Mike's Minute: If you're an MP, avoid the dumb brigade

Under normal circumstances, if I was a Prime Minister, I'd avoid the dumb brigade.

In general terms they preside in music radio and/or on podcast platforms.

It is the arena of numbnut behaviour, it's always a trap.

Gary Judd KC: More Misconduct by Stuart Nash

Realpolitik in operation: Nash ceases to be NZF candidate

My article of May 26, 2026, Stuart Nash, Cabinet Confidentiality, and Winston Peters’ Standards Has Misconduct Stopped Mattering: or is it another case of amnesia? ended this way:

Kerre Woodham: Stuart Nash – indiscreet and hopeless

Dear oh dear oh dear oh dear. You do have to wonder whether Stuart Nash is employable in this country. He might have to head over to Oz and join forces with Tory Whanau – they can set up their own consultancy on what not to do if you want a job in the public eye. For those who don't know, and I can't imagine there's anyone in the country who doesn't, but let's recap:

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Why would New Zealand First make Stuart Nash resign?

Right, is it just me, or is there anyone else out there who thinks it's mighty rich of New Zealand First to force Stuart Nash to resign, given the candidates and MPs they have defended for some of the most outrageous things they have said?

Gary Judd KC: Stuart Nash, Cabinet Confidentiality, and Winston Peters’ Standards

Has Misconduct Stopped Mattering: or is it another case of amnesia?

Lord Peter Mandelson, former UK Cabinet Minister and dismissed UK Ambassador to Washington DC, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew and sometime UK trade envoy, were both arrested earlier this year on suspicion of committing the offence of misconduct in public office. Both have been released on bail. Neither has yet been charged. Neither may be charged. The common feature of the charges is the alleged sharing of sensitive government information they received in official capacities.

The UK Law Commission in making recommendations for law reform in this area, described the offence:

Pee Kay: Love is the Drug

“Love is the drug, got a hook on me…” so sung Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music in 1975.

“Politics is the drug got a hook on me…” could be the line Stuart Nash is singing in 2026?

When you stand back and objectively look at some the people who populate our parliament and have the effrontery to describe themselves as politicians, it’s perfectly reasonable to ask why they are pursuing that vocation because it appears –

A. They don’t seem to have a conviction of any consequence between the lot of them or,
B. They are merely party functionaries or, 
C. They have minimal (zero in the case of List MP’s) loyalty to their constituencies.

Kerre Woodham: The consequences of Stuart Nash's ill-advised one liner

Now, long-time listeners will know that I have said, I do say, and I will undoubtedly in the future say stupid things. In a career spanning decades, we are talking live on stage or live on air, television or radio. When you're going for the snappy one-liner and you're pushing the language out and you're trying to be clever and you're trying to be funny, a lot of the time you're operating on instinct. You have to speak without thinking. I know you're not supposed to, but when you're doing live radio, live television, live on stage, you have to speak without thinking. So the potential for saying something offensive or stupid or both is very real.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Does Labour know what they lost this weekend?

Stuart Nash turning up at the conference over the weekend - that was quite a coup for New Zealand First.

Now, clearly what New Zealand First is trying to do is emulate what Reform - Nigel Farage's party - in the UK is doing.

David Farrar: Will Nash stand for NZ First?

The Herald reports:

Former Labour Minister Stuart Nash is not hosing down rumours of a political comeback at the 2026 election, saying it is a case of “never say never”. …

Nash said he’s not a member of any political party, but he appears to be leaning in the direction of NZ First.

Cam Slater: Death Spiral or Flat Spin?

Political journalists and commentators are often prone to examples of exaggeration. Tova O’Brien is one of the worst, but it is understandable when you work for a niche publication that is so close to failing that its staff resort to calamitous exaggerated headlines to attract readers to their dross.

David Farrar: Nash on why Labour was soft on gangs

NewstalkZB reports:

Nash – who took over as Police Minister from chris hipkins when the latter became Prime Minister – said the first thing he did in the role was talk to Hipkins about dropping the seizure limit to $0.

“He said, ‘Well, see if you can get it past Kiri [Allan]. And I went to Kiri and said this is what I want to do. And she said ‘No, we need to leave it at $30,000.'”

John MacDonald: Labour soft on gangs? Nash says no, no, no, yes

When I heard that former Police Minister Stuart Nash was spilling the beans on what happened when he tried to get a zero limit on how much property gang members could keep if it was the result of illegal activity, I thought he should pull his head in.

Because, call me old fashioned, my thinking is that once someone has retired from politics, they should keep the skeletons to themselves.

Mike's Minute: Labour's behind the scenes look reveals all

We could spend some time on the ineptitude of Jan Tinetti, who may well go down as one of our most ineffective education ministers.

The blow out in school buildings, as the Prime Minister suggested, borders on a crisis and, according to Labour, that’s just the price of stuff going up.

Bob Jones: The Stuart Nash saga

After massive billboard front-page and editorial beat-ups when the issue first arose, the Nash enquiry finally published its report. But both Stuff and the Herald barely mentioned it. Why?

The answer is because what the enquiry revealed was Nash’s “offences” were technical and largely trivial and the media beat-up was over the top.

My company’s name was bandied about as one of the allegedly corrupt donors at the time.

Cam Slater: Why Governments Do a Friday Dump

There is a reason governments do a Friday bad news dump. It is to hide other news that is usually unpalatable. And so it was last Friday as we salivated over Meng Foon’s conflict of interest drama that saw him effectively sacked. While we were talking about that we missed yet another indiscretion by Stuart Nash:

Cam Slater: Stuart Nash Calls It a Day

Stuart Nash has decided that his political career is over. He’s calling it quits at the election. This should surprise no one; this week promises to be even more dire for him as more details of his deliberate obfuscation in OIA requests and to the Ombudsman get aired.

Cam Slater: Two Headaches That Pain Killers Won’t Touch

Chris Hipkins has twin terrors stalking his Government right now, and they aren’t even the pressing issues with the economy or what remains in the kitbag after his policy bonfire. Despite announcing another announcement over Auckland’s second harbour crossing, a promise that has fallen on the deaf ears of Aucklanders sick of an over-promising and under-delivering government, the news has been all things that Hipkins has no control over.

Those twin terrors are the rolling death by a thousands cuts of the growing scandal of Stuart Nash and and the intemperate ranting of an overtly racist Marama Davidson. Heather du Plessis Allan explains:

Garrick Tremain: Spinning in his grave

 Here is Garrick Tremain's cartoon commentary on the Stuart Nash sacking! 

Bryce Edwards: Nash’s sacking means a deeper probe into Cabinet “insider trading” is required

Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash was sacked last night for violating Cabinet Collective Responsibility rules, when it was revealed he disclosed sensitive Government information to business supporters who had donated money to him. The breach of the Cabinet Manual was enough to land him in trouble, but the fact that it involved leaking information to his financial backers is what makes this a truly significant scandal.

A 2020 email from Nash to two of his financial backers was leaked to the media yesterday. It detailed Cabinet decision-making on an issue relating to Nash’s business donors’ property interests – rent relief for Covid-hit businesses. Nash’s email to Wellington businessmen Troy Bowker and Greg Loveridge revealed positions ministers had taken on the matter, and stated he disagreed with the decision they reached.

Point of Order: Financial capability services are being bucked up....

....but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they can help him (not yet)

The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services.

That wording suggests some Building Financial Capability services are not community-based and are not being helped with government funding.