Todd Muller is leaving Parliament. Known for a brief stint as Opposition leader, he also won plaudits for his bipartisanship and advocating for awareness about mental health.
If there is one thing this retiring MP would change about Parliament, it is that more members would access services to help them manage their mind and body health to be resilient for the tumultuous times that come and go as part of the job.
Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller is leaving Parliament at the end of this term, wrapping up a nine-year stint which many will remember for the brief period in which he took over as leader of the National Party then stood down in the face of a mental breakdown.
He survived to tell the tale, and finishes up an MP with a knack for bipartisanship and thriving in select committees, and an advocate for recognising the human factor in the Parliament game.
Events this week related to the resignation of Cabinet minister Kiri Allan have brought renewed focus on mental health pressures facing MPs. Muller has spoken in support of Allan with empathy for the difficult position she's in. He admits the past few days have been triggering.
"You can sense the pain, because you've gone through it. It just brings elements of it back, because certainly in my case - and I can only ever talk about my case - mental health recovery is a journey. It's not like flicking a switch. You don't fall over then have a pill or two, or go for a walk and do some yoga, and the switch gets flicked up again. It's a long process of self-reflection and building resilience, and having days which are not as good as other days, and realising actually that's okay, it's just being human."
The events of 2020 - at this exact point in the election cycle during the previous term - have been well documented already. If replacing Simon Bridges as Opposition leader was dramatic, the move to step down after seven-and-a-half weeks was even more so. Muller's openness about walking away was remarkable, and the care of close friends and family was a testament to him.
There was general respect for his need to have time and space to heal. But did his National Party colleagues offer much support?
"It was limited. A couple of phone calls that were well received by then leader Judith Collins, but largely left to my own devices," Muller said.
"Arguably having space to have true love and support around you is caring, although... it's a fine balance. The short answer is it felt very lonely…