The Beehive and Parliament Building, Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell
It's already been a year since the New Zealand General Election and life for the five MPs based in the Whanganui, Te Tai Hauāuru and Rangitīkei electorates remains as busy as ever.
The ongoing impact of Covid-19 remains a principal issue, regardless of party affiliation.
Mike Tweed spoke with them about the past 12 months, and what they hope comes next.
For Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, having an unapologetic Māori voice and view in Parliament has been important.
"We've certainly shaken a few things up, and I hope we've brought attention to critical Māori issues we contend with on a day-to-day basis," she said.
"Something like targeted housing for Māori, for example, which the Government initially wasn't going to go with. The next minute they announced it in the Budget.
"We started a lot of things that are now becoming normalised."
The South Taranaki-based list MP said the biggest thrill of the election, on October 17, 2020 was getting her party back into Parliament.
"That was a huge effort," Ngarewa-Packer said.
"While some people had been campaigning for a year and a half, we'd been at it for another year on top of that.
"Getting two of us in [Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi] was a huge honour, but it was also really exciting because we're in there in opposition and we're able to hold the Government to account."
It was humbling and unexpected to see the party grow such a substantial following over the past 12 months, Ngarewa-Packer said.
"When we first started we used to get trolled a lot, and now there's a huge following that goes into bat for us.
"It's nice to know there are others out there who care about the kaupapa."
The MP for Rangitīkei, Ian McKelvie, said his electorate's firm grounding in the agricultural sector had put it in good stead in the wake of Covid-19.
"We've been fortunate to be able to carry on a lot of what we do," McKelvie said.
"The first lockdown last year was very testing from the point of view of my constituents, but, for some reason, this year hasn't been anywhere near as hard for them.
"People have adapted to it, but at some stage we are going to have to adapt to the real world again."
McKelvie, now into his fourth term, said the recent joint housing announcement between National and Labour was something he hadn't seen for a long time.
"Whether we agree with the Government or not is irrelevant, but sometimes they pick up ideas we've given them.
"That's what it's all about."
Labour candidate Soraya Peke Mason had pushed him hard in last year's election, McKelvie said.
"The ironic way of describing that is, once upon a time I'd walk down the street in Rangitīkei and wonder who didn't vote for me, now I walk down the street and wonder who did.
"That's quite a difference, really.
"Things are going as well as they can though, we can't get much better. We're getting on with things."
The MP for Whanganui, Steph Lewis, said she had two main goals when she began her first term last year.
"One was to spend as much time as possible getting to know my electorate, and when I was in Parliament, listening and learning as much as possible.
"By understanding the multitude of complex rules down there [in Parliament], I know how to best advocate for the people in Whanganui."
The past few months had felt very much like the "time of Covid" again.
"I need to be doing all the things that I, alongside the Government, are asking people to do to keep our community safe," she said.
"There's definitely an element of reassuring people as well, and trying to work with places like the Chamber [of Commerce] to support local businesses."
Twelve months into her term, Lewis said she still loved her job.
While not everyone was going to agree with what the Government was doing, she said, it was important people felt they could approach her and have their say.
"I know this is cliched, but honestly, my favourite part of this job is getting to celebrate our communities and meeting more of the incredibly talented people that we have living here.
"School visits are another thing I love, talking to our tamariki and explaining to them a little bit about what the role of an MP is.
"I quite often get asked if I've been on the news or if I've met Jacinda [Ardern]."
Whether it was as an elected MP or now as a list MP, National's Harete Hipango said her mission remained the same - to offer a level of service to the people of Whanganui.
Although losing the Whanganui seat in 2020, she returned to Parliament in June as a list MP after the retirement of Nick Smith.
"It's been busy, and I think the workload has intensified because those alert levels in the north mean there's less of us in the house," Hipango said.
"In saying that, I know there are a lot of people who'd like to be busy but can't be."
Hipango said she had been fielding a lot of inquiries from people since her return to Parliament.
"That's been really interesting. I don't have an office at the moment, but people have reached out to me, I've communicated with them, and then I've assisted them."
A major concern for Hipango was the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine, which she said had been too slow.
"Over the last 18 months, our Government hasn't adequately equipped our health system for the Covid hit we're going to get with all the infections and hospitalisations.
"Things need to roll out much more rapidly and efficiently."
The MP for Te Tai Hauāuru, Adrian Rurawhe, said one of the things he was most proud of over the past 12 months was being part of the Māori affairs select committee that made the recommendation for a Māori Health Authority.
"Our Government has taken it up, and I think it's going to make a huge difference," Rurawhe said.
"It has long-term implications for addressing the inequities in health for Māori."
Because of the sheer size of his electorate, a "one size fits all" approach to initiatives like the Covid-19 vaccine wouldn't work, Rurawhe said.
Now into his third term, Rurawhe said he still really enjoyed his role in Parliament.
"I'm fortunate to have general electorate MPs as colleagues, and I work very closely with Steph Lewis in Whanganui. We share information and we support each other.
"That makes things manageable."
On a personal level, Rurawhe said the world of Zoom meetings had now become normality.
"I miss the face-to-face communications though, there's nothing like it."
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