Former education minister Hekia Parata was replaced by Nikki Kaye and long-serving National MP Murray McCully was replaced as Foreign Affairs Minister by Gerry Brownlee.
Ms Kaye, who returned to Parliament after a cancer health scare, was always going to be elevated to Education Minister. She is a party favourite and, importantly, the Auckland Central MP, having seen off two challenges from Labour deputy leader Jacinda Ardern who is now the MP for Mt Albert.
It had been thought Health Minister Jonathan Coleman would replace Mr McCully in Foreign Affairs. Instead, the blunt Mr Brownlee will take over.
Dr Coleman retains his health portfolio, leaving Dunedin list MP Michael Woodhouse with his portfolios of Immigration, Workplace Relations and Safety and ACC. Mr Woodhouse becomes deputy leader of the house, working with Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges who takes over the job from Mr Brownlee.
Mr Brownlee is not known for holding back on issues which annoy him, particularly in his home town of Christchurch which is still badly affected by the 2010 earthquakes.
Mr English will have downgraded the importance of the rebuild, in the eyes of many, by transferring Mr Brownlee's duties to Nicky Wagner who is a Minister outside Cabinet. Mrs Wagner is Christchurch Central MP and has been working with Mr Brownlee on the Greater Christchurch Regeneration. However, she will not have the same gravitas at 21 on the list as Mr Brownlee had at number four.
It will be absorbing to watch Mr Brownlee dealing with foreign powers.
Mr McCully did a lot of his work behind the scenes but Mr Brownlee is likely to tackle problems head-on and in public.
Asked whether the plain-speaking Mr Brownlee was sufficiently diplomatic for the role, Mr English said he was: ``blunt when he needs to be, diplomatic when he needs to be''.
Mr English retained the services of his loyal friend Nick Smith but Social Housing Minister Amy Adams will pick up responsibility for the Crown land programme and government house-building programme, as well as the Tamaki Redevelopment Project.
The changes effectively split execution of housing programmes and building regulation between Ms Adams and Dr Smith respectively.
Dr Smith has been slated by many for the lack of progress on building affordable homes, particularly in Auckland, and was seen as a liability to National retaining its strong majority in the country's largest city.
Mark Mitchell will become Defence Minister and move into Cabinet, and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy will pick up civil defence.
Two other MPs gain promotion to ministerial posts outside Cabinet. Chief government whip Tim Macindoe becomes Minister of Customs and an associate minister of education and transport. The chairman of the local and government and environment select committee, Scott Simpson, becomes Minister of Statistics and associate immigration and environment minister.
With Mr English looking more likely to need to include MPs outside of National in Cabinet after the September 23 election, if he gets to form the government, the safe but sure approach is likely to find favour with voters.
Until then, the first four cabinet places of Mr English, deputy prime minister Paula Bennett, Finance Minister Steven Joyce and Mr Brownlee look safe. After the election, Mrs Bennett may have to be sacrificed as part of any coalition deal.
