Napier MP Katie Nimon on pregnancy and priorities: ‘Feeling good’

Napier MP Katie Nimon looks relaxed and happy as she talks to Hawke’s Bay Today about some exciting personal news.

The up-and-coming National political prospect is expecting her first baby with husband Jeremy in June.

Nimon, now in her second trimester, says she’s feeling “good” and excited about the prospect of a baby eventually joining her in the halls of Parliament.

Napier MP Katie Nimon in Putere at the Waihi Hydro Power Station - run by Eastland Generation, a project on the Fast Track Approvals Bill Schedule, for reconsenting. Photo / Supplied

The 34-year-old says she’s leaning on the advice of politicians who have walked this path before, including MP for Selwyn and Minister for Women Nicola Grigg, who gave birth just over a year ago.

Nimon said not many people knew politicians do not get parental leave.

“Technically, we are not employed. We are elected representatives, and therefore I don’t qualify for parental leave.

“So it’s really up to me, my team, party and the whips to make it work.

National MP for Napier Katie Nimon during her maiden speech in Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell

“My intention is to take six months’ Parliamentary leave from Wellington, because obviously the travelling backwards and forwards with an under-6-month-old, I think, would be very difficult.”

Nimon said her first trimester while travelling and working between Napier and Wellington was “pretty gruelling”, especially when she felt nauseous during flights.

She said she was very fortunate to have had help from Grigg, who has a 1-year-old now.

“She was able to show me how it worked, which I am hugely grateful for,” Nimon said.

“It’s a great opportunity to spend time in my electorate because we are away so often.”

Nimon said she can’t imagine what it’s going to be like to be a parent.

“I reserve the right to take it as it comes, and go with the flow.”

She said she was looking forward to spending time in Napier.

“I live in Napier, so I’m still going to be at the supermarket, taking my baby to see the midwife or to Plunket.

“I still want to go out for dinner every now and then,” she laughed.

“We’ll see how that goes.”

National's Katie Nimon with husband Jeremy Lawson after her win on election night in Napier. Photo / Warren Buckland

She said it was important people understood it was not just her in the office.

“There is a team of people ready to support the community while I’m at home prioritising my family.”

Asked what her three priorities were for her electorate in 2025, Nimon said most people didn’t realise just how big the Napier electorate was.

“It’s got Hastings district, Napier City, Wairoa district and Gisborne district. It’s just under 10,000 square kilometres, so the issues are really varied.

“Cyclone recovery is really important to me, and that applies to Wairoa with the issues with the bar and flood protection, and also getting houses back out of Category 2a and into Category 1 so they can rebuild.”

She says the same goes for Eskdale, Puketapu and Meeanee.

“It’s really important that people don’t forget that process is still going. We will be recovering for a long time.”

She said the need to recover from the cyclone as a region is where gene technology comes in.

“That’s a bill we are bringing through this year that allows [us] to work with gene technology, whether that’s in the medical sector, horticulture, pest control, you name it – the options are unlimited. There are crops internationally that can have the tree grow fruit within a year.

“Whereas at the moment, people [who] have lost their orchards through the cyclone are looking at six years before their fruit is ready.”

She says these are the kinds of things that connect what she does in Wellington with what’s happening in the region.

“That’s my number-one priority, and alongside that is infrastructure.

“While we need to fill the potholes, we also need to look at the bigger picture, and that’s exactly what we are doing.”

She said the four-lane expressway was an enormous project and it would allow people to see Hawke’s Bay as a region rather than two cities.

“I’m passionate about it and looking forward to seeing it through.”

Nimon said the Waikare Gorge was also a priority, as reducing travel time between Napier and Wairoa would have huge benefits for the economy.

Growing industry was high on her list, as was developing what was already here. She also has a pie-in-the-sky dream.

“What if we could build a community of safe houses where entry and exits were monitored for people with drug and alcohol problems?

“So many people recover from their addictions but find when they leave, they know where to get drugs, or they find they just can’t walk past the bottle store.

“I can’t tell you how it would work but how amazing would it be? With all the housing developments going on at the moment, this is an opportunity. It would be groundbreaking.”

Nimon said one year into her first term as a politician, the experience had been “incredible”.

“I didn’t have expectations. I’m not one to count my chickens before they hatch. I have had lots of support and challenges, but everything I do is with honesty.

“I never say yes and then blame someone else if it doesn’t happen. I give people the best-case scenario and the worst, but no matter what happens, they get certainty, not false hope.

“People appreciate honesty.”

Constituents often ask for help with health and housing, but Nimon says by far, the most queries she gets concern help with council issues.