New Zealand PM reshuffles cabinet ahead of November election

02/04/2026

New Zealand PM reshuffles cabinet ahead of November election

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

WELLINGTON, April 2, (Xinhua): New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon reshuffled his cabinet on Thursday ahead of the Nov 7 general election. The reshuffle brings new talent to tackle economic challenges from the Middle East conflicts and global fuel disruptions, Luxon said in a statement.

"The past few weeks have underlined how important energy security is, and as such, I will be elevating the energy portfolio to senior minister Simeon Brown," Luxon said. The changes also bring Chris Penk into the cabinet as the defense minister.