Editorial: Bill English needs a new-look cabinet to signal a fresh political approach

Editorial

The new cabinet Prime Minister Bill English unveils tomorrow will be assembled with two objectives in mind.

The lineup will need to be sufficiently fresh to distinguish it from the ministry which served his predecessor John Key. To satisfy this purpose, he can be expected to promote some ministers and challenge them with tasks that he might want undertaken with greater energy or better performance.

The other mission English will want to accomplish is to construct a team which he can confidently expect to lead into the next election, possibly towards the end of 2017.

The new Prime Minister will not want to announce a lineup only to find sometime next year that his initial appointments were mistaken and that the job he assigned was beyond the capacity of his choice.

The odds of this outcome are probably low. English has been in Government long enough to know the abilities of the politicians in his team.

His opportunity to project a rejuvenated lineup have been helped by impending departures and retirements. Key of course is going, and so is Education Minister Hekia Parata, Local Government Minister Sam Lotu-Inga and Small Business Minister Craig Foss, who while not in the cabinet, was a member of the executive.

Political veteran and Foreign Minister Murray McCully is also heading for the exit door, but he presents a special case for retaining in place until the country goes to the polls.
English does not have an international profile.

He may need to keep McCully on deck as he gets his face known to foreign leaders.

The one job English has confirmed is that of Government heavyweight Steven Joyce, who takes over as finance minister. Joyce is an influential figure in National, and heading into this weekend's reshuffle held no fewer than seven portfolios.

He will no doubt relinquish some of these duties as he picks up the finance reins, but his importance to the success or otherwise of the English administration means he will remain a core member of the Prime Minister's 'kitchen cabinet', a tight group upon whose shoulders rests the Government's electoral fortunes.

New Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett is naturally a member of this inner circle. She currently is in charge of the Government's climate change strategy and is Minister of State Services and Social Housing.

English is big on the idea of social investment, which aims to get to grips with the billions invested in welfare and find ways to get people off dependency. Bennett could find herself with this task.

Jonathan Coleman and Simon Bridges, who both were briefly in the succession contests last week, could expect promotions.

They are competent - Coleman in health, Bridges in transport - and part of the renewal process. They can expect higher slots in the cabinet pecking order, and to join the group close to English. Another tipped for elevation is Justice Minister Amy Adams, who has been deft and brisk in her handling of potentially tricky issues.

Battle-scarred Housing Minister Nick Smith - a friend of English - could be a casualty if the judgment is made that housing policy needs runs on the board.

English faces pressure points. Immigration needs attention, as migrant abuse scandals reveal, and as record arrival numbers place strains on services. Auckland's pressing needs in housing and transport require the attention of diligent political managers, especially heading into election year.

His selections for these tasks will be watched closely. They could define the fate of his ministry.