MP Jo Luxton promoted in wake of Meka Whaitiri’s Labour exit

MP for Rangitata Jo Luxton has been promoted to a minister outside Cabinet, after Meka Whaitiri’s shock announcement she was leaving the Labour Party and her ministerial portfolios.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced the reshuffle to take up Whaitiri’s positions on Monday.

Luxton would be the customs minister and picked up associate portfolios of agriculture and education.

New minister Rachel Brooking would be taking up the food safety minister role and Peeni Henare would be the new veterans minister.

Kieran McAnulty would take up Whaitiri’s role as the Hawke’s Bay Lead Minister for Cyclone Recovery.

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Meanwhile, Nanaia Mahuta’s role as Waikato lead minister for cyclone recovery would be transferred to Michael Wood, on her request, Hipkins said.

In February, Luxton was “thrilled” to be promoted to Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the ministers of agriculture and education.

Former Labour minister Meka Whaitiri announced last week she would be leaving Labour and contesting Ikaroa-Rāwhiti for Te Pāti Māori in the upcoming election

Whaitiri’s resignation opened up a ministerial position outside Cabinet.

She held the portfolios of customs, food safety and veterans affairs. She was also associate minister for agriculture with responsibility for animal welfare, and statistics.

Hipkins’ last reshuffle was only last month, pulling Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime up into Cabinet and Rachel Brooking outside of Cabinet to fill the gap left by outgoing MP Stuart Nash.

It was less than a month after Ginny Andersen was promoted to police minister after Stuart Nash resigned from the role.

Whatiri’s resignation from Labour was a move which blindsided Hipkins and her Labour colleagues. The news broke while Hipkins was on a plane heading for London.

She formally announced her intentions at Waipatu Marae, near Hastings, leaving acting PM Carmel Sepuloni and Labour’s deputy leader Kelvin Davis to face media shortly after in Parliament.