Stuart Nash

Stuart Nash has been sacked as a minister, after Stuff revealed he had emailed donors detailing private Cabinet discussions.

The detail of discussion at Cabinet and Cabinet committee meetings is not formally recorded, or included in the minutes.” Nash also admitted directly contacting a “senior official” at MBIE on behalf of a medical worker in the Hawke’s Bay who was having immigration issues. However, Hipkins said the donors themselves had done nothing wrong. In the email, Nash also expressed the view that “I am as annoyed (and surprised) about the final outcome of the ‘commercial rent relief package’ as you are”. “I am sending you this document as this is the one I sent to Clayton Mitchell on Tuesday morning for his caucus to discuss and decide on – and the deal that I thought we had across the line (and the one I believe we could have done if it had been 100% supported by NZ first).” The Cabinet Manual - the document governing conduct of Cabinet Ministers - states that “discussion at Cabinet and Cabinet committee meetings is informal and confidential”. Hipkins has previously said that Nash was on his “final warning” for breaches of the cabinet manual. In the June 2020 email obtained by Stuff, Nash wrote to senior business figures: “I am as annoyed (and surprised) about the final outcome of the ‘commercial rent relief package’ as you are”. He said National was “ready for a by-election”, and said it was a cost worth paying given the “egregious” errors which he compared to “insider trading”. [Stuart Nash's downfall and the dangers of big-dick politics](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131506709/stuart-nashs-downfall-and-the-dangers-of-bigdick-politics?rm=a) ["final warning" for breaches to the Cabinet Manual](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300832780/stuart-nash-demoted-but-stays-in-cabinet-and-on-final-warning-pm-says). [Stuart Nash demoted, but stays in Cabinet and on final warning, PM says](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300832780/stuart-nash-demoted-but-stays-in-cabinet-and-on-final-warning-pm-says?rm=a)

National leader Christopher Luxon says Stuart Nash should leave Parliament immediately after he was sacked from Cabinet. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on ...

Former Police Minister Stuart Nash has been dismissed from "all of his ministerial portfolios", Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told reporters this evening.

He had been a minister since 2017. He clearly did a poor job of it. "Hipkins said he asked for an assurance that Stuart Nash had done nothing else that would breach the Cabinet Manual and got that assurance. Hipkins said Nash "has fundamentally breached my trust and the trust of his Cabinet colleagues and his conduct is inexcusable". Hipkins said he expected ministers to uphold "the highest ethical standards" and Nash's actions raise perceptions of influence which cannot stand". "In the email he sets out both his opposition to the decision Cabinet reached and the position that other Cabinet members took.

Prime Minister Hipkins will be making a decision about MP Stuart Nash's future after it's emerged he emailed business leaders about cabinet meeting informa.

In 2020 Nash emailed business figures about his disappointment at a Cabinet decision on a commercial rent relief package.

Labour MP Stuart Nash has been sacked from Cabinet. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he has removed Nash from all ministerial portfolios after a new email.

It’s important to recognise that the question of confidence is more important than the individual missteps and their intrinsic gravity or otherwise. “It’s no surprise the PM has finally drawn a line under it all to ensure the relationships of confidence that support govt don’t tumble down. doesn’t really seem like the most pressing need of the people of Napier and New Zealand right now.” Confidence of their ministerial colleagues. Confidence of their colleagues as expressed by the Prime Minister. He described the call as “black and white”, but he was still “gutted” to see Nash go.

The Prime Minister has sacked Stuart Nash from all of his ministerial portfolios, following another breach of the Cabinet Manual.

The email was sent to two of Nash's donors, which Hipkins said as commercial property owners, had "an interest in the Cabinet decision". "Disclosing those conversations in the first place was inappropriate. I mean, come on." "Sacking people is not easy. "Stuart Nash has fundamentally breached my trust and the trust of his Cabinet colleagues and his conduct is inexcusable." Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said in the email, Nash expressed "both his opposition to the decision Cabinet reached and the position that other Cabinet members took".

