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The employer of former Labour Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash has launched a formal review into “deeply inappropriate” comments he made when giving his definition of a woman.

Nash, who has recently made a pitch to revive his political career with New Zealand First, stated a woman is a “person with a p***y and a pair of t**s,” referencing genitals, during an interview on radio station The Platform on Tuesday.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters slammed Nash’s words as unacceptable.

In a later LinkedIn post, Nash apologised for his “crude and disrespectful remark” and said he would work hard to rectify his actions.

A spokesperson from Nash’s employer, recruitment agency Robert Walters, today said they were aware of the comments made by him in a personal capacity during the interview.

“The remarks are deeply inappropriate and do not reflect our values or the standards of our business,” they said. “We have initiated a formal review, and we will not be commenting further while that process is ongoing.”

In an interview with The Platform host Sean Plunket, Nash was asked what a woman was, and gave the vulgar answer, using slang terms for genitalia, after prefacing his statement with “the last time I said this I got in trouble”.

Nash later called into the show, saying he had spoken to his wife, and said he wished he had not made the comment.

“But it is the truth, it is an accurate record of the interview,” host Plunket said, and added he preferred the comment remain, noting Nash used to be a Cabinet minister.

The Platform then posted to the social media site X, saying Nash had “later asked for the comment to be removed”, in a bleeped video of the initial exchange of words.

In a statement to ��һ�ǿ�����talk ZB, Peters said “the words used weren’t acceptable, and on that point, we agree with Mrs Nash, as does Stuart now he has reflected on them, and as he said so on The Platform”.

Peters said a woman was a “human adult female” when asked.

When asked on the tiles in Parliament yesterday afternoon, before releasing a statement, about the comments from Nash, Peters asked, “Who said that?”

When Peters was informed Nash made these comments on The Platform, the NZ First leader responded: “No, I’m going to find out whether he said that or not. I’m not taking your word for it.”

Peters said he would not answer questions on the matter until he had seen the comments from Nash.

“I’m going back to my office, I’ve got great staff – they’ll tell me if it’s true or not.”

When asked for comment on the matter, Nash said “no comment”, but later apologised on his LinkedIn.

“It was wrong and unacceptable, and I apologise unreservedly for any offence that this comment may have caused,” he wrote.

“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.”

The former Labour MP, who was sacked as a minister over disclosing confidential information in 2023, made an appearance at the NZ First convention over the weekend.

During a media stand-up at the conference, jointly hosted by Nash and Peters, the party leader suggested Nash could be a “seamless” addition to the party.

Nash told media that Labour leader Chris Hipkins, who sacked him from Cabinet, had “stabbed him in the back”.

Speaking to media on the backstabbing allegation, Hipkins said, “Stuart’s free to rewrite history however he wants. He’s an independent member of the public.”

Hipkins’ remarks came after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon suggested he could “make it work” around a potential coalition deal that could include NZ First and Stuart Nash.

On Nash being sacked in the past, Luxon said, “I’m sure he’s learned his lesson”.

“This is a person who’s not even yet confirmed as a NZ First candidate. That’s going to be a decision, obviously, for the party and for Winston Peters, so it’s purely speculative and hypothetical,” Luxon added on Monday.

On Tuesday morning, Hipkins told Ryan Bridge on Herald NOW that his party would set out what parties it could work with closer to the election – including areas in common and “no-go zones”.

“There’s a lot of water still to flow under the bridge yet.”

Azaria Howell is a multimedia reporter working from Parliament’s press gallery. She joined ��һ�ǿ����� in 2022 and became a ��һ�ǿ�����talk ZB political reporter in late 2024, with a keen interest in public service agency reform and government spending.