New Zealand’s New Cabinet Line-Up
First ever brand new Covid-19 portfolio created in the cabinet to deal with the novel coronavirus pandemic
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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced her new cabinet on November 2 following a landslide victory in the general election held on October 17.
The PM called her new cabinet an “incredibly diverse” one that includes the country’s first openly gay deputy prime minister, first ever Covid-19 portfolio and a foreign minister with a Maori facial tattoo.
There are 20 members in the new Cabinet and four outside Cabinet. The full line-up and who has got which portfolios are given below :
Nanaia Mahuta : She has got two spots in the cabinet. New one : Foreign affairs minister and 2. Local Government portfolio. She also holds Associate Māori Development spot.
Note : Nanaia is the first indigenous female foreign minister of New Zealand. The country’s previous foreign minister Winston Peters is also Māori.
Grant Robertson : He has got two portfolios : New one : Infrastructure and Racing and 2. Finance, Sport and Recreation. Most importantly, he has been named as the new Deputy Prime Minister who is an openly gay person.
Poto Williams : He also holds two portfolios : Building and Construction, Police, Associate Children, and Associate Housing (Public Housing). She was Assistant Speaker in the earlier government.
Michael Wood : Transport and Workplace Relations and Safety portfolios. He will also be the Deputy Leader of the House.
Jan Tinetti : Internal Affairs and Women portfolios. A former primary school principal, she will also have Associate Education.
Kiri Allan : Minister of Conservation, Emergency Management, Associate Environment and Associate Arts, Culture and Heritage.
Ayesha Verrall : Cabinet Ministe with Associate Health, Food Safety, Seniors, and Associate Research, Science and Innovation.
David Clark : Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Digital Economy and Communications. In the old cabinet, he had Health portfolio though at some point he resigned.
Meka Whaitiri : She is a minister outside Cabinet. She takes on Customs, Veterans, Associate Agriculture (Animal Welfare) and Associate Statistics portfolio.
Priyanca Radhakrishnan : Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Minister for Ethnic Communities, Minister for Youth, and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment.
Phil Twyford : Minister with Disarmament and Arms Control, Associate Environment, and Associate Immigration roles, as well as Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth.
Earlier cabinet, he had Transport and Economic Development portfolio.
Jenny Salesa : Role of Assistant Speaker. She lost all five ministerial roles including Building and Construction, Customs, and Ethnic Communities in the previous cabinet.
Andrew Little : Health Portfolio. He will be keeping responsibility for the spy agencies, Treaty Negotiations and Pike River Re-entry.
Chris Hipkins : Minister for Covid-19 Response. In PM Ardern’s cabinet, this is the first ministry created relating to the novel coronavirus.
James Shaw : Minister for Climate Change.
Marama Davidson : A portfolio with focus on family and sexual violence.
To note, Jacinda Ardern’s government is set to be sworn in on November 6. Source : AFP, nzherald online.
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