One, Troy Bowker, has also been a substantial donor to New Zealand First. Last night NZ First Leader Winston Peters said the debate which Nash reported on had ...

and immediately called Nash to his office. Hipkins, who appeared shaken but angry at his hastily called press conference last night, said that he had become aware of the situation shortly after 5. “The only mistake he made was to share his thoughts, and sometimes in a transparent democracy, we should be allowed to do that,” he said. “The fact that that he disclosed this information to his donors adds to that significantly, and so in my view, this was the only appropriate course of action for me.” National Leader Christopher Luxon said last night that Nash should leave Parliament “tonight”, and National would be ready to fight a by-election in Napier. In 2017 he gave $5000 to Nash for his campaign and doubled it in 2020 to $10,000.he has been much more generous to NZ First. “I did not accept it, and I indicated to him that I was going to dismiss him,” Hipkins said. “I expect ministers to uphold the highest ethical standards, and his actions raised a perception of influence that cannot be allowed to stand.” “Stuart Nash has fundamentally breached my trust and the trust of his Cabinet colleagues,” he said. In the email to Bowker and Lawrence, Nash said: “I lost this argument around the cabinet table when it was suggested by David Parker and supported by Winston and Shane (even though I pointed out that it would include, for example, Rebel Sport in Napier) versus the 50 employee number.” Prime Minister Chris Hipkins last night sacked Nash from the Cabinet after an email he had sent to two of his campaign donors divulged details of a Cabinet discussion. Nash sent the email to two property developers who had been donors to his campaigns.

The National Party has been quick to call for a by-election in the Napier electorate after Stuart Nash was sacked as a minister over a breach of Cabinet ...

"A by-election would be very expensive, it would take up a lot of time and energy and I just question what it would do for New Zealanders when we're having an election in just over six months." The correspondence set out his opposition to a decision on a commercial relief package, of which the donors had an interest in, and details Cabinet discussions - a clear breach of Cabinet confidentiality. [sacked as a minister](https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/486897/fresh-revelation-of-cabinet-rule-breach-leads-to-stuart-nash-s-sacking) over an "inexcusable" breach of Cabinet rules.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has sacked Stuart Nash as minister after he shared confidential Cabinet information with donors. Stuart Nash has said he won't ...

The detail of discussion at Cabinet and Cabinet committee meetings is not formally recorded, or included in the minutes.” Nash then found to have directly contacting a “senior official” at MBIE on behalf of a medical worker in the Hawke’s Bay who was having immigration issues. That is an incredibly serious and egregious issue,” he said on the AM Show ”He still has my trust ... Nash would be considering his position in Parliament, Hipkins said, but he was MP for Napier “right now”. And how can he not be sure that other information hasn't leaked with respect to [his] economic development or forestry or fisheries portfolios?” In the email, Nash also expressed the view that “I am as annoyed (and surprised) about the final outcome of the ‘commercial rent relief package’ as you are”. Nash was already on a “final warning” before he was sacked, after “A breach of confidence is a breach of trust,” he said. National Party police spokesperson Mark Mitchell, who often went up against Nash in the House, said he had sympathy for Nash, “but at the end of the day, he's a Cabinet minister”. He said every other minister knew what Nash did was against the rules, and expected Nash’s behaviour to be a “one off”. You've got a Cabinet minister, where confidential information is being discussed in Cabinet, who then is leaking and sharing that information with his donors.

Chris Hipkins spent a huge amount of political capital when he gave Stuart Nash a fourth chance in his Cabinet. Now Nash has gone, but big questions about ...

Hipkins hasn’t ruled out the Labour Party making decisions in coming days about Nash’s fate. However, if Nash remains an MP until April 15, such a contest can be avoided as it would fall within the six-month window before the general election. Reader donations are critical to what we do. But RNZ reports he texted a reporter that there would be no byelection in Napier. Chris Hipkins spent a huge amount of political capital when he gave Stuart Nash a fourth chance in his Cabinet. In the email,

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has sacked Stuart Nash as minister after he shared confidential Cabinet information with donors. ANALYSIS: And then all of a sudden ...

