IT’S LABOUR’S WEEKEND!
A new Cabinet, noodles and getting enough sleep
Jacinda Ardern says she will stay in touch with Winston Peters over the long weekend to discuss details of the coalition Cabinet she is forming as incoming Prime Minister.
She has already finalised the Green Party’s ministerial posts outside Cabinet which remain under wraps until Wednesday.
But they are thought to include the hefty climate change portfolio for leader James Shaw, conservation for Eugenie Sage and some kind of transport responsibility for Julie Anne Genter.
Peters’ New Zealand First party may stake a claim on the larger transport portfolio with its special interest in ports and rail and regional development.
It has four Cabinet spots and Peters is expected to take up the job of Deputy Prime Minister in a deal Ardern has cast as a “partnership”.
“I’ll be having [ conversations] with him over the weekend,” Ardern said yesterday.
Ardern named her own ministers yesterday, 16 elected to Cabinet by the caucus and five appointed by her outside Cabinet. But of the 21 Labour ministers only seven are women.
That is fewer than National which had nine in total. Ardern said she is not happy with the gender imbalance.
“We will continue to try and make sure we see that reflected as they come up . . . in caucus and Cabinet.”
The Cabinet ministers, besides Ardern, are David Clark, Clare Curran, Kelvin Davis, Chris Hipkins, Iain Lees- Galloway, Andrew Little, Nanaia Mahuta, Stuart Nash, Damien O’Connor, David Parker, Grant Robertson, Jenny Salesa, Carmel Sepuloni, Phil Twyford and Megan Woods.
Those outside Cabinet are Kris Faafoi, Peeni Henare, Willie Jackson, Aupito William Sio and Meka Whaitiri.
Ardern i s expecting to be sworn in as Prime Minister on Thursday.
“It will be a powerful Government. It will be one that brings real experience.”
She called Governor- General Dame Patsy Reddy yesterday to inform her she had the numbers to form a Government after Peters’ announcement on Thursday that his party would support a Labour- led Government.
She has received international media attention. She has spoken to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, had a congratulatory tweet from Canada’s Justin Trudeau, and was to speak to British Prime Minister Theresa May last night — likely about trade and security issues, she said.
She has not heard from the fifth Five Eyes partner, United States President Donald Trump, but she i s due to meet Trump in Vietnam at the Apec summit in three weeks.
On Tuesday, Ardern i s scheduled to release and sign the coalition deal with New Zealand First and the confidence and supply deal with the Green Party.
Concessions have been emerging from various sources since the Thursday announcement and yesterday Ardern confirmed that she had secured the support of both parties to ditch National’s tax cuts and implement Labour’s alternative families package within the first 100 days.
“We are retaining our policy on . . . the families package,” she said.
“That means dumping National’s plans and replacing it with Labour’s tax package which i s substantially more generous to lower- middle- income families.”
The Greens have also secured a referendum on the personal use of cannabis.
Asked about her views on republicanism at a press conference, Ardern said there would be no moves in that area on her watch as Prime Minister in the next three years.
“It is not a priority for New Zealanders. I will not be making it a priority for New Zealanders.
“I’ve been of the view that [ a conversation and debate needs to be had] around whether or not it is time in future to move towards a republic.”
But she said her position had heavy caveats: “First and foremost we need to talk about the role of the Crown with Maori. That’s essential. It would be premature to move too far before that happens.”
Former Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark has paid tribute to Ardern’s achievement — becoming Prime Minister 80 days after taking over the Labour leadership.
She expected Ardern would be able to manage the relationship with Peters well — Clark herself had found him an exemplary partner from 2005 to 2008.
“If Winston gave his word he kept his word. We were never let down, never surprised and I think that he very much wants to be and should be treated for the very senior New Zealand politician that he is and doesn’t want to be taken for granted, ever,” she told the Weekend Herald.
“That may have [ factored] in the way the coalition negotiations worked out.”
Having good faith and good process were “absolutely everything”.
“If your partner feels surprised, if they feel something was done in their name that they never agreed to, that’s bad.
“But Jacinda has a very consultative style so I’m not anticipating . . . issues there.”