Prime Minister-elect John Key has announced his new Cabinet with some changes in key roles.
Key warned there would be some contentious decisions in his announcement today and one of the most interesting seems to be his choice of Minister for Education.
Hekia Parata has been promoted to the front bench and takes over the role from previous minister Anne Tolley. Parata will also be Minister for Pacific Island Affairs.
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"Hekia Parata will build on the good work of Anne Tolley in the Education portfolio, particularly around the implementation of National Standards, one of National's key policies to boost student achievement," Key said.
Tolley goes backwards in the reshuffle dropping from number eight in the Cabinet rankings to number 13. She loses her Education portfolio and becomes Minister of Corrections and Police, and Deputy Leader of the House.
* See the full list of Cabinet Ministers below
Gerry Brownlee will continue to be Earthquake Recovery Minister, but has picked up the Transport portfolio from Steven Joyce.
Joyce, meanwhile, is moved to the front bench and takes on the role of Minister for Economic Development from Brownlee.
He also picks up the vacant position as Minister of Science and Innovation left free by the retirement of Wayne Mapp and will carry on as Minister for Tertiary Education.
"The front bench is being strengthened with the elevation of
Steven Joyce, who will have a mix of economically-focused
portfolios reflecting the priority the incoming National Government
places on economic growth," Key said.
Judith Collins has been made Justice Minister and takes on the ACC
and Ethnic Affairs portfolios, while Tony Ryall keeps his role in
charge of Health and State Owned Enterprises.
Paula Bennett keeps the Ministry of Social Development and Youth Affairs.
Chris Finlayson remains Attorney General and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and Arts, Culture and Heritage.
Dr Nick Smith drops from number six to number ten in Cabinet rankings but remains Minister for the Environment and Climate Change and picks up responsibility for Local Government.
David Carter receives the Primary Industries portfolio, which combines the Agriculture, Biosecurity, Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Forestry portfolios.
Jonathan Coleman picks up Defence, State Services and Associate Finance, while Phil Heatley picks up Energy and Resources while retaining Housing.
'New blood'
Four new faces made it to the ministerial line up.
Selwyn MP Amy Adams is the only newcomer that made it to Cabinet. Her new role will be helping Brownlee with the Canterbury rebuild.
Napier MP Chris Tremain picks up the Consumer Affairs and Civil Defence portfolios.
Rangitata MP Jo Goodhew gets the Women's Affairs, Senior Citizens and Voluntary Sector portfolios, while Wanganui MP Chester Borrows becomes Minister for Courts.
ONE News political editor Guyon Espiner said the aim with reshuffles is to provide continuity so ministers can build up their expertise, while also injecting "new blood" without wounding egos.
"Nick Smith, Anne Tolley, they'll be disappointed at being demoted. They'll keep that to themselves," Espiner said.
Parata, Collins and Bennett being promoted means there are two Maori and three women on the frontbench.
"Out of all the 20 Cabinet ministers, six are women, so for a National Party which is heavily weighted traditionally towards the white and the male of the species, I guess that's not too bad," Espiner said.
Some of the other ministerial positions were already decided as part of the coalition agreements.
United Future's Peter Dunne is Minister of Revenue and Associate Minister of Health and Conservation and Act's John Banks becomes Minister of Regulatory Reform, Minister for Small Business and Associate Minister of Education and of Commerce.
Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples retains the Maori Affairs portfolio and will be Associate Minister of Education and Associate Minister of Corrections.
Fellow co-leader Tariana Turia will be Minister responsible for Whanau Ora, Minister for Disability Issues, Associate Minister of Health and Associate Minister of Housing.
The new Ministers will be sworn in by the Governor General on Wednesday and New Zealand's new Parliament will sit for the first time next week.
Comfortable majority
The announcement comes a day after National secured a confidence and supply agreement with the Maori Party, giving Key's coalition a 64 seat majority in the 121 seat Parliament.
Key told TV ONE's Breakfast the confidence and supply agreement signed with the Maori party has created a comfortable majority for National.
