April 15, 2025 11:00am by 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.

“I still enjoy the company of politicians and I especially enjoy the company of Winston [Peters] and Darroch [Ball, Peters’ chief of staff],” he said.

“I have an immense amount of respect for Winston Peters. I think he is one the best politicians in Parliament at the moment. I enjoy his company [and] I enjoy just listening to what he says.

“It will always be up to the leaders of a party to determine where they go. I’m not prepared to make any comment on what NZ First might do in the future, but like I said, Winston I have an immense amount of respect for – the man and his legacy and his experience and competency and capabilities,” Nash said.

If that isn’t a pitch for a high list pace, I don’t know what is!

Nash said Labour had lost touch with its roots.

“Labour can’t forget its roots. When it does, it never does well. When it gets back to its roots, it’s a party that defends the rights of the working class, but by the working class, I mean those who work really hard, not those who complain the loudest,” Nash said.

Labour are obsessed with identity politics, rather than the working class.

“Labour’s got to be very careful, because people will say ‘shivers, if I vote for Labour and they’re going to be in power, then how much of a say are the Greens or the Māori party going to have in the policies of a Labour-led Government?‘” he said.

If there was a Labour-led Government, Labour would make up just 60% or so of the Government. You could expect the following people to be in Cabinet: