Andrew Bayly National's new 'Treasurer'; Michael Woodhouse Finance Spokesperson

National's new list: Bayly and Woodhouse shoot up the ranks to get top financial roles; Goldsmith and Brownlee demoted; Collins strikes balance between fresh faces and political experience

11th Nov 20, 12:53pm by Jenée Tibshraeny

National Party Leader Judith Collins has appointed Michael Woodhouse Finance Spokesperson and given Andrew Bayly a new position of Treasurer as well as Revenue.

Bayly has shot up the ranks from 17th to third on the list, while Woodhouse is up from 12th to fourth.

Collins said Bayly would oversee issues around tax, budget preparation and review, KiwiSaver and monetary policy.

Woodhouse will monitor government expenditure and debt.

Both Woodhouse and Bayly are Chartered Accountants. Bayly has experience in merchant banking and listing companies on the stock exchange. One of Woodhouse's previous roles includes being the CEO of Mercy Hospital.

Neither Collins' number two (Shane Reti) nor number three (Bayly) have been government ministers before. However Louise Upston, Todd McClay and Simon Bridges bring political experience at numbers five, six and seven.

McClay has key roles of Economic Development, Small Business, Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Tourism.

Chris Bishop loses Transport to Woodhouse, but picks up Covid-19 Response and Shadow Leader of the House at eight.

Nicola Willis, who worked with Bishop to roll Bridges so Todd Muller could be Leader, has the roles of Housing and Urban Development and RMA (Housing) at number 16.

Collins has demoted key players who under-performed before the election.

Former Finance Spokesperson, Paul Goldsmith, whose pre-election budget had a number of holes, has been pushed down the list to number 12 and given the role of Education.

Former Deputy Leader and election campaign chair, Gerry Brownlee, has fallen to 15. He has the roles of GCSB/NZSIS and Foreign Affairs.

Muller is down to 19, with the roles of Trade and Export and Internal Affairs.

Mark Mitchell, who’s been talked about as someone with leadership ambitions, is well down the list at 13. He has the roles of Public Service, SOEs and Sports and Recreation.

Christopher Luxon - the former Air New Zealand CEO new to politics, but talked about as having leadership potential - is near the bottom of the 33-person list at 30. He has the roles of Local Government and Iwi Development.

Here's the party's top 10:

Judith Collins: National Security and Intelligence; Pacific Peoples; Technology, Manufacturing and AI
Shane Reti: Health; Children
Andrew Bayly: Treasurer; Revenue; Infrastructure; Statistics
Michael Woodhouse: Finance; Transport; Duty Shadow Leader of the House
Louise Upston: Social Development and Employment; Social Investment; Whanau Ora; Land Information
Todd McClay: Economic Development; Small Business; Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Tourism
Simon Bridges: Justice; Water; Maori Crown Relations; Pike River Re-Entry
Chris Bishop: Covid-19 Response; Shadow Leader of the House
Melissa Lee: Broadcasting and Media; Digital Economy and Communications; Ethnic Communities
Scott Simpson: Environment; Workplace Relations; RMA (Environment)

See the list in full here.

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10 Comments

by Just a farmer | 11th Nov 20, 1:21pm 1605054088

I didn’t vote National but I gave Andrew Bayly a tick for my electorate this time around.
He comfortably won our electorate seat despite the party vote going red in our area like most others.
He has been a real hard worker especially trying to solve all the issues caused when our electorate was cut in half during the Auckland lock down.
Hopefully this re-shuffle will be a good step to making National a credible opposition party again.

by morphyoss | 11th Nov 20, 1:28pm 1605054495

I think its fair to say - this is Judith's revenge. She has demoted the most experienced because they are a threat to her and It will do nothing to heal their internal strife and make them electable again.

I suspect Labour have just secured their third term.

by tim52 | 11th Nov 20, 1:50pm 1605055800

That's one view. I would say it's giving the left overs from the Key government their marching orders. Over half of the top 10 are new faces and Luxton (at one time the next JK) no where to be seen.
I see this as response to getting crushed and realising you need to make big changes and possibly more Key government without JK himself to lead it is not wanted by the electorate.

by morphyoss | 11th Nov 20, 2:37pm 1605058634

Thats a fair view, but to have such a lack of experience in critical roles such as Finance really is a big concern. National have already tarnished their brand in this area and they need to have a safe pair of hands to restore what's left of their reputation. Instead they have split the role between an unknown and an MP who was sacked from their shadow portfolio recently.

Labour is going to be able to run rings around them in this area.

by muzled | 11th Nov 20, 1:56pm 1605056205

Thought Paora Goldsmith might have got Treaty Negotiations and Māori-Crown Relations.

Reti seems pretty good, be surprised if he didn't win his seat back next time.

by Lanthanide | 11th Nov 20, 1:58pm 1605056291

Surprised she demoted Bridges so much.

Helen Clark kept Cullen at a high ranking, following the adage of "keep your friends close but your enemies closer".

by Uninterested | 11th Nov 20, 3:02pm 1605060144

Its fantastic though, he had been "educated" to become the National Parties Belt and Road advocate. To not have him anywhere near the future purse strings of NZ is fantastic news. Makes National much more electable.

by Zack Brando | 11th Nov 20, 2:33pm 1605058411

I guess Michael Woodhouse has moved on from trying to out homeless people from hotels.

by Chairman Moa | 11th Nov 20, 5:37pm 1605069462

The National ship has a hole in the hull and they are trying to plug it with toilet paper. It will work, said Jude.

by Foxglove. | 11th Nov 20, 8:32pm 1605079921

Mr Brownlee goes from #2 to #15 but regains foreign affairs or alternatively, does that mean foreign affairs, accorded to the Deputy Prime Minister in the last government is not of much chop in National’s priorities? Recall Mr McCully in the Key government enjoyed that portfolio with a much higher cabinet ranking and in the final days he was succeeded by Mr Brownlee. On the other hand could it be that old campaigners such as the two aforementioned, revel in the international theatre of the role, first class flying, seven star hotels, cuisine for the gods, and don’t include anything like Outer Mongolia or the Kryzbekistan on the agenda, thank you very much.