Nicola Anna Grigg[3] MP is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives representing the Selwyn electorate since October 2020, and has served as a Minister of the Crown since 27 November 2023. She is currently the Minister for the Environment, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Minister for Women, and Associate Minister for ACC in the Sixth National Government. She is a member of the National Party.
Nicola Grigg | |
|---|---|
.png) Grigg in 2023 | |
| 17th Minister for the Environment | |
| Assumed office 7 April 2026 | |
| Prime Minister | Christopher Luxon |
| Preceded by | Penny Simmonds |
| 17th Minister for Women | |
| Assumed office 27 November 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Christopher Luxon |
| Preceded by | Jan Tinetti |
| Minister of State for Trade and Investment | |
| Assumed office 27 November 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Christopher Luxon |
| Preceded by | Rino Tirikatene |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Selwyn | |
| Assumed office 17 October 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Amy Adams |
| Majority | 19,782 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1979 or 1980 (age 45–46)[1] Mount Somers, New Zealand |
| Party | National |
| Relations | Arthur Grigg (great-grandfather) Mary Grigg (great-grandmother)[2] John Cracroft Wilson (Third great-grandfather) |
| Website | Official website |
Early life
editGrigg was born and raised in Mount Somers.[4] Two of her great-grandparents were Members of Parliament for Mid-Canterbury between 1938 and 1943: Arthur Grigg and Mary Grigg (who was the first woman MP for the National Party, completing Arthur's term after his death).[5][6] Grigg is also a third-great-granddaughter (through Mary Grigg) of John Cracroft Wilson, a British-educated civil servant in India, farmer and politician in New Zealand and Sir John Hall, an English-born New Zealand politician who served as the 12th premier of New Zealand from 1879 to 1882.
Grigg worked as a journalist for both Newstalk ZB and Radio New Zealand before shifting her career to politics. She worked for Bill English both during his tenure as finance minister and prime minister. She later worked for leader of the opposition Simon Bridges. She then left working at parliament and took up a position at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.[7]
Political career
edit| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–2023 | 53rd | Selwyn | 60 | National | |
| 2023–present | 54th | Selwyn | 19 | National | |
First (2020–2023)
editGrigg was selected as the National Party candidate for the Selwyn electorate in November 2019 on the first ballot, ahead of two other nominees: Simon Flood and Craig Watson.[7]
In the 2020 general election, she was elected to the Selwyn seat with a final majority of 4,968 votes.[8] Following the election, Grigg served as National's spokesperson for women and, from August 2021, trade and export growth.[9][10]
On 19 January 2023, Grigg was also given the responsibility for Spokesperson for Rural Communities, Animal Welfare, Biosecurity, Food Safety and Associate Spokesperson for Agriculture. However, she lost the trade and export growth portfolio.[11]
Second term (2023–present)
editAt the 2023 New Zealand general election, Grigg retained the Selwyn electorate, beating Labour's Luke Jones by a margin of 19,782.[12]
On 27 November 2023, she was appointed by the Governor-General, Dame Cindy Kiro at Government House to be the Associate Minister of Agriculture, Minister of State for Trade, and Minister for Women in the National-led coalition government.[13]
In September 2024, Grigg represented New Zealand at the ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting in Laos in her capacity as Minister of State for Trade.[14] Grigg also represented New Zealand at the PACER Plus Ministerial Meeting in Brisbane in November 2024, and at the Pacific Island Forum Trade Ministers Meeting in Fiji in July 2025.[15]
In late February 2025 she accompanied Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and a business delegation to Vietnam to promote bilateral economic and educational relations.[16] Grigg also attended the East Asia Summit with Prime Minister Luxon in Malaysia in late October 2025[17].
As Minister for Women, Grigg launched a Gender Pay Gap toolkit to measure and address pay gaps,[18] a Free to Lead toolkit to assist in tackling online harm,[19] and a "BoardConnector" database to get more women into leadership and governance.[20]
Following a cabinet reshuffle in early April 2026, Grigg was appointed as Minister for the Environment.[21] On 14 May 2026, she introduced the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Amendment Bill into Parliament.[22]
Personal life
editGrigg previously dated former All Black captain Richie McCaw.[7]
In October 2023, Grigg revealed at a National Party press conference in Rolleston that she was six-and-a-half months’ pregnant.[23] She and her partner Phil have a son. Grigg resides in Prebbleton in the Selwyn District.[24]
Views and position
editGrigg has supported the establishment of safe zones around abortion providers and hospitals. While voting for the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion (Safe Areas) Amendment Act 2022 during its first reading in Parliament, Grigg argued that establishing abortion safe zones would reduce "harassment, hate speech, and intimidation" by anti-abortion protesters against vulnerable women.[9]
References
edit- ↑ Young, Audrey (10 November 2019). "National picks former press secretary Nicola Grigg for safest seat in the country". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020.
- ↑ Fonseka, Dileepa (24 December 2019). "The sure things: Nicola Grigg". Newsroom. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020.
- ↑ "Speech – New Zealand Parliament".
- ↑ "About Nicola". New Zealand National Party. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ↑ "Nicola Grigg uses maiden speech to pay tribute to her great-grandmother, National's first female MP". Stuff. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ↑ "Selwyn MP Nicola Grigg dedicates maiden speech to trailblazing great-grandmother". Otago Daily Times. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- 1 2 3 Cooke, Henry (10 November 2019). "National puts former journalist Nicola Grigg forward for safest seat in NZ". Stuff. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- ↑ "Selwyn – Official Resultt". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- 1 2 Small, Zane (12 March 2021). "How MPs voted on law change that would allow safe zones around abortion clinics". Newshub. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ↑ "New National Portfolio Allocations Confirmed". Scoop. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ↑ "Luxon Sets Out Team To Contest The 2023 Election". www.scoop.co.nz. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ↑ "Selwyn - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ↑ "Cabinet lineup for new government unveiled - who gets what?". Radio New Zealand. 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ↑ Grigg, Nicola (18 September 2024). "Minister of State for Trade heads to Laos for ASEAN meetings". Beehive.govt.nz (Press release). New Zealand Government. Archived from the original on 20 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ Grigg, Nicola (17 July 2025). "Pacific Trade Ministers to meet in Fiji". Beehive.govt.nz (Press release). New Zealand Government. Archived from the original on 20 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ Dexter, Giles (20 February 2025). "Christopher Luxon to travel to Vietnam for trip focused on economic growth". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 21 February 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
- ↑ Hanly, Lillian; reporter, Political (22 October 2025). "Prime Minister to travel to Malaysia and South Korea for economic summits". RNZ. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ Grigg, Nicola (13 November 2024). "Pay Gap Calculator toolkit launched". www.beehive.govt.nz (Press release). New Zealand Government. Archived from the original on 20 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ Grigg, Nicola (1 May 2026). "New tools to help women navigate online harm". Beehive.govt.nz (Press release). New Zealand Government. Archived from the original on 20 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ Grigg, Nicola (5 March 2026). "Upgraded women's leadership database launched". Beehive.govt.nz (Press release). New Zealand Government. Archived from the original on 20 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ "Christopher Luxon reveals Cabinet shake-up". 1News. 2 April 2026. Archived from the original on 2 April 2026. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ↑ Grigg, Nicola (14 May 2026). "Amendment proposed to streamline hazardous substance and new organism approvals". Beehive.govt.nz (Press release). New Zealand Government. Archived from the original on 15 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ "Selwyn MP Nicola Grigg having a baby". The Press. 3 October 2023. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ↑ Alvey, Daniel (10 December 2024). "Politics, parenthood and the pressures of life in Government". The Star. Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
