National Leader Judith Collins Reveals Caucus Shakeup: Bridges Rejects Finances, Muller Down List

Judith Collins has promoted Michael Woodhouse to her finance spokesperson after Simon Bridges turned down the position due to Collins’ plan to split the regular finance portfolio into two roles.

Collins presented his caucus shakeup this afternoon flanked by Woodhouse, new deputy leader Shane Reti and new No. 5 Louise Upston. The top 10 is made up of seven men and three women.

It has seen Bridges stay down in the rankings, Andrew Bayly at No. 3 and former leader Todd Muller at No. 19.

Bayley, a certified public accountant and loyalist to Collins, will serve as shadow treasurer and take over the infrastructure and statistics portfolios. Collins said the role was similar to the Australian deal and that he would work closely with Woodhouse on finance.

She would be “a powerhouse in my opinion.”

It is understood that Bridges was initially offered the finance position, but turned it down because he did not believe Collins’s decision to split the portfolio into two roles would work.

The move has cost him a spot in the top five with Collins ranking him at No. 7 and giving him justice, water, Pike River re-entry and Maori-crown relations.

When asked why Bridges was not assigned foreign affairs, Collins said, “These are decisions that I make.” She declined to discuss whether she offered Bridges financing.

Former finance spokesman Paul Goldsmith was educated and downgraded to 12.

Paul Goldsmith retained the financial portfolio, but is believed to have lost it after the $ 4 billion “fiscal hole” mistake in National’s plan during the election campaign.

Collins said Goldsmith was “absolutely interested” in getting into education, when asked why he was only given a folder.

Muller has also been dropped from the list and given trade and export growth and home affairs.

In addition to finances, Woodhouse has received transportation and is the House’s deputy shadow leader.

Louise Upston has stuck to social development and is number 5.

Collins has taken over Homeland Security and Intelligence, Pacific Peoples and Tech, while Rep. Shane Reti will stay healthy and take over the children’s portfolio.

Mark Mitchell has been ranked number 13 and will hold the utility, state business, and sports and recreation portfolios.

Collins said all five new MPs were assigned a role and given a chance to show what they could do and that he had to treat them all the same, when asked about former Air NZ chief Christopher Luxon.

He is now the spokesperson for local government, iwi development and associated transportation.

She said “I hope so” when asked if she thought the reorganization had seared dissent in the caucus.

Parliamentarians react

Bayley said he had “great respect” for Finance Minister Grant Robertson and that it was “part of the job” to stand up to him in the House.

Collins said Nicola Willis, now No. 16, was very capable in the housing portfolio and said that in order for people to move up the rankings some people had to move down and said both she and Willis weren’t as concerned about ranking.

Reti said that the children’s folder would look at Oranga Tamariki.

Upston said a big part of the social investing focus would be how to get more New Zealanders back to work, not increase profits.

Divided role

Claire Trevett of The Herald revealed this week that Collins was considering splitting the finance role between former leader Bridges and Andrew Bayley.

The arrangement was likely loosely modeled on the Australian Treasurer and Finance Minister division, and had a brief appearance in New Zealand during the first New Zealand / national government of 1996 when Bill Birch was Finance Minister and Winston Peters was Treasurer. .

Typically, the Treasurer is responsible for overall tax policy, while the Minister of Finance is in charge of matters such as taxes and revenue.

Collins kept his lips tight on yesterday’s shakeup after being re-elected as leader, with Reti installed as a deputy.

He only confirmed that Reti would keep the health portfolio, but said he would seek to reward “talent, hard work and loyalty to the party” and promised it would be “surprising.”

After National’s disastrous electoral result, in which it obtained only 25.6 percent of the vote, the size of the party’s caucus was drastically reduced from 55 deputies in the last term to just 33 this time.