But the tragedy of Nash’s downfall was not that he was some crook trying to get some personal advantage from something – there is no evidence that he was. Add in the fact that both had donated to his campaigns and what had a bit of a whiff, became a stench. Labour will now be bogged down by this stench for weeks – and probably until the election. Has some of that inadvertently been used to make someone money somewhere? Nevertheless, there will have to be further consequences of his behaviour. The problem is that he did them in such a manner that broke really important rules. Indeed, Hipkins made this point last night: “I want to be clear here, there's no evidence to suggest that they have acted in any way that's inappropriate.” This is a senior minister”. The revelation that Nash had emailed two businessmen about what was going on in Cabinet, who was saying it, and how he disagreed with it was sackable enough. Rules about how the Government is managed, rules about sitting on the executive, about proper behaviour. Hipkins said Nash will need time to make those decisions himself. Nash will now be expected to work out a way to quietly resign in April so that a by-election won’t be called.

Calls for Stuart Nash to leave Parliament are growing in the Opposition after he was sacked from Cabinet last night by the Prime Minister.

It’s important to recognise that the question of confidence is more important than the individual missteps and their intrinsic gravity or otherwise. “It’s no surprise the PM has finally drawn a line under it all to ensure the relationships of confidence that support government don’t tumble down. doesn’t really seem like the most pressing need of the people of Napier and New Zealand right now.” ”The bottom line is you stay around just because we want to avoid a byelection? “Has it been a wider pattern of behaviour? Confidence of their ministerial colleagues. Confidence of their colleagues as expressed by the Prime Minister. The political judgment about whether collegial confidence remains or has been burnt up is also influenced by political heat — whether the confidence Parliament and electors have in the government risks being eroded by the actions of a minister. “We have standards here, this is a senior minister it’s his fourth contravention of the Cabinet Manual, Chris Hipkins finally faces up to it tonight, it is a serious and egregious issue, he needs to be gone tonight,” Luxon said. “I do have sympathy for Stuart but at the end of the day he is a Cabinet minister and he obviously is bound by Cabinet rules and he kept on breaking those.” Nash was on his final warning after a string of scandals before the latest misstep came to light, but Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the most recent scandal was “inexcusable” and this incident alone would have seen Nash sacked. ”The question for me is, if he has lost confidence with him in Cabinet how has he not lost confidence with him being in caucus and how can he be sure that other information hasn’t been leaked,” he said.

Nash's career is over after being sacked by the prime minister but questions about outsider access to cabinet decisions and perceptions of influence remain, ...

“The problem for the prime minister is that the sacking doesn’t erase those perceptions of influence, and it is unclear how many other instances of similar behaviour there may have been in the five years Nash had been a minister,” she writes. [Luke Malpass paints Nash not as a crook](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131630318/the-tragedy-of-stuart-nashs-sacking-and-labours-troubled-times-ahead), but as something of a hapless figure who just didn’t know the rules. Luxon said the “crime” was “akin to insider trading”. Hipkins also revealed last night that the business figures Nash emailed [were donors to Nash’s campaign](https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/486897/fresh-revelation-of-cabinet-rule-breach-leads-to-stuart-nash-s-sacking) but was quick to say neither of them had done anything wrong. He replied, confirming he would and [that there would be no byelection](https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/486916/no-by-election-stuart-nash-says-he-plans-to-stay-in-napier-seat-after-sacking). RNZ asked Nash “if he planned on sticking around in the Napier seat” last night. [Claire Trevett explains](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/claire-trevett-stuart-nashs-sacking-was-a-no-brainer-but-questions-linger/RAJH5H7P4BCYBJUYWEYUI3FYC4/) (paywalled), the issue won’t be done and dusted. Hipkins was made aware of the email at 5pm last night, spoke to Nash, the cabinet office, notified the Governor General and by 7pm was on the tiles at parliament to confirm he had rejected Nash’s offer to resign and had sacked him as a minister. He just doesn’t know the rules.” To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, It was a clear breach of the cabinet manual which states “discussion at cabinet and cabinet committee meetings is informal and confidential”. [email obtained by Stuff](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131627166/stuart-nash-sacked-as-minister-after-email-to-donors-emerged) revealed Stuart Nash emailed two business figures detailing disagreements among ministers in 2020 when cabinet was debating a commercial rent relief package.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he was getting further advice about sacked minister Stuart Nash and appropriate consequences for his transgressions and he ...

