Hauraki-Waikato MP Nanaia Mahuta is the first woman to become Foreign Affairs Minister. Her appointment today by Prime Minister Jacinda is the standout success for Māori MPs.
Five Māori MPs are in the new cabinet, with one outside the cabinet and one undersecretary.
Mahuta will retain her local government role and will also become Associate Māori Development Minister.
Her Māori broadcasting portfolio has gone to Willie Jackson who has also become Minister of Māori Development.
Sadly for Tāmaki Makaurau MP Peeni Henare, he did not get the main health portfolio he wanted, which instead went to Andrew Little. But he still gained more mahi, joining the Cabinet and becoming Associate Minister for Maori Health and Defence Minister and retaining his Whanau Ora portfolio.
Tough job
Deputy Labour leader Kelvin Davis, who revealed this morning he had turned down an offer to become Deputy Prime Minister, has been appointed to a tough role as Minister for Children, a role previously held by NZ First MP Tracey Martin. The role is particularly important given the controversy over Oranga Tamariki's uplift of Māori babies.
Davis will remain Minister for Māori Crown Relations and Minister of Corrections and he will also take on the role of Associate Minister of Education with a focus on Māori education. He has lost Tourism.
A first-term MP, Dr Asia Verrell, was also made Associate Minister for Health and Minister for Seniors.
Poto Williams, who is of Cook Islands descent, became Police and Building and Construction Minister.
East Coast MP Kiri Allan has become Minister for Conservation, Associate Arts Minister, Associate Environment Minister and Minister for Emergency Management. She will be the second LGBT minister, following Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri in the last Cabinet.
Other posts
Outside the cabinet, Whaitiri has become Customs Minister, Associate Agriculture Minister and Minister for Animal Welfare.
Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikatene has been made Associate Trade and Oceans and Fisheries undersecretary.
Te Tai Hauāuru MP Adrian Rurawhe will be nominated as Deputy Speaker.
Mana MP Kris Faafoi, of Tokelau descent, retains Immigration and Broadcasting and also becomes Justice Minister.
Carmen Sepuloni MP, who is Foof Samoan, Tongan and Pākehā descent, will keep Social Development, and Employment will be rolled into this.
Panmure-Ōtāhuhu MP Jenny Salesa, originally from Tonga, has been dropped from the executive, and she will be nominated as Assistant Speaker.
The full cabinet
- Jacinda Ardern - Prime Minister, Minister Responsible for National Security and Intelligence, Minister for Child Poverty Reduction, Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services and Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage.
- Grant Robertson has been appointed Deputy Prime Minister and remains in the roles of Minister for Finance, and Sport and Recreation, he will also pick up responsibility for Infrastructure and Racing.
- Kelvin Davis, who earlier today announced he turned down the Deputy Prime Minister role, has been re-elected to the party's deputy leadership role. He remains in Cabinet and will be given responsibility for Oranga Tamariki as the Minister for Children. He also retains his Crown-Māori Relations, Corrections and Associate Minister of Education (Māori Education) portfolios.
- Megan Woods retains the Housing, and Energy and Resources portfolios while picking up the Research, Science and Innovation. Associate Finance roles.
- Chris Hipkins has been appointed to the new role of Minister for Covid-19 response, which includes responsibility for testing and border management. Hipkins also retains his roles as Minister of Education, for Public Service, and the Leader of the House.
- Carmel Sepuloni remains as Minister for Social Development, which has had responsibility for Employment rolled back into it, as well as ACC and Disability Issues, and has been allocated the role of Arts, Culture and Heritage previously held by Ardern.
- Andrew Little becomes the Minister of Health, relieving Hipkins of one of the big portfolios he held earlier this year, while also retaining the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, and remains responsible for GCSB, NZSIS and Pike River Re-Entry.
- Attorney-General stays with David Parker, who will also keep Associate Finance, and Minister for Revenue and Environment. He also picks up the new role of Minister of Oceans and Fisheries.
- Nanaia Mahuta loses her Minister for Māori Development portfolio to Willie Jackson but will remain as an Associate Minister while also retaining Local Government. Mahuta will pick up the role of Foreign Affairs Minister, previously held by Winston Peters.
- Poto Williams becomes Minister for Building and Construction, Minister of Police, associate Minister for Children, and Associate Minister of Housing with responsibility for Public Housing.
- Damien O'Connor will be responsible for Trade and Export Growth while also holding his roles as Minister of Agriculture, Biosecurity, Land Information and Rural Communities.
- Napier MP Stuart Nash loses his Police portfolio to Poto Williams but assumes the role of Regional and Economic Development Minister, which belonged to Shane Jones in the last term. Nash will also pick up Tourism and Forestry while retaining the Small Business portfolio.
- Kris Faafoi holds the Immigration portfolio he assumed from Iain Lees-Galloway just before the election. He also remains Minister for Broadcasting and Media, while also picking up the Justice portfolio.
- Peeni Henare, who publicly stated pre-election he wanted the Health portfolio, has been given instead the role of Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health). He retains Whānau Ora, Associate Minister for Housing (Māori Housing) and Associate Minister of Tourism. He has also been given the role of Defence Minister.
- Willie Jackson takes over the role of Māori Development Minister from Nanaia Mahuta and is also Associate Minister for ACC and Justice.
- Jan Tinetti becomes Minister for Internal Affairs, Minister for Women and Associate Minister of Education.
- Mt Roskill MP Michael Wood takes over the Transport role (the new minister lives near Dominion Rd, the road intended for light rail) and becomes the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, and Deputy Leader of the House.
- Kiritapu Allan, who became the first Labour MP for the East Coast seat since 2005 enters the cabinet as Minister for Conservation, and will also hold the roles of Minister for Emergency Management, Associate Minister for Environment and Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage.
- Former Health Minister Dr David Clarke is reinstated to Cabinet as Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications, Minister for State-Owned Enterprises, Minister of Statistics and Minister Responsible for the Earthquake Commission.
- Rounding out the Cabinet Ministers is first-term List MP Dr Aysha Verral, as Minister for Food Safety, and Minister for Seniors. She also becomes Associate Minister of Health and Research, Science and Innovation.
Outside Cabinet
- Māngere MP Aupito William Sio stays as Minister for Pacific Peoples and picks up the Courts portfolio. He will also be an Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education (Pacific Peoples) Justice and Health (Pacific Peoples).
- Meka Whaitiri is reinstated as a minister after having it stripped in 2018. She becomes Minister of Customs, Veterans and Associate Minister of Agriculture with responsibility for Animal Welfare, and Statistics.
- Former Transport Minister Phil Twyford has been demoted to sit outside the Cabinet. He will be Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control, Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth. He will be Associate Minister for the Environment and Immigration.
- List MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan is Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Minister for Youth, and Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities. She will also be an Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment.
- Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson will be the Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, and Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness),
- Her co-Leader James Shaw retains Climate Change and is also an Associate Minister for the Environment responsible for Biodiversity.
- Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikatene becomes an under-secretary to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, and to the Minister for Trade and Export Growth with a focus on Māori Trade.
- New Lynn MP Deborah Russell will be an under-secretary to the Minister of Revenue.