Stuart Nash Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Former Labour minister-now-New Zealand First admirer Stuart Nash has been dumped from a government trip to the United States this week due to concerns his recent remarks about women would be "a distraction".
Nash - who runs consultancy Nash Kelly Global - had been set to join Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and other delegates on a trip to promote the government's new "golden visa" in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
But RNZ understands Nash was told last Thursday evening he was no longer welcome after crude comments he made during an appearance on online talk station The Platform.
When first approached for comment this week, Nash told RNZ his plans had merely been postponed after his 13-year-old son badly broke his leg on Sunday.
"Don't know who told you I was dropped," he sent in a text message. "I have just delayed my travel by three weeks."
But the government told a different story. Stanford's office referred RNZ's questions to Invest New Zealand, the agency which organised the delegation.
Invest New Zealand then sent a written response, attributed to a spokesperson for Trade Minister Todd McClay.
"The Minister decided that Mr Nash's participation in the mission would be a distraction," the statement said.
"He thought it would be unfair to other members of the delegation to have to respond to questions from potential US investors, especially women, about Mr Nash's comments. Mr Nash was therefore informed he was no longer on the delegation."
Asked if he had any further comment, Nash replied with a photo of his son in a full leg cast.
The former Napier MP had already resigned from his separate roles with recruitment firm Robert Walters and on the board of the Taxpayers' Union.
The controversy erupted last week when Nash defined a woman as a "person with a p***y and a pair of t**s" in an interview with digital broadcaster Sean Plunket.
Nash later issued an apology on LinkedIn, describing his comments as "crude and disrespectful".
"It was wrong and unacceptable, and I apologise unreservedly for any offence that this comment may have caused. Words matter, and I take full responsibility for my actions.
"I have immense respect for all women and this is not who I am or what I believe, and I have let myself, my family and my friends down. I will work hard to rectify this."
Nash - who was sacked as a Labour minister over disclosing confidential information in 2023 - spoke at NZ First's annual convention over the weekend, where he floated his interest in running as a NZ First candidate next year.
Stanford and the wider delegation of "immigration and investment private sector participants" left for the United States on Monday and are due back this weekend.
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