“I’m not going to set a standard that’s so high that others have never had that in the past. “Has it been a wider pattern of behaviour? Hipkins said it was a breach of Cabinet collectivity and confidentiality. Hipkins said he understood that former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was not aware of Nash’s emails to donors. I think it’s appropriate that he gets the space to make that announcement himself and make that decision for himself. But of course, the perception around that is different.” “I do have sympathy for Stuart but at the end of the day he is a Cabinet minister and he obviously is bound by Cabinet rules and he kept on breaking those.” That’s ultimately a decision for him.” On the specific conversation that led to Nash resigning as Police Minister, Coster said while it appeared to be about a specific thing he “didn’t feel pressure from him”. Asked if Hipkins should kick Nash out of caucus, he said he did not want to set a “standard that high”. “I’m Labour to the core - always have been always will be, Nashes have been for a long, long, long, long time,” Nash said. Nash told the NZ Herald this morning that he would not quit as an MP early to force a byelection in his Napier electorate, and has hosed down speculation he might leap to NZ First, saying he was “Labour to the core.”

National's leader Christopher Luxon is calling for a full review of sacked minister Stuart Nash's communications across all his previous portfolios.

"If you just take a step back what actually happened, Stuart Nash has actually leaked confidential Cabinet information, and also conversations and positions of his peers around that table, to his donors. People have been kicked out of his caucus for similar behaviour, and how he can be in Parliament." ["If I was Chris Hipkins, I would want a full inquiry into all of his communications with a whole range of people and his portfolios" - National leader Christopher Luxon duration 7:53](/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018883740/luxon-wants-nash-fully-gone-from-parliament) [Download](https://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-20230329-0746-national_party_on_aukus_submarine_deal-128.mp3) ["If I was Chris Hipkins, I would want a full inquiry into all of his communications with a whole range of people and his portfolios" - National leader Christopher Luxon](/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018883740/luxon-wants-nash-fully-gone-from-parliament) I don't understand how he stays in his caucus on that basis. "If I was Chris Hipkins, I would want a full inquiry into all of his communications with a whole range of people and his portfolio." Luxon said the latest breach was a "very serious and egregious issue" and on top of the others, broader scrutiny of his correspondence with donors was warranted.

Andrew Coster says there may have been other conversations where former minister Stuart Nash called him to discuss police operations.

If he resigns within six months of the election, no by-election is required. And I have, generally speaking, been comfortable with the nature of those interactions.” He said police would soon share more details about conversations. His accidental admission, earlier this month, [forced him to resign as police minister](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131505006/stuart-nash-resigns-as-police-minister-after-phone-call-to-police-commissioner-about-criminal-case). “I understand the previous prime minister did not know about the emails. Cabinet discussions, including disagreements between ministers, are meant to be confidential.

The NZ First leader is throwing his arms open wide to the booted Labour minister, but a waka jump isn't on the cards.

The pledge to “introduce and pass a ‘Waka Jumping’ bill” was literally in the 2017 coalition agreement. Owing to the new rules on “waka jumping”, if he were to declare a new party affiliation, the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill kicks in, and a byelection would be triggered. None of that means, of course, that Nash is about to leap into the embrace of NZ First. He has name recognition across much of the country, a knack for retail politics and – notwithstanding the occasional career jeopardising divulgence – performs well in media. “I’m Labour to the core – always have been, always will be, Nashes have been for a long, long, long, long time,” said Nash, whose great-grandfather was Sir Walter Nash, Labour prime minister of the 1950s. A Linkedin foghorn long before Rob Campbell, Bowker is perhaps most remembered for standing down from his place on the Hurricanes board after lambasting Sir Ian Taylor for “sucking up to the left loving Māori agenda”.

