In 'da House | Issue 27

Posted 5:59pm Sunday 7th October 2012

I must get my column in on time. I must get my column in on time. I must get my column in on time. I must get his column in on time. I must get my column in on time. I must get my column in on time. I must get my column in on time. I must get my column in on time. I must get his column in on time. I Read more...

In 'da House | Issue 26

Posted 5:01pm Sunday 30th September 2012

Regular readers will know that I am always looking for excuses to visit Dunedin, so I was delighted when my former POLS lecturer and academic idol Janine Hayward invited me to speak to her POLS102 class about life, politics, and everything else last week. I took that brief pretty literally Read more...

In 'da House | Issue 25

Posted 4:25pm Sunday 23rd September 2012

As I write this, it is 119 years to the day since New Zealand became the first country in the world to recognise women’s right to vote. Thanks Kate Sheppard. Heart you. New Zealanders are rightly proud that we were the first to do this. Smug, even. And fair enough; it’s awesome. It is Read more...

In 'da House | Issue 24

Posted 4:57pm Sunday 16th September 2012

In my second year at Otago, I went to bed each night wearing thermals under my flannel pyjamas, and slept under two duvets and a sleeping bag. In my third year, ice formed on the inside of my bedroom windows overnight. In my fourth year, strange black liquid ran down the hallway wall. You Read more...

In 'da House | Issue 23

Posted 4:03pm Sunday 9th September 2012

One of the cool things about being an MP is that you get to do stuff you would never otherwise do. If you express an interest in something, usually someone is only too happy to show you around, provide you with information, or host you for a visit. It’s a privileged position, and it still Read more...

In 'da House | Issue 22

Posted 5:17pm Sunday 2nd September 2012

I recently survived a live interview on Morning Report, head-to-head with Winston Peters. I figure that has to be some kind of political rite of passage. The topic was MMP and how to improve it. When 58% of New Zealanders voted to keep MMP, we triggered a review of the system. Over 4,500 Read more...

In 'da House | Issue 21

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 19th August 2012

Students and Members of Parliament have one thing in common: everyone knows they have a drinking problem. It’s not uncommon to hear rumours of “legendary” escapades float along the corridors of power, involving past and present national figures, excessive alcohol consumption, extra-marital Read more...

In 'da House | Issue 20

Posted 5:14pm Sunday 12th August 2012

It is a little-known fact that new MPs get a formal induction from Parliamentary Services. Last December, I lined up with the rest of the “class of 2011” (including such luminaries as Maggie Barry and Richard Prosser) for my introduction to Parliament. It’s fair to say that much of what we Read more...

In 'da House | Issue 19

Posted 4:49pm Sunday 5th August 2012

The system for debating members’ bills in Parliament has been in the spotlight lately. Last week, three opposition members’ bills passed their first readings in Parliament – a rare occurrence – and a couple of exciting new ones were drawn from the ballot, including Louisa Wall’s Marriage Equality Read more...

In 'da House | Issue 18

Posted 2:15pm Sunday 29th July 2012

Last Monday was the first day back after a two-week Parliamentary recess. As Critic readers will know, I spent the recess watching the same movie over and over again in different parts of the country. I can’t complain, however, because this was entirely self-inflicted, and very much for a good cause Read more...