New MPs 'thrown in at deep end'

Act's David Seymour is one of the MPs expected to slot seamlessly into their new role. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Politicians get little training for parliamentary roles and are expected to figure it out for themselves, says report

New MPs are on a steep learning curve with little support as far as being brought into the work culture is concerned, compared with apprentice or graduate training schemes which offer a longer-term, structured learning process, says Dr Helena Cooper-Thomas of the School of Psychology, University of Auckland.

She likens their experience to that of senior executives moving to a new company - there is an expectation that they will move into the job seamlessly with little in the way of support, just a few introductions, and that from there they will figure it out for themselves.

"There is a lot of research done on new employees and the induction/socialisation process provided by the organisation. New employees need this, but also need to be proactive and take initiative.

"A colleague of mine in Britain, Professor Jo Silvester, and I decided to do this research on MPs as it's an example of where the organisation doesn't tell you how to do the role; you have to work it out. It's also a very public role that requires a process of adjustment while under scrutiny," Cooper-Thomas says.

The pair have been working together for several years to better understand how new MPs learn their role and adjust to working in Parliament, initially focusing on Britain and now New Zealand.

Cooper-Thomas says the MPs "are thrown in at the deep end and from day one are expected to follow the procedures of Parliament, know who is whom, speak on bills and more, which they may have no prior experience of. There are enormous pressures to the job." Their report says MPs work across a variety of environments. "Moreover these environments are very different, requiring different skills and knowledge as well as the ability to adjust from one environment to the next throughout the working day."

It highlights three aspects of these environments that came through from the interviews done for the research. Two of these aspects relate to the Debating Chamber, colloquially called "the House", and the third relates to the media.

New National MPs clockwise from top left Matthew Doocey, National, Waimakariri; Todd Muller, National, Bay of Plenty; Todd Barclay, National, Clutha-Southland will have to figure it out for themselves.

"Firstly MPs noted the need to learn about the House, including learning the unique language required in order to debate effectively (the uniqueness of the Debating Chamber). Secondly MPs identified the negative behaviour that can be evident in the House as something that they needed to adjust to even if they did not agree with such behaviour (harsh words in the House). Finally, MPs noted mostly negative learnings from their interactions with the media, and more broadly how the media could influence their personal agendas at short notice (the power and risks of the media)."

Cooper-Thomas says: "Our findings were that they were definitely thrown into the deep end with lots to absorb. They are put into a unique environment - the House is quite theatrical and some things are said just because it's public - there may be collegiality outside the House, but MPs should not be fooled."

She says she was fascinated with the relationships that often develop. "If two people from different parties are in the same select committee, they can be very collegial and helpful to each other - but then go the other way on the floor of the House."

"I'm not sure people realise how vast the job of an MP really is and how many interactions he/she has. In a morning there can be meetings with a bereaved constituent, with the media and then with protesters on a specific issue. There are a variety of environments and people to deal with."

Jenny Salesa, Labour, Manukau East; Peeni Henare, Labour, Tamaki Makaurau.

Some of the strategies the researchers found new MPs use are: observing and absorbing the new environment and gaining an understanding before choosing where and how to act. MPs saw it as important to take advice and get feedback - it's better to ask a lot of questions than act out of ignorance. New MPs also found that choosing role models, even across party lines, was helpful. "It is about observing who is good at a certain thing and using that as an example to learn from."

New MPs have to take action, but warily, Cooper-Thomas says.

Networks and growing in influence are very important for those developing a political career. MPs had different strategies for developing networks. One strategy was viewing the learning process as about being an apprentice - saying yes to every invitation large and small, and learning as much as possible from as many people as possible.

"After all most jobs in New Zealand are a lot about who you know, and with politicians this may be especially true."

Cooper-Thomas says that parties do help new MPs at different levels, but generally they're on their own. "It's unlikely that a new person will have much contact with the party leader, that person is often far too busy."

Cooper-Thomas says there are implications in this research for other employees, especially those moving into high-level jobs in new companies. "Being an MP is an extreme example of being thrown in at the deep end. You don't really have an employer in the normal sense, as you are employed by New Zealand; people with a high sense of autonomy are the ones most likely to thrive.

"Of course there are still parliamentary whips and restrictions - but they have to learn to deal with that too and work out what the boundaries are." The result of their performance comes three years later, at election time. This is not dissimilar to the experience of a CEO who is reassessed by the board.

The advice MPs gave to new MPs were:

Find time to unwind and exercise, the job is very stressful and often entailed working 80 to 100 hours a week.

A flat near Parliament where you can go and relax for 10 minutes is recommended, as is taking enough time for sleep.

Make time for friends and family, as this can be a source of fun and relaxation, and serves to re-energise you.

Cooper-Thomas says another stress of the job is that MPs are often under a lot of criticism. "MPs said that you really need to have a sense of who you are and what your values are. It's important not to be too much of a chameleon, as the electorate also needs to know what you stand for. Having a firm foundation of who you are helps provide resilience," she says.