All Smiles As Ministerial Employment Contracts Signed
Article and pictures by Kevin List
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New Minister Clayton Cosgrove and the Prime Minister
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Mr Peters and Mr Dunne
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Beneath an unsmiling portrait of Queen Victoria, a couple of likely lads in the shape of Winston Peters and Peter Dunne
made up the numbers for the third successive Labour/Jim Anderton Government.
The general vibe of the afternoon was cheery with Mr Peters flashing a magnificent smile as he went up for a handshake
with the Governor-General. Mr Dunne looked pretty chuffed as well, his dreams no doubt filled with tax spreadsheets and
plans for common sense revenue gathering.
Later that evening Mr Dunne's smile may have wilted somewhat as he read the latest political column from his former law
and order spokesperson, Mr Marc Alexander. Mr Alexander hypothesised that United Future would be a party of one after
the next election and that due to losing "two useless appendages" Mr Dunne would be "liberated from endless soliloquies
about the perils of the great moral outrages of the day."
Many of the cheery folk enjoying a balmy spring evening at Government House may also have had their spirits somewhat
dampened by the news that the national carrier (Air NZ) wants to dump a few hundred or so jobs.
However, for a few glorious hours the prospect of eyeballing Don Brash and Gerry Brownlee from close quarters in the
House slipped into a hazy background. Instead there would have been the thought of who would enjoy the sea views of
Wellington Harbour in Bowen House and who would be enjoying the disorienting lift ride up to the higher floors of the
Beehive.
If the Devil was planning to get Ministers such as Steve Maharey or Annette King on-side then this was possibly his only
window of opportunity. There seemed little chance that these gluttons for punishment would have idle hands in their new
Education and Police portfolios.
Probably the biggest smiles of the evening were reserved for those storming the bastions of the Beehive for either the
first time (Winnie Laban, Clayton Cosgrove and David Parker) or the honourable member who was returning after a wee
spell on the sidelines - Lianne Dalziel.
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There were no slip ups during the calling of the Minister's names – just good quality diction
Returning to the ministerial gang - Lianne Dalziel
Mahara Okeroa is contemplative during the ceremony
David Cunliffe enjoys the moment before stepping into the Minister of Immigration's shoes
Winnie Laban and Peter Dunne
Clayton Cosgrove heads off for some ministerial mingling
Gluttons for punishment - Steve Maharey is off to tackle Education while Annette King takes over the Police portfolio
Parekura Horomia (Maori Affairs) and Ruth Dyson (Labour) are all smiles
The class of 2005
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ENDS