Fired minister Stuart Nash has responded to a report into his behaviour saying he always took his roles and responsibilities as a minister "very seriously".
It comes as Prime Minister Chris Hipkins released the Cabinet Office's review into Nash's communications with donors, which was prompted after it was revealed in March Nash had discussed confidential Cabinet discussions with them.
The report found there were no other significant transgressions besides those that saw him dismissed from Cabinet, but did find an instance where a close associate was appointed to a government advisory board. The report said Nash identified the conflict of interest, taking "substantive steps" to manage it, but further steps were required to "fully" manage the conflict of interest.
The report found this was "at the lower level" of inconsistency with Nash's obligations under the Cabinet Manual.
In response today, Nash — who is the Napier MP — said he prided himself on being "incredibly solution focused" when faced with some of the "most daunting issues" any New Zealand government has ever had to deal with, such as the March 15 terrorist attack, the Whakaari/White Island volcanic eruption and "dealing with Covid across my multiple portfolios".
First elected in 2008, Nash served as the minister for economic development, fisheries, forestry, revenue, small business, tourism and police at various times over his tenure. In April, after being sacked from Cabinet, he announced he would retire from politics at the 2023 general election.
He said serving the people of the Napier electorate and "our wonderfully diverse communities" had been his "greatest pleasure".
"I always took my ministerial roles and responsibilities very seriously.
"For a boy from the Bay to represent my hometown around the Cabinet table and in Parliament shows that, with a bit of hard work and tenacity, anything is possible."
He said he considered it the "ultimate privilege" to have served in the Ardern and Hipkins-led Cabinets.
"I... am very proud of the small role I have played in making New Zealand a better place for all.
"Whilst never shying away from accepting responsibility for the actions that led to my ministerial demise, I am now hopeful that the Cabinet Office report will draw a line under this issue.
"It's thorough and does not identify any further instances in which I shared information with declared donors in a manner inconsistent with the Cabinet Manual."
He said he was looking forward to building a "post-political career and contributing to our wonderful country in other ways".
"I wish the prime minister and the Labour Party all the best in the upcoming election."
How it all unfolded
The findings came in a Cabinet Office report, instigated by Hipkins at the end of March, which investigated Nash's communications with donors.
It was prompted after it was revealed Nash had spoken to donors about Cabinet discussions — a breach of confidence forbidden under the Cabinet Manual, which sets out rules for ministers.
Hipkins fired Nash from Cabinet after a series of cascading revelations throughout March on his conduct as a minister. The saga saw him first defiantly defend his actions, then resign as Police Minister. As further revelations emerged he was demoted to the bottom of Cabinet rankings before Hipkins kicked him out of Cabinet altogether.
Opposition parties repeatedly called on Nash to resign from Parliament.
He resigned as Police Minister after he revealed — on a live radio interview — he had spoken to Police Commissioner Andrew Coster about whether the police would appeal a case.
Further allegations emerged which saw him demoted to the bottom of Cabinet rankings while retaining his economic development, and fisheries and forestry portfolios.
One of those was the revelation the Solicitor-General considered prosecuting Nash for contempt following comments he made after the arrest of Eli Epiha, who ultimately pleaded guilty to murdering Police Constable Matthew Hunt.
Another was that he contacted a senior official from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment in September last year to ask them to look at the immigration case of a health professional in the Napier electorate.
The fourth issue — which saw him sacked from Cabinet at the end of March — regarded an email he sent to donors about Cabinet decisions and his view of them. That move broke Cabinet confidentiality and collective responsibility.
At the time, Hipkins said the final offence was serious enough to have warranted firing without the prior offences.
Hipkins then announced the Cabinet Office review into Nash's communications with donors.
At the beginning of April, Nash announced he would resign from politics after the election.
Leadership consultant Mark Hutchinson has been selected to replace Nash as the Labour candidate for Napier in the 2023 general election.
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