KEY POINTS:
Parliament is not famous for its goodness. Come November and December, when the rest of New Zealand is singing Silent Night, MPs are often contemplating the next permutation of Silent Knife.
But behind the headlines of back-stabbing, and general reputations for laziness, are some nice people who work hard for their constituents, who often get on together and can even be inspirational.
Christchurch Central MP Tim Barnett claims one of the more unusual achievements this year: he helped to persuade a group of pensioners and the Christchurch City Council that a newly declared cross-dresser in their number did not deserve to be evicted from the pensioner flats.
The newly widowed pensioner's late wife had given her blessing to the cross-dressing, but it came as a shock to others in the block and he was served with a 90-day eviction notice.
With the support of two neighbours and Mr Barnett's intervention, the notice was withdrawn. "There was a bit of a thank-you party afterwards," said the gay MP.
MPs work together in the most unusual combinations. The oddest couple this year was Act leader Rodney Hide and Green MP Keith Locke, who collaborated to oppose the Auckland waterfront stadium.
On a smaller scale, the Maori Party's Te Ururoa Flavell, United Future's Judy Turner and National's Anne Tolley worked together to get a new Te Teko roundabout.
Humour overrode politics on the night Te Tai Tonga MP Mahara Okeroa lost his false teeth while in full cry over the Protected Objects Amendment Bill.
Compassion overrode politics in the select committee meeting at which a weeping Judith Collins was comforted by MPs from all sides as they talked about a powhiri gone wrong during a visit to South Auckland.
And contrary to the image, MPs are not always at Bellamy's, feeding their faces at the taxpayer-subsidised trough.
One of the more inspirational things that has been quietly happening over the past year or so has been Labour's shrinking waistline.
Marian Hobbs, Trevor Mallard, Lianne Dalziel, George Hawkins and Dianne Yates are shadows of their former selves.
Former minister Marian Hobbs has lost 25kg and shrunk from a size 26 to a size 18.
She started with a prescription of Reductil, and lost 15kg. The rest she has done herself by sensible eating and going to the gym three or four times a week.
Sports-mad Sports Minister Trevor Mallard has quietly, but not effortlessly, lost about 10kg in the past year by doing more exercise.
"I'm under 100kg probably for the first time in 17 or 18 years," he says.
Prime Minister Helen Clark said the lighter Labour caucus had not come about as a result of any organised campaign.
But she added: "I do sort of encourage people to look after their health and get a bit of exercise and eat the right thing.
"I like to see myself as providing some sort of role model for women in keeping fit and, while carrying a heavy workload, still finding time to eat properly and get enough sleep and do some exercise."