The prime minister is due to take questions from journalists and opposition MPs over the abrupt dismissal of the minister for economic development.

And there really isn't any question about it.” Hipkins on Tuesday night said that Nash’s behaviour was unacceptable. * It is very, very clear that in fact, there’s probably more than two breaches of the cabinet manual.

Stuart's Nash future is up in the air after the Napier MP was removed from Cabinet by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says it's for ...

The detail of discussion at Cabinet and Cabinet committee meetings is not formally recorded, or included in the minutes.” Nash then found to have directly contacting a “senior official” at MBIE on behalf of a medical worker in Hawke’s Bay who was having immigration issues. ”He still has my trust ... This is actually about how New Zealand's system works on a reputation.” “This stuff matters to us. Hipkins, talking to reporters on Wednesday morning declined to comment on whether Nash would resign. “A breach of confidence is a breach of trust,” he said. Nash was already on a “final warning” before he was sacked, after He said every other minister knew what Nash did was against the rules, and expected Nash’s behaviour to be a “one off”. As you know, he’s been contemplating his future. A by-election would “simply be a consequence” of Nash having to go. On the prospect of Nash triggering a by-election in his Napier seat, Hipkins said the “people of Napier don’t deserve that right at the moment” as they recover from Cyclone Gabrielle.

In the post on Wednesday afternoon, the sacked minister apologised to Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, Cabinet, his caucus colleagues, staff and Labour members " ...

The prime minister says his office knew about the email the now-sacked minister sent, which breached Cabinet confidentiality. Christopher Luxon says it's a ...

Nash was yet to reveal if he planned to stand in Napier again. and it sat there for the last two years. I was not involved in that." Nash was small business minister at the time. Hipkins said he had a "fair idea" of Nash's plans, but would not be drawn on what they were, saying it was "Stuart's announcement to make". "I can't speak to the consideration of it at the time - I was not the prime minister at the time ... "Then you've got an admission from the prime minister saying neither he nor the previous prime minister apparently - or their respective chiefs of staff - were aware of the issue, but clearly people inside the prime minister's office were aware of the issue. "The scope of this review will be limited to emails, texts and other messages between Stuart Nash and any declared donor to his campaign," Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed on Wednesday. "Stuart Nash has assured me he will fully cooperate and I expect to have an outcome in the coming months, prior to the general election." "It was deemed to be outside the scope of the Official Information Act request in question," so was not made public, Hipkins said. "I have made it very clear to my office that I expect to be alerted about any such matters should they arise, and should my office become aware of them." Speaking to media on Wednesday afternoon, Hipkins revealed the Prime Minister's Office was made aware of the email in 2021, when it was included "in consultation around an Official Information Act request".

Stuart's Nash future is up in the air after the Napier MP was removed from Cabinet by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. ANALYSIS: The Labour Party may soon be ...

[after he boasted about calling the police commissioner about a case](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131505006/stuart-nash-resigns-as-police-minister-after-phone-call-to-police-commissioner-about-criminal-case), breaching the Cabinet manual. Lees-Galloway announced that he would resign at the next election, which avoided a by-election. National’s MPs compose more than a quarter of Parliament and so far Luxon is not backing down and believes he should resign immediately. It has raised the possibility of a by-election for his Napier seat, should Nash resign from Parliament. The pair have known each other for more than a decade, both entering Parliament in 2008, alongside Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni. Clearly, that was incorrect,” Hipkins said on Tuesday.

Labour MPs are expressing disappointment at their colleague Stuart Nash after it emerged he leaked confidential Cabinet discussions to donors.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's office was aware of a 2020 email, revealed by Stuff on Tuesday, in which sacked minister ...

What he’s been accused of at the moment is braking Cabinet confidentiality. “No, because some of those things are benign ... “I was not the prime minister at the time, but I have certainly made it very clear that I expect to be alerted to the existence of any such communications in the future.” “I don’t think it was tried to be covered up, my understanding is that it just wasn’t within the scope of the request,” he said. Hipkins said the offending email had “gone through” Ardern’s office as part of a response to an Official Information Act request in 2021, but the email was deemed out of scope, so not made public in the response. He said the Cabinet Secretary would “look at whether there have been any other breaches of cabinet collective responsibility or confidentiality, or whether there have been any perceived or actual conflicts of interest in communications between Stuart Nash and those donors”.

