Jacinda Ardern's new Cabinet: The winners and losers

Jacinda Ardern announced her new top team this afternoon.

There are 20 members in Cabinet and four outside Cabinet.

We take a look at the winners and losers.

Winners:

Grant Robertson will gain two places in Cabinet rankings and will add Infrastructure and Racing to his Finance and Sport and Recreation portfolios. But the real "win" is the Deputy PM role, which Kelvin Davis declined.

Nanaia Mahuta will also gain two spots in the rankings but is mainly winning because she will be the first woman to be New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister. She keeps Local Government and will have Associate Māori Development.

Newly named Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Poto Williams was Assistant Speaker and last year was made a minister outside Cabinet. She will move to number 10 in Cabinet with the Building and Construction, Police, Associate Children, and Associate Housing (Public Housing) portfolios.

Michael Wood was Labour's chief whip last term and will have a seat in Cabinet with the hefty Transport and Workplace Relations and Safety portfolios. He will also be Deputy Leader of the House.

Jan Tinetti was a backbench MP last term and will be a Cabinet Minister with the Internal Affairs and Women portfolios. A former primary school principal, she will also have Associate Education.

Kiri Allan was Labour's junior whip last term and will have a seat in Cabinet as Minister of Conservation, Emergency Management, Associate Environment and Associate Arts, Culture and Heritage.

Ayesha Verrall has been gone from critiquing the Government's contact-tracing system to becoming an MP within a few months. She will now be a Cabinet Minister with Associate Health, Food Safety, Seniors, and Associate Research, Science and Innovation.

Labour's new health team, from left, Andrew Little, Aupito William Sio, Chris Hipkins, new MP Ayesha Verrall and Peeni Henare. Photo / Mark Mitchell

David Clark will return to Cabinet, having lost his place earlier this year when he resigned the Health portfolio. He will have Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Digital Economy and Communications, State Owned Enterprises, Statistics and responsibility for the Earthquake Commission.

Meka Whaitiri will return to the executive as a Minister outside Cabinet. She was stripped of her ministerial roles in 2018 following allegations of assault. Given what happened, she said she was aware of being scrutinised as she takes on Customs, Veterans, Associate Agriculture (Animal Welfare) and Associate Statistics.

Priyanca Radhakrishnan will join the executive as Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Minister for Ethnic Communities, Minister for Youth, and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment.

Losers:

Phil Twyford's name has been synonymous with the failure of Kiwibuild and the lack of action on Auckland light rail. He's gone from number five in Cabinet to out of Cabinet altogether, relieved of Transport and Economic Development. He will remain a Minister, with Disarmament and Arms Control, Associate Environment, and Associate Immigration roles, as well as Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth.

Phil Twyford is still a Minister but has been booted from Cabinet. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Jenny Salesa has not only lost her place in Cabinet but also in the executive. She loses all five ministerial roles including Building and Construction, Customs, and Ethnic Communities. She will be nominated for the role of Assistant Speaker.

Andrew Little actually gained a rank as well as keeping responsibility for the spy agencies, Treaty Negotiations and Pike River Re-entry. Being given Health is a recognition of his competence, but he now has the portfolio no one ever really wants. Asked if he had wanted Health, Little said: "Look, there's a range of discussions you end up having. I was gratified to have it. I was honoured to be given the challenge."