Portfolios for Africa

The New Zealand government has ministries in the following areas

1. Accident Compensation
2. Agriculture
3. Archives New Zealand*
4. Arts, Culture and Heritage
5. Biosecurity*
6. Broadcasting
7. Building and Construction*
8. Civil Defence*
9. Climate Change Issues
10. Commerce*
11. Communications and Information Technology
12. Community and Voluntary Sector
13. Conservation*
14. Consumer Affairs*
15. Corrections*
16. Courts*
17. Customs*
18. Defence*
19. Disability Issues
20. Disarmament and Arms Control
21. Economic Development
22. Education*
23. Education Review Office
24. Energy and Resources
25. Environment
26. Ethnic Affairs
27. Finance*
28. Fisheries
29. Food Safety*
30. Foreign Affairs*
31. Forestry
32. Health*
33. Housing
34. Immigration*
35. Infrastructure*
36. Internal Affairs*
37. Justice*
38. Labour*
39. Land Information*
40. Law Commission
41. Local Government*
42. Maori Affairs
43. National Library
44. Pacific Island Affairs
45. Police*
46. Racing
47. Regulatory Reform*
48. Research, Science and Technology
49. Revenue*
50. Rugby World Cup
51. Senior Citizens
52. Small Business
53. Social Development and Employment
54. Sport and Recreation
55. State Owned Enterprises*
56. State Services
57. Statistics*
58. Tertiary Education
59. Tourism
60. Trade*
61. Transport*
62. Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations*
63. Veterans’ Affairs
64. Women’s Affairs
65. Youth Affairs

As well as Ministers responsible for the following services

1. New Zealand Security Intelligence Service*
2. Government Communications Security Bureau*

I have placed an asterisk next to the areas that I think it reasonable for the government to assign ministry oversight. The number I have marked is large, but nearly so as the 67 there are! However I have caveats to my selections.

Several of them could be combined. Commercial disputes can be under a single umbrella; eg. Consumer Affairs, Building and Construction, Commerce. National Library and Archives. The Courts could possibly be combined with Corrections, though stay separated from Policing.

Some could be much smaller in scope. Health could be oversight of individual health funds and insurances with a review of fund managers/ insurance providers if necessary. Monitoring health workers could continue. But the provision and funding of health could be completely privatised.

Education could be privatised with government monitoring funding via a voucher system for school or home school options. Overview of education minimised to gross dereliction of duty.

Some Infrastructure and Transport may require oversight but tolling for revenue should be maximised.

Regulatory Reform is necessary to remove a lot of previous red tape!

Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations is required because it is a treaty. Though finalising of restitution should be sort. I don't think a separate portfolio for Maori is probably necessary but may (or may not) be sensible while the Maori seats continue.

Overall I think the government is trying to take far too much responsibility for things that it need not and often times should not concern itself with.

Which of the above areas do you think the government should or should not concern itself with? Are there some areas it should that are not currently being covered?