Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter announces she's pregnant

Women's Minister and Green Party co-leadership candidate Julie Anne Genter has announced she is pregnant.

Genter announced on Sunday that she and partner Peter Nunns are expecting a child in August.

The pregnancy did not at all change her intention to stand for co-leader or to carry on as Women's Minister and associate transport and health minister.

The announcement follow similar news from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern earlier this year.

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* Julie Anne Genter announces Green Party leadership run
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* What was happening on Oct 13, when PM found out? 

Genter in fact told Ardern and Green co-leader James Shaw about the pregnancy on the same day the Prime Minister announced hers.

"Clearly there's something in the water at [Parliament restaurant] Bellamy's," Genter said.

"She said 'that is amazing, let's talk soon. She's a pretty good secret-keeper."

"I was worried all summer about how I was going to tell the Prime Minister and my colleagues that I was pregnant but it turned out she was seven weeks ahead of me. "

Genter will be 16 weeks pregnant on Monday, having found out in December.

This is Genter's third pregnancy - she lost the first two to miscarriages.

"So this has been a surprise - but really welcome and exciting."

She is planning to take around three months off from Parliamentary duties but just six weeks off her ministerial role. After that her partner Nunns will take on fulltime caregiving.



She found about the pregnancy when she already had the co-leadership in mind.

"I was intending to stand for co-leader before I found out I was pregnant. I did take the summer to reflect on it, and I still think it is important for me to stand. And I do believe that there is no reason a woman can't be a mother and do that job," Genter said.

"Previously when a co-leader had children who was male he took several weeks off for parental leave."

Nunns was out of range on a bicycle tour with his brother when Genter got the news, so she had to text him.

"So I'm coming into Thames and I get this text and I say 'wow, alright, it's all on!' - I gave her a ring back immediately," Nunns said.

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He said he was looking forward to being a stay-at-home dad. When asked what he thought his biggest challenges would be he said "breast feeding".

Genter said it was sad it had taken this long for New Zealand to be in a position where two members of the executive were pregnant.

"I think it shows that women of our age have been under-represented in politics."

"It's an amazing coincidence. But it's also fantastic for our country to be able to show progressive leadership on this.

"If we're going to close the gender pay gap and if we're going to achieve equality for women we are going to have find a way to support women to have families and careers at the same time."

Ardern congratulated Genter on Twitter, saying it was "very exciting news".

Marama Davidson, Genter's rival for the co-leadership, congratulated her publicly on Facebook soon after the announcement.

"I was so excited for Green Party whānau and caucus when Julie Anne Genter told me last year she is hapū! Lovely being able to share this joy now that she has announced it publicly," Davidson said.

Green Party male co-leader James Shaw congratulated Genter on Twitter, saying the entire Green Party caucus was behind her.

National Party leadership contender Judith Collins also congratulated Genter on Twitter, but told RadioLive she had ruled out getting pregnant during the leadership contest herself.

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