Meet the backbenchers: Chris Bishop

• 35
• National Party MP since 2014, MP for Hutt South since 2017.
• Engaged to Jenna Raeburn

General likes

I'm a huge cricket fan, so I'm looking forward to kicking back over summer and watching the Black Caps. I really enjoy travel ... Favourite place, probably Myanmar, a sense of the undiscovered.

Dislikes?

Opera. I'm more of an alternativerock kind of guy.

What were your political influences, if any, in your upbringing?

From my dad, I got my love of politics. He was a former press gallery reporter, so I grew up watching him on TV and talking to him about the 1980s ... Two of the people I most admire are Paul Keating and Bob Hawke. In fact my dog is named after Bob Hawke, but she's a female, hence Lady Hawke. Everyone thinks my dog is named after the singer or the movie - I didn't even know there was a movie.

Highs and lows this year?

I've really enjoyed being the police spokesperson. I've really got stuck into it. Lows, obviously the whole drama around Jami-Lee (Ross), a pretty unhappy and testing time ... I should probably say getting engaged - depends if you mean politically or personally. The high would be getting engaged. Jenna's going to kill me. I'm in so much trouble.

Did you go down on one knee?

I didn't, no. It's not a great story because we went out to dinner, I booked this amazing restaurant, but Jenna was sick and I was a bit sick as well. We kept having to delay the dinner, so I postponed it one night and she was still sick. It came to the final night in the city where we were at, and we were flying out the next day, and I just got it into my head that it was going to happen while we were on holiday. So I basically made her go out to dinner, and she was not happy about it, so it wasn't exactly the most auspicious occasion, but it still worked out all right. She said yes, so that's a good sign.

Where are you getting married?

Hawke's Bay. We just really like it up there, down by the Tukituki River. We've got a marquee and a dance floor, some nice wine.

What's your preferred method of dance?

I'd love to say I've been learning the waltz or the tango, but I haven't. We'll just go for the classic, white, 35-year-old shuffle around.

Have you ever used cannabis?

Yes. It was university days, I suspect like a lot of MPs and a lot of New Zealanders. I'm not a particularly big fan of it, didn't enjoy it that much.

What's your view on personal use of cannabis?

[The referendum] is a conscience vote for National MPs. I haven't made up my mind yet. A lot of it depends on the model, and we're yet to hear from the Government on what the model might be.

What movie, book or concert have you enjoyed this year?

I went to two Shihad concerts. Shihad's probably my favourite Kiwi band.

What do you plan to do this summer?

Getting married on Wellington Anniversary weekend, and then Tahiti for a week, and then San Francisco and then down to Disneyland.