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Our House: A house of representatives should, ideally, be ...
International perspectives on democracy: Commonwealth heads of government leaders said in their ...
Electing Parliament: The MPs and the political parties in New Zealand's Parliament are elected ...
Members of Parliament: In the 27 July 2002 general election, Labour gained 52, National 27, New Zealand ...
Forming the government: The Labour and Progressive Coalition Parties in Parliament have agreeed ...
Composition of Parliament: New Zealand's Parliament is a place where more and more sections ...
The New Zealand Business and Parliament Trust: The New Zealand Business and Parliament Trust was formed in 1991 to bridge ...
The role of the speaker: The Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives is the highest officer ...
Who drafts the laws? To make sure laws ar written correctly, Parliament has ...
The Office of the Clerk: The position of Clerk of the House of Representatives is one of the oldest ...
Parliamentary Service: The Parliamentary Service is one of two parliamentary agencies providing ...
What MPs do: Conventions, not job descriptions, guide what ..
MP's pay: Members of Parliament currently receive a ....
Living two lives: John Key, aged 41, National MP for Helensville, was an investment ...
From Youth MP to youngest MP: Darren Hughes, at 24 New Zealand's youngest ...
Government and Opposition: There is a tradition of thinking that asserts that ideas change with ...
How laws are made: Parliament is New Zealand's supreme law-making body. It's members study ...
Select committees: After a bill is introduced to Parliament and has been given its ...
Petitioning Parliament: Every New Zealand citizen or resident has the right to petition Parliament ...
Visiting Parliament: People come for many reasons to tour New Zealand's Parliament ...
150 years: The New Zealand Parliament celebrates its 150th ...
Living two lives - John Key
From Youth MP to youngest MP - Darren Hughes
Living two lives
John Key, aged 41 when first elected National MP for Helensville, North West Auckland, was an investment banker before entering Parliament for National in 2002. He initially became associate transport and commerce spokesperson, and by the 2005 election had become finance spokesperson, and highly ranked. He says it is critical for a major political party to have a robust debate when it comes to policy development. “What most others and I would accept is there is no single perfectly correct answer. Successful policy will always involve a combination.”
John Key says an MP’s role is multifaceted. There are two clear distinctions. One is serving the constituency. At a micro level, MPs help people through issues. The second is life in Wellington and creating legislation. In some respects they inter-link, but the work is quite different. It is generally portfolio based, and more macro.
Investment
John Key says MPs who can bring specific skills into the Parliament have a tremendous value, primarily because they bring realism into what can be a rather abstract world at times.
His experience is with domestic and international financial markets. “If you look at some of the big issues facing New Zealand, it does not take long to reach the conclusion that both investment from a retirement savings point of view, and investment in infrastructure, are two quite key issues.”
Government is part of the holistic solution to New Zealand's problems.
Key favours public/private partnerships. “Similarly, how we prepare
for the obvious demographic change of an ageing population is another
clear example of where Parliament needs MPs who can bring experience and
knowledge,” he said shortly after beging first elected to Parliament..
From Youth MP to youngest MP
Darren Hughes, at 24 in 2002 when first elected New Zealand’s youngest MP (and fourth youngest ever), says it is important to find ways to inform young people about democratic processes. “That’s why I have been so passionate about promoting Youth Parliament.”
Darren Hughes chaired the 2004 fourth Youth Parliament multi-party committee, which is made up of all parties. He is Labour MP for Otaki and chaired the Labour Youth Council. By the end of his first term in Parliament he had become Labour's Junior Whip.
Citizenship rights and roles
Darren Hughes favours a proactive approach to teaching the rights and roles of citizenship. Citizenship includes practical things like dealing with the law and its basis, including the Bill of Rights, Magna Carta and the Treaty of Waitangi. People need background knowledge so they can see the principles on which government and representative democracy is based.
He says New Zealand should develop trials and best practice of citizenship education in schools that are prepared to do it, and professional development to help teachers make it interesting.
Participants and hosts learn
Youth Parliament is “a two way street – the participants learn, and the hosts learn.” From the young person’s point of view Youth Parliament makes Parliament – and therefore democracy – relevant and real. But also, for those few days, 120 Youth Parliamentarians put youth policy right at the central focus. “Parliament, the government, and the establishment in Wellington are challenged about the issues young people want to talk about,” he says.
Darren Hughes was at the first Youth Parliament in 1994 and was the first youth MP to become the real thing. The fourth Youth Parliament, late in 2004, was a show piece of the 150th anniversary of the forming of the New Zealand Parliament. The 2004 Youth Parliament included youth press gallery members, who wrote for their hometown newspapers.
Life as a backbencher
Darren Hughes really enjoyed being a backbench MP during his firstv term.
“ It is good to start off your political career working on the backbenches, and playing your role in your party” he said.
“Obviously your influence is limited. You are not in the executive. You don’t chair a select committee as a first-term MP. But you carve out a role for yourself. There are caucus committees where I have a policy interest, and share briefings with Ministers, and debate policy ideas. Also through the wider caucus when wider issues are being considered, as an electorate MP, I am able to give views, including how people in heartland New Zealand might respond to an issue. I bring that directly to the caucus,” he said early in his first term.
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Government is part of the holistic solution," says John Key
.
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You carve out a role for yourself," says Darren Hughes.