Something of a throwback to when most National MPs staunchly represented farming interests, Ian McKelvie is however ending his career as an MP not defined by the tribal lines of party politics.
Perhaps contrary to popular opinion, as a Member of Parliament you can make progress without having to be mean to people.
That's according to National MP Ian McKelvie who is to retire ahead of October's election after three terms in Parliament and is the latest subject in The House's series of exit interviews.
An MP representing the agriculture-focused electorate of Rangitikei, who also owns farms himself, McKelvie is something of the genial country squire. A throwback to a not-so-distant era when it seemed most National MPs were in Parliament primarily to represent farming interests. And yet McKelvie has ended up as a parliamentarian who isn't defined by the tribal lines of party politics.
For McKelvie the opportunity to enter Parliament came along rather unexpectedly, when former Rangitikei MP Simon Power resigned suddenly and the National Party came knocking.
"My father always said 'if a gate opens, you always want to go through it'. And so I came here not really having an agenda to come here. I got into public life primarily because I like New Zealand how it is. I think there's always improvements we can make, but I think we're a wonderful country to live in, and I wanted my grandchildren basically to have the same opportunities that I'd had and probably their children as well."
A former mayor of Manawatū for nine years before he entered Parliament, McKelvie says he has enjoyed being an elected representative for his people.
"I like being an electorate MP. That's what I do. I wouldn't want to be here on the list, certainly not at my age," says the 71-year-old who is currently the oldest MP in the Parliament.
Behaviour
When you ask MPs from various parts of the political spectrum which other Members of Parliament are friendly across party lines, McKelvie's name often crops up in their answers. In contrast to the attack dogs on the opposition front benches, the Rangitikei MP is more of a golden retriever with a friendly smile. He prefers a collaborative approach, and this has been evidenced by his work chairing select committees, most recently the Governance and Administration Committee.
"I came here at a much older age than most people do. So I'd seen a lot more of life than most people have when they come here. And I knew a lot of the government's or the Labour Party's MPs, for example I had a lot to do with Andrew Little before I came here. So I knew a lot of them reasonably well. And they knew me, I suppose," he explains…