A New Zealand Member of Parliament with blood connections to Samoa, Carmel Sepuloni, is back in Cabinet, that country's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday.

Revealing her Cabinet and Government following a landslide win on Election night last month, Ms. Ardern said her team has an “enhanced and coordinated health team” and a “senior and coordinated economic team.”

Ms. Sepuloni has been given the Arts Culture and Heritage Portfolio, which Ms. Ardern held last term and will be moving to Associate Minister this term. She is number six on Labour Party’s list.

Ms. Sepuloni will maintain the Social Development and Employment, the Accident Compensation Corporation, and Disability Issues portfolios which she held last term.

Her father’s side hails from Vailele, and in 2003 Ms. Sepuloni taught at Robert Louis Stevenson school for a year.

She is the Member of Parliament for Kelston in Auckland, and won her seat back with an overwhelming majority of the vote: 17,594 against her opponent Bala Beeram’s 5,383.

Ms. Sepuloni’s office has been approached for a comment.

The Minister of Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio is retaining his role but as a Minister outside of Cabinet. 

He is carrying over his work in the Courts and Justice sectors, this term as the Minister for Courts after being the Associate last term, and continuing as Associate Minister for Justice. 

Aupito is also the Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs, under the first ever woman to hold the role of Minister, Nanaia Mahuta.

Finally he is the Associate Minister of Education, and Health with a specific Pacific Peoples portfolio.

Another experienced Parliamentarian, Tokelauan Kris Faafoi is holding onto his Broadcasting and Media, and Immigration portfolios and taking on the Minister of Justice.

Cook Islander Poto Williams is taking on a large portfolio, as the Minister for Building and Construction and Minister of Police. She is also the Associate Minister for Children, and Housing with a specific focus on public housing. 

Ms. Ardern announced her Deputy Prime Minister will be Minister of Finance Grant Robertson, who also carries the Infrastructure, Racing, and Sport and Recreation portfolios.

The Prime Minister herself will also be the Minister for National Security and Intelligence, Child Poverty Reduction, and is the Minister responsible for ministerial services. 

“The next three years will be very challenging for New Zealand. With the global outlook worsening we won't be immune to the ongoing impact Covid is having around the world,” she said on Monday.

“In what will be a difficult environment it's critical we have our most experienced ministers leading the ongoing Covid response to keep New Zealanders safe from the virus and to accelerate our plan for economic recovery.”

She named Chris Hipkins as Minister for the COVID-19 response, and Andrew Little the Health Minister. 

 

 The full Cabinet list is printed below:

Jacinda Ardern

Prime Minister

Minister for Child Poverty Reduction

Minister for National Security and Minister Responsible for Ministerial

Intelligence Services

Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage

 

Grant Robertson

Minister of Finance

Minister for Infrastructure

Minister for Racing

Minister for Sport and Recreation

 

Kelvin Davis

Minister for Māori Crown Relations

Associate Minister of Education (Māori education)

Minister for Children

Minister of Corrections

 

Megan Woods

Minister of Housing

Associate Minister of Finance

Minister of Energy and Resources

Minister of Research, Science and Innovation

 

Chris Hipkins

Minister for Covid-19 Response

Leader of the House

Minister of Education

Minister for the Public Service

 

Carmel Sepuloni

Minister for Social Development and Employment

Minister for ACC

Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage

Minister for Disability Issues

 

Andrew Little

Minister of Health

Minister Responsible for the GCSB

Minister Responsible for the NZSIS

Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations

Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry

 

David Parker

Attorney-General           

Associate Minister of Finance

Minister for the Environment       

Minister for Oceans and Fisheries

Minister of Revenue

 

Nanaia Mahuta

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Associate Minister for Māori Development

Minister of Local Government

 

Poto Williams

Minister for Building and Construction

Associate Minister for Children

Minister of Police

Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing)

 

Damien O’Connor

Minister of Agriculture

Minister for Biosecurity

Minister for Land Information

Minister for Rural Communities

Minister for Trade and Export Growth

 

Hon Stuart Nash

Minister for Economic and Regional Development

Minister of Forestry

Minister for Small Business

Minister of Tourism

 

Kris Faafoi

Minister of Justice

Minister for Broadcasting and Media

Minister of Immigration

 

Peeni Henare           

Minister of Defence

Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health)

Minister for Whānau Ora

Associate Minister of Housing (Māori Housing)

Associate Minister of Tourism

 

Willie Jackson

Minister for Māori Development 

Associate Minister for ACC

Associate Minister of Justice

 

Jan Tinetti 

Minister of Internal Affairs

Associate Minister of Education

Minister for Women

 

Michael Wood

Minister of Transport      

Deputy Leader of the House

Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety

 

Kiri Allan

Minister of Conservation

Minister for Emergency Management

Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage

Associate Minister for the Environment

 

David Clark

Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications

Minister for State Owned Enterprises Minister of Statistics

Minister Responsible for the Earthquake Commission

 

Ayesha Verrall

Minister for Food Safety

Associate Minister of Health

Minister for Seniors

Associate Minister of Research, Science and Innovation

 

Ministers outside cabinet                             

 

Aupito William Sio

Minister for Courts         

Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs

Minister for Pacific Peoples          

Associate Minister of Education (Pacific Peoples)

Associate Minister of Justice

Associate Minister of Health (Pacific Peoples)

 

Meka Whaitiri

Minister of Customs

Associate Minister of Agriculture

Minister for Veterans (Animal Welfare)

 

Associate Minister of Statistics

 

Phil Twyford

Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control

Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth

Associate Minister for the Environment Associate Minister of Immigration

 

Priyanca Radhakrishnan

Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector

Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment

Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities       

Minister for Youth

Co-operation agreement ministers

 

Marama Davidson

Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence

Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness)

 

James Shaw

Minister of Climate Change

Associate Minister for the Environment (Biodiversity)

 

Parliamentary under-secretaries

 

Rino Tirikatene

Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries

Minister for Trade and Export Growth (Māori Trade)

 

Deborah Russell

Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister of Revenue