Editorial: Foss will look back on good times and bad

Andrew Austin, Editor of Hawke's Bay Today.

Ask anyone what they think of outgoing Tukituki MP Craig Foss and many will say he is a nice man who is always respectful and polite.

Ask them what sort of job they think he has done and the response will probably be mixed. Mr Foss gave his valedictory speech to Parliament on Tuesday night and by all accounts it was a good one with some humorous moments. It marked the end on an era, which began when he was first elected in 2005.

Like most politicians, Mr Foss had admirers and detractors.

There is no doubt his career has had ups and downs and he probably would have been forgiven at times for wondering why he bothered. An investment banker before he entered politics, Mr Foss certainly did not need the job, but went to Wellington on the wave of optimism brought in by John Key. He was sometimes compared to Sir John, given the similarity in their background.

He also teamed up with new Napier National MP Chris Tremain to form a strong "Backing the Bay" team. It was not long before they were both Ministers, which was good for the profile of the Bay.

Somewhere along the way Mr Foss' star seemed to wane a bit and, fairly or unfairly, some felt he was not doing enough to stand up for the Bay. It may have been his inherent politeness and his commitment to being a team player, but there may be some things that, on reflection, he may feel he could have handled better.

The Havelock North kura kaupapa row is a case in point where Mr Foss chose to argue the community's case through National Party back channels, when many wanted him to make more noise.

That was not his style and maybe it cost him in the end.

But he is able to leave having not lost an election since he entered Parliament. It is now up to Labour's Anna Lorck and National's Lawrence Yule to show who wants it more.

History will judge how they compare to Mr Foss in the role.