The Government's not-so-minor reshuffle yesterday recognises KiwiBuild as the "nightmare" it's been criticised as, 1 NEWS political editor Jessica Mutch McKay says.
She joined TVNZ1's Breakfast to unpack what went down yesterday, saying the big change was Phil Twyford being "stripped" from his position as housing minister.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is changing tack with the housing portfolio, taking the responsibility away from Mr Twyford, and instead sharing the load between a team of five - to be headed by Megan Woods.
In the new team Mr Twyford handles urban development, Kris Faafoi takes on homelessness and social housing, while Nanaia Mahuta carries on with Māori housing and Jenny Salesa stays with building and construction.
Megan Woods and Kris Faafoi are joining the under-fire Phil Twyford as the Government tries to tackle the housing crisis. (Source: Other)
"I think what we saw from this is the biggest signal from the Government that KiwiBuild simply is a bit of a nightmare for them and they admit that," Mutch McKay said. "But instead of trying to move on and reset they're saying "right, we're going to pump three ministers into this, we're going to pump even more resources into this, and we're going to try and fix it".
"Now it's a blow for Phil Twyford, he's had that housing portfolio stripped from him," she said. "He hasn't been demoted though, he's kept his rank and he's picking up another portfolio (in economic development) as well but a sign that it just wasn't working - the Prime Minister saying it was simply too big for one person."
Mutch McKay said Ms Woods was "a safe pair of hands", but would have a hefty workload with keeping her Christchurch rejuvenation hat and Energy portfolio.
In the next few weeks she is expected to announce a reset on KiwiBuild, the Government's response to the housing crisis.
But Mutch McKay believes Ms Woods does have "the fire" to take on the role. "We saw an example of that yesterday when she got up actually and she was firing in the house ... you thought "yeah, this is a person who's had a little bit of a confidence boost and is hungry to get into it.
1 NEWS Political Editor Jessica Mutch McKay has the details of Jacinda Ardern’s Cabinet reshuffle. (Source: Other)
"She is seen as that safe pair of hands and I think after the Christchurch terror attacks she proved to be calm in a crisis."
Despite National's reshuffle involving a change in finance spokesperson, the implications from the Government's changes yesterday would be far more wide reaching, Mutch McKay said.
"The Prime Minister framed it as a minor reshuffle, but as she is prone to perhaps trying to manage expectations, it ended up being reasonably big," she said. "Her version of minor and our version of minor is perhaps a little different."
Another big change was for Mr Faafoi who comes into Cabinet as an associate minister with the responsibility of public housing.
The former 1 NEWS journalist was previously a minister outside Cabinet. He will also hold onto his broadcasting portfolio.
But his promotion means there are now 14 out of 20 Cabinet ministers who are male - something Ms Ardern addressed yesterday at the post-Cabinet meeting by saying it wasn't good enough.
"Poto Williams has come in as a minister outside Cabinet so there are people there waiting in the wings," Mutch McKay said, "but for a Prime Minister who has been really big on this, it will be disappointing that it's only a third of women represented at that top table."
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