Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has urged Stuart Nash to publicly apologise to National MP Katie Nimon for offensive comments, but stopped short of condemning NZ First deputy leader Shane Jones for his own derogatory language.

Luxon said Nash had a history of "pretty derogatory language towards women" and called his comments about Nimon sexist, RNZ reported on 23 July 2026. The comments were about Nimon taking time off after having a baby. Nash called her "the laziest MP" he had come across, according to Stuff and The Post. Nimon received the offensive text message from Nash late at night, The Spinoff reported.

Nash has stated he is not apologising for his remarks, 1News reported. He was condemned across the political spectrum as sexist and misogynistic and has resigned his New Zealand First candidacy. Te Kira Lawrence has replaced him as the NZ First candidate for Napier.

Luxon said he had not given New Zealand First a heads-up before ruling Nash out of cabinet. The way Luxon handled the two situations was very different. Nash is not part of the government; Jones is a Cabinet minister.

National MP Chris Bishop made that distinction clearly. "Shane is a member of the Cabinet and a member of the government — Stuart Nash is not," Bishop said. He described Jones as having a "bombastic, loquacious style" that sometimes gets him into difficulty, but said "good riddance" of Nash's resignation. Bishop said he was "incensed" by Nash's comments because Nimon "is exactly who Parliament should be welcoming".

Jones made comments encouraging MPs to use "knee pads" when meeting with foreign leaders. He is the deputy leader of New Zealand First, the New Zealand Herald reported on 18 July. Bishop also referenced Jones's earlier "butter chicken tsunami" comment as offensive, saying Indian members of his community were offended by it.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she had spoken to Shane Jones about his comments but did not disclose what was said. Minister for Women Nicola Grigg said there was "absolutely no place" for people like Nash in Parliament.

Nimon herself responded to Nash's remarks by saying she had achieved more with National for Hawke's Bay in three years "with a baby" than Nash had in nine years.

The reason Luxon can treat the two men differently comes down to how the government is put together. In New Zealand, governments are often formed by a coalition — two or more parties agreeing to work together. The agreement between them sets out who gets to be a minister. Nash was not part of the government, so Luxon could act against him on his own. Jones is a NZ First Cabinet minister, which means he is protected by the coalition agreement. Any move against Jones would mean negotiating with Winston Peters's party and could risk the government falling apart. Luxon's decision not to give NZ Fair advance notice before ruling Nash out of cabinet shows he felt free to act on his own, because Nash had no ministerial role and no say in the coalition.

The episode also brings up questions about Jones's pattern of provocative language that have come up repeatedly during this term. The "butter chicken tsunami" remark and the "knee pads" comment were different in nature — one a cultural reference, the other a crude joke about diplomacy — but both drew criticism from within the government's own ranks. Bishop's willingness to say that Indian community members were offended is worth noting. It is unusual for a senior minister in a coalition government to publicly call out a partner party's deputy leader like that.

For opposition MPs, the situation is clear. Nash's comments were sexist and he has paid the price — losing his candidacy and any chance of becoming a minister. Jones's comments were derogatory, and he remains in Cabinet. That difference is one the government will keep getting asked about in Parliament.