Moving on to the cellphone ban . . .

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

The old saw that a week is a long time in politics proved to be correct for two Cabinet ministers whose dismissal was the highlight of a busy seven days.

Minister of Broadcasting Melissa Lee was sent packing, also dropping out of Cabinet, while Penny Simmonds lost her disabilities portfolio.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said there had been significant changes which made it necessary that the portfolios be held by senior Cabinet ministers.

But the general interpretation was that the two had been sacked because they were incompetent. It was also seen as a sign of how Luxon would run his government, acting more like a business leader — as in his former role of head of Air New Zealand.

The safe pairs of hands brought in were Paul Goldsmith for broadcasting and Louise Upston for disabilities.

While Goldsmith was an obvious choice, Upston’s appointment was a sign that she has the confidence of the Prime Minister and is something of a rising star in Cabinet.

Upston already has a busy portfolio, being responsible for carrying out the Government’s plan to aggressively pursue benefit sanctions, a sphere in which she produced some alarming statistics — including that some teenagers were forecast to spend 24 years of their lives on a benefit, something she said that she was not prepared to accept.

The forecast, prepared by consultants Taylor Fry, said younger people were staying on benefits for longer, independent of market conditions. There were 2031 people on a youth benefit,  0.5 percent of total beneficiaries.

The public’s attention will not be focused on Upston this week, as the second school term brings in the Government’s total ban on cellphones — a subject that already has social media and radio talkback in overdrive.

Under the regulations, schools must ensure that students do not use a phone at school — including lunch time and breaks — with some exemptions. Students are required to leave their phones in their bags at all times, or in locked pouches.

Considering the skill and speed with which young people use their phones, one suspects that it is going to be a challenge for teachers to enforce.

Opinions about the ban have been mixed, with some claiming that schools already have adequate controls, while others point out that New Zealand students are among the worst in the world for distractions.

However, the Secondary Principals Association said schools that have already started the ban were reporting less distraction and more interaction on the playground, with a lot of children playing sport or heading for the library.