Nathan Guy appointed as a Minister

NEW GUY: National MP Nathan Guy has been appointed the new Internal Affairs Minister.

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National's senior whip Nathan Guy has been appointed as Internal Affairs Minister to replace Richard Worth, Prime Minister John Key said today.

Mr Guy will be a minister outside Cabinet and take up Dr Worth's portfolios of Archives NZ, National Library and associate justice minister.

He will also hold the new position of associate transport minister.

Maurice Williamson, who temporarily looked after Dr Worth's portfolios after he lost his ministerial positions, will retain Land Information.

Mr Guy is the MP for Otaki and first entered Parliament in 2005.

He was junior whip from November 2006 and has been senior whip since February last year.

Mr Key said he looked forward to welcoming Mr Guy to the executive.

"He has proven himself to be an able senior whip and member of the National Party caucus," Mr Key said.

Mr Guy said the appointment was a huge honour.

"I was rapt to receive a phone call from the prime minister offering me the opportunity to become a minister outside Cabinet, which of course I accepted."

Mr Guy said he was looking forward to the internal affairs role and other associate jobs, though he did know his delegations yet.

The transport role is a new position and as a local MP he has come out strongly in favour of the Transmission Gully motorway route between Wellington and the Kapiti Coast.

Mr Guy said he believed the transport appointment was a sign that the portfolio was a large one and Mr Key wanted to make progress on the designated routes of national significance.

The Wellington to Otaki road is one of the designated routes, but the Transmission Gully motorway is not defined as a solution to the region's traffic congestion.

"There is a lot at stake for the Otaki electorate. . . but it is just one area around the country."

Mr Guy gained the jobs after Dr Worth resigned as an MP late on Friday after earlier being asked to resign as a minister when it emerged that he was under police investigation over allegations of a sexual nature involving a Korean business woman.

A second allegation was also made against Dr Worth by a member of the Labour Party.

The woman involved, Neelam Choudary, alleged that between November and February, Dr Worth sent dozens of text messages, some sexually explicit, and called her numerous times.

In a public statement she also said Dr Worth offered her jobs in his ministerial capacity.

-NZPA