Below the Beltway

Here’s who is up and down after a week of politics during a recess week.

UP

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who was at the Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu, for not so subtly calling out Australia on its commitment on climate change in relation to a transition away from coal. ‘‘Australia has to answer to the Pacific. That is a matter for them,’’ she said. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Environment Minister

David Parker, above, who announced councils will soon be required to protect New Zealand’s best food-growing soils under new Government policy.

Christopher Luxon’s aspirations for a political takeoff are flying high. All indications are he won’t have much difficulty finding himself a safe National seat. And this week National Party sources said the outgoing Air New Zealand chief executive could be groomed to contest Paula Bennett’s Upper Harbour seat.

DOWN

Statistics Minister James Shaw may not be to blame for the resignation of Chief Statistician Liz MacPherson over the botched census, but there were still calls for him to take more responsibility for his part in the handling of the Census 2018 debacle.

Ardern after her mix-up moment while making an announcement with Labour’s Employment Minister Willie Jackson. She got confused and referred to him as Shane Jones, the NZ First MP and minister for regional economic development.

It wasn’t a good look for Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis when a letter written by the man accused of the Christchurch mosque attacks was posted in an online messaging board popular with white supremacists. That was followed by a second letter from ‘‘a prisoner holding extremist views’’, this time sent from Christchurch Men’s Prison.