Monday 6th October 2014 |
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The biggest winner in today’s new Cabinet line-up from Prime Minister John Key is Simon Bridges, who moves from 18th to ninth in the rankings and picks up the politically important transport portfolio from Gerry Brownlee.
Returning to the environment portfolio, previously held by Amy Adams, is Nick Smith, signalling a softening in the government’s intended reforms to the Resource Management Act, while Adams picks up the justice portfolio ranking from Judith Collins, who resigned during the election campaign.
Collins has no way back to the Cabinet until after an inquiry into the actions that led to her departure two weeks out from the Sept. 20 election.
Paula Bennett, tipped as a potential replacement to Prime Minister John Key, moves from ninth to fifth ranking, ceding her social development portfolio to Anne Tolley, whose previous police and corrections portfolios are divided between Michael Woodhouse and Peseta Sam Lotu-Iga, who was promoted into Cabinet.
Bennett also becomes Associate Minister of Tourism, effectively making her under-study to Key, who retains primary responsibility for tourism.
Two new threads of focus are the way portfolios relating to housing and the security and intelligence services.
Finance Minister Bill English will become Minister in charge of Housing New Zealand, while Bennett will take the new social housing portfolio, and Smith will be Minister of Housing. This triumvirate will become responsible for major reforms already under way to make state housing provision more efficient and competitive, with greater provision by non-profit social housing organisations.
Also in their sights will be ongoing progress to improve the availability of urban land for housing to ease house price pressures.
Bridges retains the energy and resources portfolio and becomes deputy leader of the House, supporting Brownlee, who keeps his third-place ranking in the Cabinet, retaining responsibility for recovery from the Canterbury earthquakes and picks up the defence portfolio.
Woodhouse, who was a minister outside Cabinet in the last government, comes into the inner Cabinet at 17th out of 20 ministers, also picking up immigration and the newly named workplace relations and safety portfolio, previously held by Bridges as Minister of Labour.
Maggie Barry comes into the inner Cabinet, as a first-time minister at 20th, taking the conservation, arts, culture and heritage and senior citizens.
The most notable loser in the reshuffle is Craig Foss, who loses the commerce portfolio and moves outside Cabinet.
The commerce portfolio will go to first-time minister, outside Cabinet, Paul Goldsmith, who has chaired the finance and select committee, a common stepping stone to Cabinet.
On security services, Attorney-General Chris Finlayson will pick up two new portfolios giving him direct responsibility for the Security Intelligence Service and the Government Communications and Security Bureau, with Key maintaining an overarching role as Minister of National Security and Intelligence.
The spy agencies have been a running sore for National and Key said he expected to spend as much time on the intelligence agencies’ issues as he had in the past.
One minister whose wide responsibilities have been expanded is fourth-ranked Steven Joyce, who keeps the economic development, science and innovation, and tertiary education portfolios, while adding information communication technology, which previously sat with Adams.
Adams retains the communications portfolio, with responsibility for telecommunications regulation. As widely tipped, Jonathan Coleman becomes Minister of Health, as well as Sport and Recreation.
Todd McClay remains Minister of Revenue but moves to the inner Cabinet, picking up state-owned enterprises and associate responsibilities for foreign affairs and trade.
Nikki Kaye moves to 15th from 19th ranked in the Cabinet, picking up the Accident Compensation Corp portfolio.
Nathan Guy retains primary industries and Tim Groser retains trade and climate change, while dropping two places to 16th, suggesting this will be his last parliamentary term.
The full list includes:
Rt Hon John Key
Prime Minister
Minister for National Security and Intelligence
Minister of Tourism
Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services
2 Hon Bill English
Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Finance
Minister Responsible for HNZC
3 Hon Gerry Brownlee
Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery
Minister of Defence
Leader of the House
Minister Responsible for the Earthquake Commission
4 Hon Steven Joyce
Minister for Economic Development
Minister for Regulatory Reform
Minister of Science and Innovation
Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
Minister Responsible for Novopay
Associate Minister of Finance
5 Hon Paula Bennett
Minister of Local Government
Minister for Social Housing
Minister of State Services
Associate Minister of Finance
Associate Minister of Tourism
6 Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman
Minister of Health
Minister for Sport and Recreation
7 Hon Amy Adams
Minister of Justice
Minister for Courts
Minister of Broadcasting
Minister for Communications
8 Hon Christopher Finlayson
Attorney-General
Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations
Minister in Charge of the NZ Security Intelligence Service
Minister Responsible for the GCSB
Associate Minister for Maori Development
9 Hon Simon Bridges
Minister of Energy and Resources
Minister of Transport
Deputy Leader of the House
Associate Minister for Climate Change Issues
Associate Minister of Justice
10 Hon Hekia Parata
Minister of Education
11 Hon Anne Tolley
Minister for Social Development
12 Hon Dr Nick Smith
Minister for the Environment
Minister for Building and Housing
13 Hon Murray McCully
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Associate Minister for Sport and Recreation
14 Hon Nathan Guy
Minister for Primary Industries
Minister for Racing
15 Hon Nikki Kaye
Minister for ACC
Minister of Civil Defence
Minister for Youth
Associate Minister of Education
16 Hon Tim Groser
Minister of Trade
Minister for Climate Change Issues
17 Hon Michael Woodhouse
Minister of Immigration
Minister of Police
Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety
18 Hon Todd McClay
Minister of Revenue
Minister for State Owned Enterprises
Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs
Associate Minister of Trade
19 Hon Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga
Minister of Corrections
Minister for Ethnic Communities
Minister for Pacific Peoples
Associate Minister of Health
20 Maggie Barry
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage
Minister of Conservation
Minister for Senior Citizens
MINISTERS OUTSIDE CABINET
21 Hon Craig Foss
Minister for Small Business
Minister of Statistics
Minister of Veterans’ Affairs
Associate Minister of Immigration
Associate Minister of Transport
22 Hon Jo Goodhew
Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector
Minister for Food Safety
Associate Minister for Primary Industries
Associate Minister for Social Development
23 Hon Nicky Wagner
Minister of Customs
Minister for Disability Issues
Associate Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery
Associate Minister of Conservation
24 Louise Upston
Minister for Land Information
Minister for Women
Associate Minister of Local Government
Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
25 Paul Goldsmith
Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Associate Minister for ACC
SUPPORT PARTY MINISTERS
Hon Peter Dunne
Minister of Internal Affairs
Associate Minister of Conservation
Associate Minister of Health
Te Ururoa Flavell
Minister for Maori Development
Minister for Whanau Ora
Associate Minister for Economic Development
PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY
David Seymour
Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister of Education and Minister for Regulatory Reform
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