The New Zealand Parliamentary Cricket Team, pictured with the Black Caps. Photo / Chris Bishop
The New Zealand Parliamentary Cricket Team, pictured with the Black Caps. Photo / Chris Bishop
COMMENT: For the past week I have been in London. I was fortunate to be part of the New Zealand parliamentary cricket team taking part in the first Parliamentary Cricket World Cup.
I was there by virtue of having played for the team when I worked in Parliament some yearsago, and by actually being able to play. Since then I've turned out for its regular fixtures so was offered a spot on this self-funded tour.
The team was made up primarily of MPs across the political spectrum. From Labour there was Kiritapu Allan, Kieran McAnulty, Jamie Strange and Greg O'Connor. National had Chris Bishop and Ian McKelvie while NZ First had Mark Patterson.
There were a couple of staffers, a couple of ex staffers and Greg O'Connor's son. We were a motley team, spanning urban and rural, left and right wing, conservative and liberal, and we were a team.
We were spread across three different Airbnb flats around London, with mixed party representation living together.
It was amazing to experience. It was amazing to be part of. It was amazing the camaraderie that developed.
Though many of the MPs knew each other prior, it was by and large only from interactions in the House. But firm friendships were forged on this trip that I expect will endure the pettiness and nastiness of party politics.
In fact politics was barely discussed at internal team events. There were plenty of structured organised functions that were also a chance for sporting diplomacy to take place - but as a group we were mates on tour together.
The Parliament team with Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson. Photo / Greg O'Connor
Nicknames quickly sprung up, in-jokes and memes were talked about that I'll never be able to explain to people who weren't there why they were funny and when we all stood in Lord's, having been fortunate to get tickets to the World Cup final, hugs were shared across political divides.
While it is nearly impossible to take politics out of life, because it dictates your value set, there is a driver that is bigger than that. And I think that's what it is to be human. And we weren't left wingers or right wingers or farmers or city folk, we were humans.
There was a video shared by a journalist of the team breaking out into spontaneous eruptions of emotion when we all sat together in a pub watching as the Black Caps eked out a semifinal victory over India. We were not political types, we were lovers of cricket, supporters of the Black Caps and we were all friends.
I feature prominently in that video, sharing in an emotional hug with Labour's Kiritapu Allan and National's Chris Bishop. I got a lot of messages from home.
"I thought you were a tree hugger, not a Tory hugger" said one particularly droll one. But at that moment we were all Tories. We were all trees. And truth be told I would've hugged anything.
When one player from our team took a wicket, hit a great shot or fielded well, we all cheered them on. High fives reached across the aisle.
When someone had a bad over, or was dismissed cheaply or propelled themselves backwards when throwing the ball forward we all laughed together, commiserated together and lifted each others' spirits. We were a team.
I expect that when the MPs on this trip get back from recess and return to the hurly burly of the house, they'll revert to type. But maybe there'll be a hint of collegiality among the group from this tour. Maybe when someone from the Government gets up to ask a patsy question during Question Time their teammates might give them a nod and a smile.
To have been a part of something like this was a huge honour and privilege. To see politicians not as politicians, but as people, as humans, as normal, was incredibly refreshing.
As a huge political geek I was in heaven. As a huge lover of cricket I couldn't have had a better time. As someone with a group of new friends I couldn't be happier.
