Police Minister Mark Mitchell, at the party's caucus retreat, says the investigation into Golriz Ghahraman is a matter for police. Photo: RNZ / Katie Scotcher
National MPs arriving for their first meeting of the year have acknowleged the need to remain disciplined, a key focus of their two-day retreat.
The getaway is being held at a hotel in Christchurch's Ilam electorate, a seat National seized back in the most recent election after its shock switch to Labour in 2020.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will deliver his first speech of the year to his MPs about 1.15pm. The two-day meeting is expected to zero in on the large cohort of first-time MPs, reminding them of the risks that come with the job.
It comes after Green MP Golriz Ghahraman's sudden resignation from Parliament following accusations of shoplifting. In a statement, she said extreme work stresses had hurt her mental health leading her to act "completely out of character".
Arriving this morning, new Banks Peninsula MP Vanessa Weenick said discipline was front of mind for her and the rest of the team.
"The country needs us to be working well together and we will."
It was a message echoed by new Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford: "We've got a role to play for New Zealanders and that involves being a disciplined caucus... and doing our bit to contribute to getting New Zealand back on track."
New Maungakiekie MP Greg Fleming said he was "keenly aware" of the pressures of Parliament.
Hutt South MP Chris Bishop told reporters he would be impressing on new MPs the importance of working hard in their electorates.
"Ultimately we're here to serve the New Zealand public, and electorate MPs are there to serve their individual electorates, and we've just always got to remain cognisant of that, and remember that's absolutely why we're here.
National's MP for Hutt South Chris Bishop at the party's caucus retreat. Photo: RNZ / Katie Scotcher
"It's all about public service and staying humble and working really hard."
Bishop, who was the party's campaign chair, said he would also be discussing the election and what did and did not go well.
"There's always things you can do better... we want to win in 2026 as well. There's only two and half years to go."
National's Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey, who's also Mental Health Minister, was asked about MPs' mental health in light of Ghahraman's comments.
"There's no easy answer to that," he said, noting the high-performance nature of Parliament and the abuse directed at MPs to varying degrees.
"We need to do better about how we address... the stress in all work environments."
Doocey said his new role was still getting established but he acknowleged challenges for New Zealand in the mental health space.
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
"People are more and more open to their mental health needs now, but when they need that support, that timely support's not there.
"We need to normalise the conversation in New Zealand as well, and people need to be a bit more open about how they're feeling."
Police Minister Mark Mitchell told reporters he had not been given any heads up or information from police about their investigation into Ghahraman, nor would he have expected that.
"That's a matter for the police, it's an operational matter."
The two-day meeting is expected to wrap up on Friday morning.
