As he departs from Parliament, Grant Roberson outlines the skills and requirements for being a successful MP, and what he would replace Question Time with.
One of Parliament's natural orators has left the building after nearly 16 years as an MP. A lot of Parliamentary experience and skill has departed with him. So RNZ's parliament show, The House, made an attempt to catch some tips.
On his final day at Parliament, as his office was about to be packed away, Robertson sat with me in Labour's caucus room to talk MP skills. He's a good man to ask. Yes, he's a former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister but he also shone in the House - politics' gladiatorial ring.
After his valedictory the previous evening MPs from across the House were buzzing. "Did you hear that?" one Nat said as I passed him in the hall, "What a great speech." He was right, it was. Funny, touching, thoughtful and punchy. Introducing that final outing, the Speaker, a long time political foe, described Robertson as a 'great parliamentarian'.
"That does mean a lot to me", he says of that descriptor. He also likes that it highlights a key facet of the role, sometimes overlooked.
"Ultimately the job title is Member of Parliament. And the debating chamber is where we do the heavy lifting of that job. That does mean a lot to me. And I've always enjoyed the debating chamber particularly. That might have come through," he adds with a chuckle.
On public speaking
It's clear that Robertson was in his element speaking in the chamber, but he wasn't instantly comfortable.
"It's not like it all clicked into place straight away" he admits. He still remembers the first proper speech he gave (his maiden speech). "I did think I was going to faint".
"I always tell school kids that when I was their age, I either wanted to be a lawyer or an actor, and now I get to be both."
"I've always enjoyed debating and public speaking. And I think they are pretty important skills; and being an MP, if you don't have them, you are going to struggle. But for me, I was fortunate that I had a bit of that coming in, and so felt comfortable talking."
It helped that he'd worked in Parliament before becoming an MP, had been a keen observer of Parliamentary Debate, and had written speeches for other people to deliver in the House.
"And so I guess I had an idea of how that side of the job worked. And I enjoyed it. And I think fundamentally, if you enjoy something, you'll often end up looking like you're quite good at it."
On speech writing …