Jacinda Ardern defends Kelvin Davis' performance as acting PM

  • 20/11/2017

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says people are being too judgemental about Kelvin Davis' performance.

Mr Davis was acting Prime Minister for a week while Ms Ardern and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters were overseas for APEC.

Stuff political reporter Jo Moir said the week was "a trainwreck" but Ms Ardern has staunchly defended him.

She told RNZ that Mr Davis had done "absolutely everything [she] had asked him to do."

Ms Ardern said it wasn't out of the ordinary for an acting Prime Minister to get help answering questions in the House.

"Three weeks in I think there is a bit of judginess flying around," she said.

On his first day as acting Prime Minister, Mr Davis said it was "an honour" to take on the top job and he was expecting "all sorts of strange tactics" from the National Party Opposition.

"We will play things with a straight bat - we want to get on with governing the country," he told Newshub.

"I think my cousins up north will give me some stick for it. I'm sure they'll give me a hard time at the Kaitaia RSA tomorrow night," he said.

Mr Davis holds Cabinet positions as Minister of Corrections, Minister of Tourism, Minister for the Crown/ Māori relations, and Associate Minister of Education (Māori Education).

He is the Deputy Leader of the Labour party, but Ms Ardern gave Winston Peters the role of Deputy Prime Minister as part of coalition negotiations.

Newshub.