What do Nicole McKee, Joseph Mooney, Teanau Tuiono and Sarah Pallett have in common? They're first term MPs who have shared their experiences with us.
Becoming a Member of Parliament is in itself a huge achievement, but usually at the start you're a small fish in a big pond and the odds are stacked against you making waves.
This is the dilemma of the first term MP, which every Member of Parliament must be at some point. So what's it like in that maiden term? The House spoke to four first termers to find out.
Apart from those who have previously worked in the Parliamentary system in another capacity, people already versed in its byzantine codes, for a first term MP it's a vast new world to get their head around, with different rhythms and intensity.
At the start, orientation support and induction training from Parliamentary Service are provided for the first termer, but Teanau Tuiono of the Green Party said it could be quite bewildering and overwhelming.
"They do their best, so you do get that (support), but whether it stays in there or not is another thing entirely," he said.
"The place is massive, it's a rabbit warren and of course you're representing your constituents as well. Probably my only comparative would be having worked up at the UN, that's even more rabbit warreny than this place. So that kind of thing I was used to, and knowing that there's heaps of different parts and all that, and knowing that in time you will know how those parts worked well or don't work well. Because I'm what they would say is a calisthenic learner, I've got to learn by doing."
This is echoed by National's Joseph Mooney, the MP for Southland who admitted Parliament is "a different kind of place, and it does take some time to get used to".
"Some very experienced politicians have said to me, there's no training manual for this job, you have to learn on the job, and that's because it's always changing," he said.
"You get paired up with a buddy MP in the party, and then there's also Parliamentary Services who have an induction process where they give you an indication of how things work. And other MPs are quite happy to give you advice. Like anything, there's a mixture of mentorings available and it's also up to the individual to actually seek out advice and opportunities themselves, like any job."…