Brownlee takes Foreign Minister post in minor Cabinet reshuffle; Nick Smith survives

Monday 24th April 2017

Gerry Brownlee is to be the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, replacing Murray McCully, while Education Minister Hekia Parata will be replaced, as expected, by her current associate minister, Nikki Kaye.

Prime Minister Bill English announced the appointments today in a minor Cabinet reshuffle to take effect from May 1. He had foreshadowed the final changes to his ministry before the Sept. 23 election when he took over from John Key as Prime Minister before Christmas.

Brownlee will relinquish his portfolios with responsibility for the Christchurch rebuild, defence, civil defence and Leader of the House.

Nicky Wagner will take over the Christchurch regeneration task, which Brownlee has held since the first earthquakes in 2010, minister outside Cabinet Mark Mitchell will become Defence Minister and move into Cabinet, while Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy will pick up civil defence.

Simon Bridges will step up from his current role as deputy Leader of the House to replace Brownlee and supported by Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse.

The Minister for the Environment and Construction and Building, Nick Smith, will remain in place, but with a lighter load, despite widespread concern in the National Party caucus over his handling of the politically charged issues of housing and freshwater policy.

Social Housing Minister Amy Adams will pick up responsibility for the Crown land programme and government house-building programme, as well as the Tamaki Redevelopment Project.

The changes effectively split execution of housing programmes and building regulation between Adams and Smith respectively.

Asked whether the plain-speaking Brownlee was sufficiently diplomatic for the role, English said he was “blunt when he needs to be, diplomatic when he needs to be”.

Two other MPs gain promotion to ministerial posts outside Cabinet. Chief government whip Tim Macindoe becomes Minister of Customs and an associate minister of education and transport, while the chair of the local and government and environment select committee, Scott Simpson, becomes Minister of Statistics and associate immigration and environment minister.

(BusinessDesk)

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