The inevitable sacking of Willow-Jean

The Herald reports:

MP Willow-Jean Prime has lost education in a reshuffle of the Labour Party’s shadow Cabinet, with the portfolio being handed to Ginny Andersen. …

Her credibility in the education portfolio came under scrutiny last year after the Herald revealed she had initially ignored and then declined briefings on the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) change programme.

I don’t think I have ever seen such political incompetence. She ignored and then declined multiple personal invites from the Minister on a vital education issue. And then when the changes are announced, Labour claims they should have been consulted and discover she turned down every opportunity offered her.

Camilla Belich is the party’s new justice spokeswoman. Justice was a portfolio held by Duncan Webb, who is leaving politics.

Belich is competent, and will be one to watch.

Another interesting aspect of Labour’s line up is that Hipkins doesn’t seem to trust his own deputy leader with any significant portfolio. Normally a deputy leader will have one of the real heavy hitting portfolios. Cullen had Finance, King had Social Development, Robertson had Finance. Parker had Finance and AG. Ardern had Justice.

But Sepuloni has three minor portfolios – Auckland, Women and Pacific. The Auckland portfolio is just a co-ordinating role. There is no ministry or power. Women and Pacific are tiny ministries with 42 and 89 staff respectively. These are roles normally held by the no 20 ranked spokesperson, not no 2.

Why does Sepuloni not have Social Development, or Justice, or Education etc? Why does the deputy leader have basically no significant portfolios?

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