Rima Nakhle

Rima Jillian Nakhle is an Australian-born New Zealand National Party politician and a member of parliament for the Takanini electorate in the House of Representatives.

Early life and career Nakhle was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, to parents of Lebanese origin. She attended Western Sydney University and completed a law degree. She is an enrolled barrister and solicitor. Roger Nakhle's mother Henriette is the Honorary Consul of Lebanon to New Zealand and a QSM holder while their family was once listed on the NBR richlist with an estimated fortune of $200m. In 2014, Nakhle was admitted to the bar in New Zealand. She also established Te Mahia Community Village Trust, which provided sport, education and social activities for up to 300 village members. Newsroom described her campaign that year as "an old school, grass roots campaign", focused on in-person canvassing rather than app-based advocacy. She estimated in October 2020 that she had door-knocked 3,000 houses since that June.

Nakhle was re-selected as National's Takanini candidate for the 2023 New Zealand general election, held on 14 October 2023. She defeated the incumbent Leavasa by a margin of 8,775 votes. She is deputy chair of the Māori affairs committee and a member of the justice committee.

A member's bill in Nakhle's name, the Corrections (Victim Protection) Amendment Bill, was selected for introduction in February 2024. The bill proposes to prevent victims of crime and those subject to a protection order from being contacted by prisoners. It unanimously passed its first reading in March 2024 and was sent to the justice committee.

In April 2026, Nakhle's member's bill seeking to stop public funding from reaching organisations with gang ties was selected from the private member's ballot system. During an interview with Radio New Zealand, she said that the National Party was "sending a very strong message that the people administering the poison are not going to be administering the antidote as well." The bill was a response to the previous Labour government's decision in 2021 to grant NZ$2.75 million in funding from Kāinga Ora to a marae-based drug rehabilitation programme run by Mongrel Mob life member Harry Tam's Hard2Reach consultancy.

Views and positions In both 2020 and 2023, Nakhle campaigned on a 'tough on crime' approach, saying National would set up military academies for youth offenders. She is also opposed to recreational use of cannabis.

Nakhle has also advocated tougher penalties for drink driving including ten-year prison sentences and NZ$20,000 fines. She has also opposed gang involvement in drug rehabilitation programmes, stating