Ryan Bridge: A clean up of cabinet is overdue

In February last year I wrote a piece for the Herald about government department and Ministerial overload.

It was partly informed by observation and partly by New Zealand Initiative paper on the subject.

Richard Shaw, Chris Eichbaum: Who wrote the cabinet paper recommending NZ not recognise a Palestinian state?

In the controversy and debate following Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ announcement at the United Nations last week that New Zealand would not yet recognise Palestine as a state, it was easy to overlook a small but telling detail.

The relevant cabinet paper containing the policy background and options, and recommending no change in the country’s current position, was “drafted by the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs”.

Mike Hoskinig: The deputy Prime Minister job doesn’t matter

The deputy Prime Minister debate has begun to occupy the bored.

Who will it be? David Seymour, Winston Peters or Nicola Willis?

As the jobs at the highest level get divvied up there are some jobs to pay attention to and deputy Prime Minister isn't one of them.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 4/11/23

Hipkins congratulates another second-placed team – the one that he captains – and promises it will provide tough opposition

Within 30 minutes of Point of Order posting its Buzz yesterday, the mainstream media were bursting with news of the final count from the 2023 General Election.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 15/7/23

Kiri Allan will resume ministerial duties on Monday (with some coaching in how to create a positive working environment)

Just one statement has been posted on the government’s official website, since Point of Order last checked what ministers have been doing.

This one was released in the name of the Prime Minister, although it included a statement from Kiri Allan, who will be returning to her ministerial duties on Monday.

The PM said he had met Allan yesterday to discuss her break from work and the allegations made against her.

Mike Hosking: We finally have a Cabinet - it's time they get on with it

 

Let’s be honest, the names attached to the portfolios isn’t of great interest to most of us.

From a personal point of view and given his attachment to the show, Stuart Nash has got to be happy with economic and regional development. Yes, he loses police and revenue but anything to do with the economy right now is as important as it gets and clearly reflects the PM’s view of his contribution.

But as for the rest of it there are a bunch of them in there that broadly you would believe they would have a clue as to what they are doing.

Robertson, Little, Parker, Hipkins, Woods and co are solid. You might not like their style of politics, but there experienced and they won’t end up like Clark or Curran or Lees-Galloway.

But in that latter is the key to all of this.

Heather du Plessis-Allan: 'Ardern has been brave'

You have to commend Jacinda Ardern for the cabinet line-up she’s managed to pull together, given all the things she’s has to balance in that party.

Finally, we’ve seen the backbone we’ve been hoping for.  Finally, Ardern has been brave enough to get Phil Twyford out of cabinet after wasting three years defending him and his lack of delivery.

She’s also been brave enough to give the deputy prime ministership to Grant Robertson over Kelvin Davis.  Maybe it’s true that Davis told her he didn’t want the job, maybe that’s just a convenient excuse for dumping him from a job that would normally be his.  But either way, that’s a loss for the very strong and very pushy Maori caucus, so regardless of the real reason, that would’ve created quite the balancing act for Ardern who would likely have had to compensate them.