Press Gallery journalists surround then PM Helen Clark as meets Shrek the sheep in 2004. Photo / Ross Setford
Press Gallery journalists surround then PM Helen Clark as meets Shrek the sheep in 2004. Photo / Ross Setford
The week saw a leadership change at Parliament, but not in a political party, Ayesha Verrall pumped some weights, and the Press Gallery marked its 150th anniversary
Tuesday: Leadership changes at Parliament
While we all wait for the drama of a leadership change of a political party, the NZ Herald'sPress Gallery team has stepped into the vacuum.
The NZ Herald's long-standing political editor Audrey Young decided to step aside and into a new role as a senior political correspondent. Beehive Diaries' author Claire Trevett was appointed the political editor.
Labour Minister David Parker greeted the news with "the queen is dead, long live the queen".
It was far from a bloodthirsty coup, although there were some leaks.
Trevett noted echoes of the 2016 handover from former PM John Key, who gave his job on a platter to his deputy Bill English.
Yes, I am writing about myself in the third person, something NZ First leader Winston Peters once said was a sign of a narcissist (he also used to do it himself on occasion).
Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins took the chance of the recess week for a couple of days off, leaving associate health minister Ayesha Verrall in charge of the weekly press conference.
Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall gets her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Verrall had had the second round of the Pfizer vaccination a few days earlier, and revealed she had made the mistake of going to the gym for a weights session soon after it.
"I would really encourage people not to hit the gym straight after getting the vaccine. I had quite a sore arm after lifting some heavy weights and a slight rash on my arm for a day or so. I felt a little tired, but otherwise I felt totally fine."
Asked at the end of the presser how much she had lifted, she laughed and said: "You should ask how many reps. that was a slightly more impressive number than the amount lifted."
Friday: Press Gallery Turns 150
Press Gallery journalists surround then PM Helen Clark as meets Shrek the sheep in 2004. Photo / Ross Setford
The Press Gallery marked its 150th birthday with a glitzy do at Te Papa for about 350 people.
It was attended by Press Gallery journalists past and present, as well as a number of MPs, and every living former Prime Minister (other than Dame Jenny Shipley, who could not make it).
Spare a thought for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, whose speaking slot was not until 9.30pm by which point the liquid refreshments would have well and truly flowed.
It could have gone either way for her but this was written before the event, so we cannot tell you which.
The poor old battered National Party is going through a troubled period, but Beehive Diaries has a bouquet for them.
The party's northern regional conference is on today, and the party has stuck with its practice of letting media sit in for the bulk of the meeting, including talks by education spokesman Paul Goldsmith and on infrastructure by Christopher Luxon.
The media are understandably locked out of the most sensitive internal discussions: the debate and "straw votes" on proposed changes to its rules after an election review.
Most other political parties long ago closed up shop on the media at conferences, allowing them in only for the speech by the leader rather than policy discussions.
Labour also had open conferences until 2012. That was the year it went through a similar post-election rule review to National and opened its leadership vote to party members, with some controversy.
