New Minister Guy 'has proven himself': Key

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National's senior whip Nathan Guy has been appointed as Internal Affairs Minister to replace Richard Worth, Prime Minister John Key said today.

Mr Guy will be a minister outside Cabinet and take up Dr Worth's portfolios of Archives NZ, National Library and associate justice minister.

He will also hold the new position of associate transport minister.

Maurice Williamson, who temporarily looked after Dr Worth's portfolios after he lost his ministerial positions, will retain Land Information.

Mr Guy is the MP for Otaki and first entered Parliament in 2005.

He was junior whip from November 2006 and has been senior whip since February last year.

Mr Key said he looked forward to welcoming Mr Guy to the Executive.

"He has proven himself to be an able senior whip and member of the National Party caucus," Mr Key said.

Mr Guy said the appointment was a huge honour.

"I was rapt to receive a phone call from the Prime Minister offering me the opportunity to become a minister outside Cabinet, which of course I accepted."

A new whip will be elected tomorrow by National MPs.

Dr Worth resigned as an MP late on Friday after earlier being asked to resign as a minister when it emerged that he was under police investigation over allegations of a sexual nature involving a Korean business woman.

A second allegation was also made against Dr Worth by a member of the Labour Party.

The woman involved, Neelam Choudary, alleged that between November and February, Dr Worth sent dozens of text messages, some sexually explicit, and called her numerous times.

In a public statement she also said Dr Worth offered her jobs in his ministerial capacity.

Eight things you didn't know about Nathan Guy:

1. He was the National party's Senior Whip and MP for Otaki.
2. He was first elected in 2005.
3. He was tipped as "future Cabinet material" by John Key after last November's election.
4. He was a Horowhenua District Councillor for eight years.
5. He was educated in Levin, attended Waiopehu College, and holds a Bachelor of Agriculture and Diploma of Rural Studies from Massey University.
6. He is 39, married to Erica, and has three young children.
7. He has a firearms licence and uses a rifle for rabbit control.
8. In 2000, he was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to study beef exports to the United States.

- NZPA, NZHERALD STAFF