Mr Woodhouse has kept most of his previous portfolios but now has the added responsibilities of ACC Minister to add to his Immigration and Workplace Relations and Safety portfolios. His previous revenue duties are now in the hands of Judith Collins, who has lost her treasured Police and Corrections portfolios.
He moves from number 17 to nine in the reshuffle.
Mr English paid tribute to Mr Woodhouse, calling him a solid performer with still more to contribute.
In a speech yesterday, Mr English indicated another reshuffle of duties would take place on May 1.
Having worked for ACC in Dunedin in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mr Woodhouse saw his new portfolio as a chance to refresh his skills.
"ACC ties in nicely with being Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety. I have a working knowledge of ACC from working there. Although that was a while ago, I will be reading the briefings to incoming ministers and get up to speed quickly."
Mr Woodhouse planned to take a close interest in the discussions involving an expansion of ACC in Dunedin, a story broken last week by the ODT.
Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean has been made a Minister outside of Cabinet, in a surprise move. She becomes Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Small Business Minister and will work with Mr Woodhouse as Associate Minister for ACC.
Mr Woodhouse said Mrs Dean’s promotion was long overdue and he was looking forward to working with her. Mrs Dean told the ODT she had never been one to court a high profile, preferring to keep her head down and get on with her work. But she had put her husband Bill on notice he would be in charge of the Christmas turkey this year as she worked to come to grips with her new duties.
"I entered Parliament to serve my community, first in Otago, which was big, then it became Waitaki, which is twice as big. I have given my all but I have also made a contribution at a national level."
Mrs Dean worked consistently on Easter legislation in response to concerns of her Wanaka constituents and she was fully involved in the rules reduction committee, which she chaired.
Small business was an area close to her heart. Tourism growth in the Waitaki electorate meant there were opportunities for small businesses but those opportunities came with regulation, another issue she was familiar with.
Having a background in local government meant she could work with small businesses to help them grow the economy, Mrs Dean said.
