Media stalwart Mark Jennings says there would have been a "collective sigh of relief" in the media industry in the wake of Melissa Lee's removal as Media and Communications Minister.
Lee was removed from the role today, alongside Penny Simmonds as Minister for Disability Issues. Both remain ministers in different portfolios, but outside Cabinet.
The reshuffle, announced by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at 1pm, has also promoted Simon Watts — Minister for Climate Change — into Cabinet.
Paul Goldsmith will replace Lee in the media role, while Louise Upston will replace Simmonds. Both had been ministers in the former National government, led by John Key and Bill English.
The two ministers' sackings today follow controversies in both portfolios, with intense criticism levelled at both in recent months.
Lee, particularly, had been criticised around her vision and ideas for the media industry as it faces major upheaval, with the closure of Newshub, a restructure at TVNZ and struggling local news businesses competing for dollars with tech giants Google and Facebook.
She had yet to take a plan to Cabinet.
Jennings, co-editor of Newsroom, who served 22 years as TV3's head of news, said he believed the industry saw Lee as "out of her depth".
"There'll be a collective sigh of relief around the media at Lee's sacking.
"[She] didn't really have the ability to analyse the problems and challenges that we're facing, and then the ability to work with us to solve those."
He said her performance as the Media and Communications Minister had been "very disappointing".
"I don't think it will be any surprise really that she's been removed from that portfolio — but perhaps the speed of it was a bit unexpected."
Lee had been in the role since November last year — just five months. She has been an MP for 16 years and a spokesperson in various media portfolios for the National Party for a number of years before that. She has previously worked in the media industry.
Jennings believed Lee "wasn't really engaged with the issues and the crisis that is facing us".
"The problems are definitely complex so it's going to be hard for anybody to come up with really workable solutions, but I think Paul Goldsmith is a senior minister, he has the respect of his colleagues around the Cabinet table, and that's going to be really good for the media going forward."
He said Goldsmith was a "smart guy" and already had some established relationships with senior media figures.
Luxon said earlier today both Lee and Simmonds were "good, hardworking" ministers but the reshuffle was due to the increasing complexity of the portfolios which he said required "senior" ministers at the helm.
'Brutal sackings'
Political commentator Bryce Edwards said there was "no doubt" these were "quite brutal sackings" and the move was showing a different side to Luxon.
Luxon had spoken today about needing senior ministers in the media and disability issues portfolios.
"But Melissa Lee is one of the most senior, experienced politicians in National. She's the third-longest serving National MP, so it doesn't quite add up that she wasn't experienced. She's been in that portfolio since 2017."
He said some people would find claims there was more "complexities" in the portfolios hard to buy.
"It's simply about underperforming ministers that have created problems, this won't be polling well for the Government."
He said the boldness of Luxon's moves, however, may go down well with many in the electorate.
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