"It gives us three extra votes. So when we have a confidence and supply motion which is say the budget or any other confidence motion by definition constitutionally if you lose that then you're off to the polls for a new election so obviously you want to have the biggest majority you can so 64 is better than 61.
"But I would say that the 61 that we have for things outside confidence and supply, which is our action plan, is a rock solid 61 so that's good."
He said with things like asset sales they will simply have a one seat majority and they will need everyone to tow the line.
"We've never had discipline problems in the past, we campaigned on it as a caucus and we talked about it. We believe passionately that this is all about delivering more infrastructure making sure that there's less debt and these assets perform well and New Zealanders have things to invest in. So we are all on the same page."
He said having a majority will not mean they will veer off to the right, but it will allow National to get through some unpopular policies.
"A lot of people would argue that the mixed ownership model was unpopular, some people will say welfare reform is unpopular, certainly some of the spending cuts we will have to undertake to make sure we stick to our budget are unpopular.
"But my view is that you have got to make your case to the New Zealand public about what the big agenda is and that's getting back to surplus as quickly as we can."
THE CABINET:
1 Rt Hon John Key
Prime Minister
Minister of Tourism
Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services
Minister in Charge of the NZ Security Intelligence Service
2 Hon Bill English
Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Finance
3 Hon Gerry Brownlee
Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery
Minister of Transport
Leader of the House
4 Hon Steven Joyce
Minister for Economic Development
Minister of Science and Innovation
Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
Associate Minister of Finance
5 Hon Judith Collins
Minister of Justice
Minister for ACC
Minister for Ethnic Affairs
6 Hon Tony Ryall
Minister of Health
Minister for State Owned Enterprises
7 Hon Hekia Parata
Minister of Education
Minister of Pacific Island Affairs
8 Hon Christopher Finlayson
Attorney-General
Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage
Associate Minister of Maori Affairs
9 Hon Paula Bennett
Minister for Social Development
Minister of Youth Affairs
10 Hon Dr Nick Smith
Minister for the Environment
Minister for Climate Change Issues
Minister of Local Government
11 Hon David Carter
Minister for Primary Industries
12 Hon Murray McCully
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister for Sport and Recreation
13 Hon Anne Tolley
Minister of Police
Minister of Corrections
Deputy Leader of the House
14 Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman
Minister of Defence
Minister of State Services
Associate Minister of Finance
15 Hon Tim Groser
Minister of Trade
Minister Responsible for International Climate Change
Negotiations
Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs
16 Hon Phil Heatley
Minister of Energy and Resources
Minister of Housing
17 Hon Kate Wilkinson
Minister of Conservation
Minister of Labour
Minister for Food Safety
Associate Minister of Immigration
18 Hon Nathan Guy
Minister of Immigration
Minister for Racing
Minister of Veterans Affairs
Associate Minister for Primary Industries
19 Hon Craig Foss
Minister of Commerce
Minister of Broadcasting
Associate Minister for ACC
Associate Minister of Education
20 Amy Adams
Minister of Internal Affairs
Minister for Communications and Information Technology
Associate Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery
MINISTERS OUTSIDE CABINET
21 Hon Maurice Williamson
Minister for Building and Construction
Minister of Customs
Minister for Land Information
Minister of Statistics
22 Chris Tremain
Minister of Civil Defence
Minister of Consumer Affairs
Associate Minister of Tourism
Associate Minister of Transport
23 Jo Goodhew
Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector
Minister for Senior Citizens
Minister of Womens Affairs
Associate Minister of Health
24 Chester Borrows
Minister of Courts
Associate Minister of Justice
Associate Minister of Social Development
SUPPORT PARTY MINISTERS
Hon Peter Dunne
Minister of Revenue
Associate Minister of Conservation
Associate Minister of Health
Hon John Banks
Minister for Regulatory Reform
Minister for Small Business
Associate Minister of Commerce
Associate Minister of Education
Hon Dr Pita Sharples
Minister of Maori Affairs
Associate Minister of Corrections
Associate Minister of Education
Hon Tariana Turia
Minister for Whanau Ora
Minister for Disability Issues
Associate Minister of Health
Associate Minister of Housing
Associate Minister for Social Development
Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and
Employment
