“The Prime Minister has some big calls to make today when he reshuffles his Cabinet. Here are a litany of failures he needs to take into account ahead of allocating portfolios,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

• Michael Wood in Transport: Wood has completely failed at implementing light rail. His “Road to Zero” campaign has seen road fatalities increase, the roads are covered in potholes and his only policy plan to lower speed limits, frustrating drivers, and lowering productivity.
• Chris Hipkins in Education: Hipkins has overseen the worst rates in truancy New Zealand has ever experienced. Bureaucrats at the Ministry of Education have ballooned while educational achievement has decreased.
• Andrew Little in Health: Waiting lists are long, medicines are inaccessible, our health system is divided by race and all Andy can do is get angry.
• Chris Hipkins in Police: The country is experiencing more than a ramraid a day and Hipkins has been unable to get the promised funds to businesses to protect themselves. Shop owners live in fear.
• Nanaia Mahuta in Local Government: Mahuta has overseen one of the most divisive pieces of legislation in New Zealand history. She dishonestly saw through an amendment that was a constitutional disgrace.
• Chris Hipkins as Leader of the House: As Leader of the House, Hipkins oversaw rushed legislation that was not subject to proper scrutiny and resulted in bad law making. Just look at Three Waters.
• Grant Robertson in Finance: Robertson cries about global inflation while refusing to take any responsibility for record food prices domestically that torpedo his arguments. He’s had a record tax take to spend on pet projects while New Zealanders are struggling and desperate to keep more of their own money.
• Chris Hipkins in Covid-19: A slow vaccine rollout, Auckland’s long lockdown, the Charlotte Bellis saga. Then there’s testing and tracing, which were disastrously ineffective as soon as they were properly tested. He may not hold the portfolio anymore but the damage he caused still has ripple effects and he should not be a minister.
• Kelvin Davis in Corrections: Davis has overseen a record number of prison assaults and his only policy plan is to lower the prison population at any cost to victims in the community.
• Chris Hipkins: Tertiary Education. The merger of Te Pukenga has been an expensive disaster. He has taken control from local communities and centralised it in Wellington.
• Willie Jackson in Broadcasting: Does this even need an explanation?

“It’s not just those who already hold Ministerial warrants that Hipkins should be aware of. There is a red alert for others.

• Duncan Webb: Conservation. One commentator speculated that Webb could be considered for Conservation Minister. ACT would like to remind New Zealanders that he once told media that eating whales and kiwi is perfectly acceptable. The idea is to save the endangered species, Duncan, not eat them.
• Deborah Russell: Associate Finance. Russell told businesses during the Covid-19 lockdown that if they were struggling it was probably because they were naïve people who should’ve kept working for someone else. She has no place as a Minister.

“The list of failures is long for Chris Hipkins to consider today, his biggest issue will be finding enough people to hold these important roles. New Zealanders need strong leadership. Simply dumping policies and going back to square one is not leadership. New Zealand families need policies that will lower crime, create unity instead of division and lower the cost of living for Kiwi families.”

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