The Prime Minister has announced an investigation into sacked minister Stuart Nash, who has decided to stay on as Napier's MP, for now.

The MP for Napier, who is facing calls from the Opposition to quit Parliament, admitted he has been in the wrong "too many times".

Nash was then found to have directly contacted a “senior official” at MBIE on behalf of a medical worker in Hawke’s Bay who was having immigration issues. I tend to go hard when often a softer approach would perhaps deliver superior results over the longer term.” “I have always considered the greatest challenge – but also the greatest opportunity – in politics is delivery. Getting stuff done and coming up with solutions to the issues of the day. I accept this with humility,” he said in the statement posted to Facebook. She’s right, so it’s time to take her very sage advice as I embark on the next phase of my journey.” He has not commented on his future beyond the October election, though he has already been selected by Labour to run again in the seat. * The prime minister did what he needed to do. “I do want to be clear: I got this wrong. [Chris Hipkins says it's for Stuart Nash to resign from Parliament](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131630816/chris-hipkins-says-its-for-stuart-nash-to-resign-from-parliament?rm=a) [calls from the Opposition](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131629886/stuart-nash-needs-to-leave-parliament-tonight--christopher-luxon) to quit Parliament, said in a statement on Wednesday he will remain as the MP for Napier.

Nash earlier apologised o his constituents in Napier and confirmed he will continue as the MP for the Hawke's Bay electorate. “First and foremost, I would like ...

“I’m not going to set a standard that’s so high that others have never had that in the past. “Has it been a wider pattern of behaviour? Hipkins said it was a breach of Cabinet collectivity and confidentiality. But of course, the perception around that is different.” Hipkins said the 2020 email from Nash to donors Troy Bowker and Greg Loveridge was part of the wider material considered under an Official Information Act request in 2021. “I do have sympathy for Stuart but at the end of the day he is a Cabinet minister and he obviously is bound by Cabinet rules and he kept on breaking those.” I tend to go hard when often a softer approach would perhaps deliver superior results over the longer term. On the specific conversation that led to Nash resigning as Police Minister, Coster said while it appeared to be about a specific thing he “didn’t feel pressure from him”. Asked if Hipkins should kick Nash out of caucus, he said he did not want to set a “standard that high”. “I’m Labour to the core - always have been always will be, Nashes have been for a long, long, long, long time,” Nash said. “The only thing I will say is I will not leave and create a byelection - there will be no byelection in Napier.” Nash told the Herald this morning that he would not quit as an MP early to force a byelection in his Napier electorate, and has hosed down speculation he might leap to NZ First, saying he was “Labour to the core.”

Former minister Stuart Nash is defending his decision to stay on as Napier's MP as the Prime Minister initiates a review into the scandal-hit politician's ...

It came after Stuff revealed the MP had sent an email in 2020 to donors Troy Bowker and Greg Loveridge with [ details of Cabinet discussions and noting Nash’s personal disagreements](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/prime-minister-chris-hipkins-to-make-announcement-on-stuart-nashs-future/BJKYRLJCMBCWDGI57BJCQIGWMU/) with ministerial colleagues concerning a commercial rent relief package. I tend to go hard when often a softer approach would perhaps deliver superior results over the longer term. “In the past, we’ve had instances where if someone felt that there was a decision that Cabinet had made that they couldn’t support and they really need to say that publicly then the sort of the thing they should do, they need to do, is resign from Cabinet.” “That’s the way our ministers operate is that Cabinet speaks with one voice and they might personally disagree with the decision but once the decision has been made, it’s a decision that they all support. “I’m Labour to the core - always have been always will be, Nashes have been for a long, long, long, long time,” Nash said. [statement on social media on Tuesday](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/sacked-minister-stuart-nash-breaks-silence-after-dismissal-says-he-will-continue-to-be-napiers-mp/FJDZAWDQHZA6DEADOJNDID3HBQ/), Nash said he intended to stay on as Napier’s MP, ignoring calls from the National Party to resign and trigger a byelection.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was asked about the trans rights protest, which saw tomato juice thrown and Greens co-leader Marama Davidson hit by a motorcycle ...

