraged her to take parental leave. He went further, saying Nash and NZ First were "channelling the manosphere" — meaning online spaces known for hostility towards women.

The Prime Minister also called on voters to party vote National so he would not have to have "numptys from other parties" around the Cabinet table.

National Minister Chris Bishop was blunt. He called Nash's comments "disgusting" and said "Stuart Nash needs to take that kind of misogynistic behaviour and stay in Napier." Bishop noted that Nimon had attended a sod-turning event in Hawke's Bay with her baby during her parental leave.

Greens co-leader Marama Davidson said she was not surprised by Nash's comments and called them "pretty vulgar."

NZ First leader Winston Peters was out of the country. Deputy Leader Shane Jones declined to comment. RNZ reported that New Zealand First and Stuart Nash had been approached for comment.

The remarks carry particular weight because of Nash's history. He previously described a woman using explicit anatomical terms in a separate incident, which led to his resignation from recruitment agency Robert Walters (RNZ).

The broader context here matters. Nash was a Labour minister who lost his portfolio and eventually lost his place in the Labour team. He is now running for New Zealand First. That the Prime Minister has used the word "sexist" about a candidate from a party that could end up as a coalition partner is notable on its own. Luxon's decision to go beyond criticising the comments and attack NZ First as a whole, using the "manosphere" label, looks like a deliberate strategy ahead of the campaign. His comment about "numptys from other parties" around the Cabinet table is a direct pitch to voters — an argument that National should not need NZ First.

Bishop's line that Nash should "stay in Napier" is also political. Nash is likely seeking a list position with NZ First (a list position is a way parties bring MPs into Parliament without winning a local electorate seat). The comment is an attempt to undermine his return to Parliament.

The silence from NZ First's leadership is worth noting. Peters being overseas and Jones declining to comment means the party has no public response on the record. That buys time in a normal news cycle, but the longer the party goes without addressing the remarks, the more room it gives National and the Greens to shape the story. For a party that has built its brand around plain-speaking and straight answers, the silence is conspicuous.

Nimon's own account of her return — 10 weeks in the electorate, six months back at Parliament — directly contradicts Nash's version of events. Whether that contradiction gets further political traction may depend on whether Nash or NZ First break their silence and address the specifics.