National names new whips
Prime Minister John Key has announced the election of National’s new senior whip and junior whip following the National Party caucus this morning.
The new senior whip will be list MP Michael Woodhouse, who is from Dunedin. He replaces Chris Tremain, who is now a Minister outside Cabinet.
The junior whip will be MP for Taupo, Louise Upston. She replaces Jo Goodhew, who is also now a Minister outside Cabinet.
“Both Michael Woodhouse and Louise Upston are hard-working MPs, and I am confident they will do a good job in their new roles,” says Mr Key. “I congratulate both of them.”
Whips are the organisers and administrators of the members in each of the political parties in the House.
They prepare lists of members from their party to speak in debates, make sure that members of their party are in the House when needed, negotiate with other whips on House business, and cast votes on behalf of their parties during a party vote.
All parliamentary political parties have people carrying out the role of whips. The Green Party prefers to call the person a musterer.
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Comments and questions7
Apologies on my lack of caring of NZ politics but what does the 'whip' do ?
Fair point - I've added the information into the story.
Cheers
He can also apologise for his ignorance about Google as well.
If the Greens have their way that would be the only 'musterer' left in NZ. They will make it impossible for anyone to farm, mine or conduct any other primary industry in this Country. Or indeed carry on ony other sort of business(and as we can currently see Tourism is far too fickle to cut it as our economic saviour)
God help us if that mob ever get hold of any semblance of power(and it is apparent they are going to sooner or later)
I have to agree about the Greens and the use of the word 'musterer' sometimes people make a great joke of themselves and in this case the Greens have come up trumps. I am old enough to remember the musterer/drover and they no longer exist. As Anonymous says if they have Greens have their way there will be nothing to muster. Lets hope the Greens follows the way of the old musterer and become obsolete!
If dairy farmers keep poisoning our waterways at the current rate, we won't need the Greens to stop any farming a the land will be too toxic to grow anything.
In hindsight a green govt might be ok as we won't be able to do much, and we could become like Korea as we wouldn't be able to farm any animals due to pooing probs, we won't be able to dig any holes, we won't be able to cut any trees down, we won't be able to do any gardening, fishing might even be canned too, eggs would become $200 a doz, it would be an interesting world aye, plus I think one of the current leader's might even come from a Comunist background??