[ three hours after being hit by a motorcycle ](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300839253/green-party-coleader-marama-davidson-knocked-over-by-motorcyclist)– did ignite a debate that continued in the House on Wednesday. For Hipkins it's a balancing act. On the Twitter left, all sorts of people are getting cross with Hipkins for not lining up with Davidson and, basically, being balanced on these issues. These issues of distraction can only serve Labour poorly leading into the election. Cost of living being chief among them. Hipkins, for his part, has tried to play a straight bat on all of this. They ignited a political stoush around laying the blame for domestic violence at the feet of one particular group. [Full politics coverage](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics) [denounced the violence at the protest](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131615586/prime-minister-chris-hipkins-condemns-juice-throwing-at-antitrans-protester-posie-parker) which resulted [in her leaving the protest and exiting the country.](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300839091/antitrans-activist-posie-parker-leaves-country-after-chaotic-auckland-rally) National [has called for a review](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131623853/nationals-mark-mitchell-wants-review-into-why-police-failed-to-stop-posie-parker-juice-attack) into why police couldn’t keep the protest under control. There are clearly further questions to answer here. It was, Hipkins said, outside the OIA’s scope. [culture wars issue](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131625085/this-is-about-maramas-lived-experience-te-pti-mori-back-green-coleader-after-white-cis-men-comment) of Davidson.

A political pundit has slammed the Government for its handling of the Stuart Nash saga saying it lacks "ethical standards" that are needed to keep ...

Key questions about the email which got Stuart Nash sacked as a cabinet minister remain.

His statement, made in a social media post, also said he will stay on as the MP for Napier for the time being. Hipkins sacked his frontbencher on Tuesday, hours after Stuff revealed he had in 2020 emailed the details of a private Cabinet discussion pertaining to a commercial rent relief package in 2020 – clearly breaching the obligations. [appeared to blindside Hipkins](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131629876/pm-chris-hipkins-gutted-as-he-sacks-stuart-nash-over-cabinet-leaks). * ['I got this wrong': Sacked minister Stuart Nash apologises](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131636574/i-got-this-wrong-sacked-minister-stuart-nash-apologises?rm=a) [the email that got Stuart Nash sacked](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131627166/stuart-nash-sacked-as-minister-after-email-to-donors-emerged).

Napier MP Stuart Nash didn't so much as fall from grace when he plumbed uncharted depths as disclosures emerged of his leaking Cabinet discussions to former ...

It’s important to recognise that the question of confidence is more important than the individual missteps and their intrinsic gravity or otherwise. “It’s no surprise the PM has finally drawn a line under it all to ensure the relationships of confidence that support government don’t tumble down. Confidence of their ministerial colleagues. Confidence of their colleagues as expressed by the Prime Minister. The decisive ball relates to a pandemic-era commercial rent relief package. Coalition arrangements typically include “confidence and supply” agreements.

The "inexcusable" email that led to Stuart Nash's sacking from Cabinet formed part of correspondence requested by - and improperly denied to - Newsroom in ...

