Alfred Ngaro says he is "not a threat" to Jami-Lee Ross' Botany seat, as the National MP contemplates creating his own party.
He said it was not unusual leader Simon Bridges had given him time to look at creating a new Christian party.
"At this stage people are just talking to me," he said. However, over the last 72 hours he said "things have just ramped off".
National leader, Simon Bridges said on Sunday he is giving Mr Ngaro "space" to negotiate the potential of setting up a new party, which could be a potential coalition option for National.
The National leader says he is giving Alfred Ngaro the space to negotiate setting up the party.
He said he did not do "dirty" electorate seat deals and he was "not a threat to Jami-Lee Ross" in the Botany seat.
Mr Ngaro had been under fire over the weekend by Mr Ross for sharing a Facebook post that likened abortion to "an unholy Holocaust".
"Comparing abortion to the Holocaust is not only extremely offensive, but it sends an appalling message to anyone that has ever been faced with one of life’s toughest decisions," Mr Ross said.
"Alfred, your views on abortion are a threat to the rights of half the population," Mr Ross wrote today.
Alfred Ngaro could front a conservative Christian party at the next election, and he’s already making headlines.
When asked today of his Facebook post likening abortion to the Holocaust, Mr Ngaro said: "Here's the thing, what is the real question here? Why are people marching on the 28th of May next week? Why is there a petition before Parliament? Who poked the bear? I'll tell you who poked the bear, it was this Government who decided that in their recommendations they want to go to 20 weeks to 40 weeks."
Mr Ngairo said he had not read "the full part" of the post he shared and regretted "holocaust" being used to describe abortions.
"What I would put in there in place of holocaust is the word tragedy. Why is there 13,000, this year alone [in the year ended December 2017], abortions?"
The Government have not yet released its bill on abortion reform.
Last November, the Law Commission released its briefing paper on how abortion could be placed as a health issue. The briefing paper also proposes changes to the law by repealing abortion from the Crimes Act.
According to Stats NZ, 0.5 per cent of abortions in New Zealand occurred after 20 weeks, with 89.4 per cent of abortions in 2017 occurred in the first trimester (12 weeks).
Mr Ngaro said no woman seeking an abortion had ever been made to feel like a criminal, when asked if abortion should be in the Crimes Act, where it currently sits.
"Has any woman actually been made to feel like a criminal? Absolutely not."
NZ First's Tracey Martin said she was offended by his comments.
"I think he hasn’t stood outside an abortion clinic then, when people have been screaming 'murderer, murderer, murderer', at women who have been trying to go in there to get this service."
"It's a tragedy that 13,000 women a year find themselves in a situation where they are under such stress they have to go and seek this service."
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