New Prime Minister announces changes to cabinet and ministerial appointments


Mon 19 Dec 2016

The new Prime Minister, Bill English, has announced his cabinet with some changes to ministerial roles. Changes of particular interest to the ...

The new Prime Minister, Bill English, has announced his cabinet with some changes to ministerial roles.

Changes of particular interest to the domestic and family violence sector include:

  • Paula Bennett, the new Deputy Prime Minister becomes Minister of Police and Minister for Women. She also holds the Climate Change, State Services Commission and Tourism portfolios
  • Steven Joyce becomes number 3 in Cabinet with the Finance and Infrastructure portfolios
  • Amy Adams retains the Justice and Courts portfolios and becomes Minister for Social Housing, Minister Responsible for Housing New Zealand Corporation, Associate Minister of Finance, and Minister Responsible for Social Investment. According to the Government press release "Amy Adams will take a lead role in driving the Government’s social investment approach."
  • Michael Woodhouse takes up the ACC portfolio. The Associate Minister for ACC is Jacqui Dean, a new Minister outside Cabinet
  • Anne Tolley becomes Minister for Children and Minister of Local Government and remains Minister for Social Development
  • Judith Collins becomes Minister for Ethnic Communities, and gains the Revenue and Energy and Resources portfolios
  • Louise Upston replaces Judith Collins as Minister of Corrections
  • Alfred Ngaro, a new Minister, becomes Minister for Pacific Peoples, Minister for the  Community and Voluntary Sector, as well as Associate Minister for Children and Associate Minister for Social Housing
  • Another new Minister outside Cabinet, Mark Mitchell, becomes Associate Minister of Justice, and takes up the Land Information and Statistics portfolios
  • The other new Minister outside Cabinet is David Bennett. His responsibilities include Minister of Veteran’s Affairs
  • Sam Lotu-Iiga, Craig Foss and Jo Goodhew are no longer Cabinet ministers. Mr Lotu-Iiga and Mr Foss have indicated they intend to leave Parliament at the 2017 election.

Ministers take up their new responsibilities on 20 December 2016.

For more information see the Government press release - PM announces new Cabinet line-up and the full Ministerial list.

Labour has also announced changes to some portfolios in the shadow cabinet.

Select media

'I saw the synergy in them' - Paula Bennett takes over police and women in cabinet reshuffle, One News, 19.12.2016

Meet Alfred Ngaro – new face in government's cabinet, set to become Pacific Peoples Minister, One News, 19.12.2016

New PM's Cabinet changes only cosmetic, Radio NZ, 18.12.2016

Who are the winners and losers in Bill English's Cabinet reshuffle?, Stuff, 18.12.2016

Bill English reveals his reshuffled Cabinet in Wellington, NZ Herald, 18.12.2016

New Cabinet, same old songbook, Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party, Scoop, 18.12.2016

Image: iStock