“I don’t think it was tried to be covered up, my understanding is that it just wasn’t within the scope of the request,” he said on Tuesday. Both Nash’s office and the office of then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern were aware of the existence of the June 2020 email at the time Nash’s office responded to Newsroom’s OIA request. [said](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/112087128/redacted-state-services-minister-chris-hipkins-says-oia-needs-more-teeth) there was a “culture of game playing” within the civil service when it came to the OIA, that the legislation needed “more teeth”, and that he supported a review of the legislation. The next year, his replacement as justice minister, Kris Faafoi, indefinitely [delayed](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/124076652/official-information-act-review-kicked-down-the-road) that review. “Clearly people inside the Prime Minister’s office were aware of the issue, and so what kind of culture is that if you don’t actually flag those issues higher up the chain?” Only the senior advisor was aware of a subsequent complaint to the Ombudsman. The apparent breach also highlights the weaknesses of New Zealand’s information disclosure regime, in which senior bureaucrats and political staffers exercise enormous control over which documents are disclosed. “Stuart Nash’s email should have been raised with the Prime Minister at the time. On June 8, 2021, Newsroom made a request to Nash’s office under the Official Information Act for “All written correspondence and details of the nature and substance of any other communication since the start of 2020” between Nash and 19 of his political donors. On Tuesday afternoon, Hipkins told reporters that Nash’s office had notified staff in Ardern's office that the June 2020 email existed and that they were excluding it from their response to a 2021 OIA request. The email was an “inexcusable” breach of Cabinet rules, Hipkins said on Tuesday. I must therefore refuse your request under section 18(e) of the Official Information Act as the information does not exist or cannot be found.”

Senior staff in the Prime Minister's office have apologised for an “error of judgement” in failing to bring an email sent by the sacked Stuart Nash to two ...

March 17: Nash’s office drafts a response to the Ombudsman and shares it with the Prime Minister’s Office. March 29: Nash replies to the Ombudsman including a redacted version of the June 5 email. He had the responsibility to alert me to this email and he did not.” The Prime Minister’s Office did not reply. This includes the email of June 5, 2020. Staff in the Prime Minister’s office deal with large volumes of information every day and errors of judgment do occur. The explanation today states that deputy chief of staff Holly Donald and a senior adviser had dealt with the original OIA request. However, he said the onus had been on Nash to review his correspondence and identify the email himself. The minute the Prime Minister’s office became aware of Stuart Nash’s letter, they should have released it. Also agreed to government support for arbitration. “I have accepted the apology of the staff involved and believe this was an oversight. Senior staff in the Prime Minister’s office have apologised for an “error of judgment” in failing to bring an email sent by the sacked Stuart Nash to two of his donors to the PM’s attention.

The timeline shows two staff members - Deputy chief of staff Holly Donald and a senior advisor - were aware of the OIA request, and it was discussed on three ...

17 March: Stuart Nash's office drafts a response to the Ombudsman and shares it with the Prime Minister's Office. 29 March: Stuart Nash replies to the Ombudsman including a redacted version of the 5 June 2020 email. Newsroom reported the email did appear to be covered by the request, and withholding it was a breach of official information laws by Nash. The Prime Minister's Office did not reply. "The idea that this was out of scope when it was such a specific request, I think there's a huge amount of explaining for ministers to do." Nash emailed them in response to the OIA request, and included the email sent to donors in it.

The revelation he leaked cabinet conversations is just the latest example of the Napier MP failing to hold his tongue.

(Nash remains [close to NZ First](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/29-03-2023/winston-peters-wooing-of-stuart-nash), even after the party failed to get reelected in 2020) A couple of weeks later (this week), Nash was officially dumped from cabinet. [upset the fishing sector in 2020](https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/420272/fishing-industry-unimpressed-by-stuart-nash-s-comments) when leaked footage showed him referring to some in the industry as criminals. “I said words to the tune of ‘for beep’s sake’,” Nash told reporters at the time. And so we come to the year of our lord 2023. In the wake of news that Stuart Nash had been sacked from cabinet, he wrote: “A rare misstep from Stuart Nash.” One involved another case of Nash improperly commenting on police conduct and then for some reason telling Mike Hosking about it. The incident occurred after a gym-goer wanted to use some equipment that, it was alleged, Nash had been hogging. It’s the type of Twitter-centric joke that Brown is usually the butt of – every time Brown himself does or says something ill-advised, it’s labelled a “rare misstep”. And how did this phone call come to light? While perceived as a hard-working and generally competent minister, his loose lips mean it’s unsurprising that he’s the one dumped out of cabinet this week for sharing private conversations. “I think there are enough people out there who would make brilliant police officers without any existing mental health condition,” he said.