Some former ministers have taken top positions in Labour's front bench while others have lost out.

Carmel Sepuloni has social development, Grant Robertson has finance, Ayesha Verrall has health, and Ginny Andersen keeps police.

Damien O'Connor's been taken off agriculture, with Jo Luxton taking up the spokesperson role.

Former senior Labour staffer Clint Smith told Tim Dower that Luxton's one of the more rurally based Labour MPs.

He says Damien O'Connor has been around a while and Chris Hipkins probably wanted to give important roles to some younger MPs. 

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