Editorial: McClay earned new job

It was big news for Rotorua MP Todd McClay yesterday with the Prime Minister's announcement of his new role.

Mr McClay will be appointed as a new Minister outside Cabinet, following the resignation of Peter Dunne. Mr McClay will be the new Revenue Minister and Associate Health Minister.

John Key said Mr McClay had proven himself a valuable member of the National Party Caucus during the past four-and-a-half years.

It's a swift promotion for Mr McClay and one I believe he deserves.

Since winning back the Rotorua seat for National, he has picked up respect along the way.

He copped a mix of criticism and praise from constituents after voting against the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill, which allowed gay couples to legally marry.

Whether you agreed or not, he said from the outset he was "generally cautious" on issues like this and consulted widely with the electorate before casting his vote.

Just last month his bill to ban gang patches in all government departments and schools moved another step closer to becoming law. It easily passed its second reading.

As I have mentioned before in this column, he is not the sort of politician who is only seen when the election draws near (which sadly can't be said for many standing in this year's local body elections).

Only months after the last election, Mr McClay gave up part of his Christmas Day to help serve lunch for Rotorua's homeless and lonely.

If ever there was a time to sneak away in the comfort of knowing he had already won over the voters, this was it.

No doubt his new role will mean his workload is going to increase.

Having someone higher up the chain will have benefits locally but only time will tell if he gets too busy to continue being a very good local MP.