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National

Prime position: Willow-Jean joins cabinet, after Nash sacking

Conservation Minister Willow-Jean Prime is to join the cabinet following former police minister Stuart Nash's removal.

It will be the first time in New Zealand's history that half the cabinet are women, and Prime (Te Kapotai, Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi) will add to the already record number of five Māori cabinet ministers.

"If you look at the portfolios that Willow-Jean currently holds, including health delegations, being the minister of conservation - it was a combination of her skills as a person and the portfolios," Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said at his post-cabinet press conference today.

The other portfolios being re-distributed include forestry, which will go to Peeni Henare and Economic Development will be picked up by Barbara Edmonds.

Meka Whaitiri will continue to coordinate Cyclone Recovery efforts in Nash's Hawke's Bay electorate.

Besides the cabinet re-shuffle Hipkins also unveiled a broadening of immigration's straight-to-residence pathway, which will allow applicants from 32 additional health sector jobs to have certainty about being able to migrate and stay in Aotearoa.

There had been progress in hiring health workers and raising their pay, including through changes to pay equity, but there was still more work to be done to bring in workers from other countries, Hipkins said.

"It is vital that New Zealand's immigration settings are not seen as an unnecessary barrier to workers wanting to make a life here in New Zealand."

Prime has been a strong advocate for Māori issues and tino rangatiratanga since being elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Northland electorate in the 2017 general election.

She has held a number of roles within the Labour Party, including secretariat roles for local government, consumer affairs and women's affairs.

Before entering politics, Prime worked as a lawyer and served as a councillor on the Far North District Council.

"Willow's got up to speed very quickly with the new portfolios that I gave her when I did the reshuffle... I'm sure she'll be a very active contributor around the cabinet table." Hipkins added.

Public Interest Journalism