On 19 September 2018 I was on RNZ’s Nine to Noon programme reviewing Stardust and Substance, VUP’s anthology about the 2017 General Election. You can listen here.
Tag: Parliament
The Whole Intimate Mess on RNZ
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to adapt and then record my book The Whole Intimate Mess for RNZ. It was an honour, and I’m delighted to share the finished recordings. These were read on air in November 2018. You can listen to all five episodes here.
“Having it all” – my speech at the launch of The Whole Intimate Mess
On 22 June 2017 my publishers at Bridget Williams Books put on a delightful launch event for my book The Whole Intimate Mess at Vic Books Pipitea. The incomparable Emily Writes was the guest speaker. Emily spoke beautifully – you can see what she said here. And below is a rough approximation of what I said. It was wonderful to be so supported by family, friends, colleagues and readers. Thank you to everyone who came, and all those who bought a copy.

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The Whole Intimate Mess
In June 2017 I published a short memoir about my experience in Parliament, becoming a mother, and then stepping down when it became too hard to combine my care responsibilities with my career. After leaving Parliament, I set myself a challenge to only read books by women for a year (which turned into two), and this was the starting point for this book.
I’m really excited to share it, thanks to the lovely team at Bridget Williams Books who encouraged me to write it and released it as part of their Texts series of short books by New Zealand writers. You can find out more and order it here.
On losing my voice
When I was an MP, I used to tell people that I went into politics to use my voice. Yet at the end of three years in Parliament, I had lost my voice completely.
My essay in The Interregnum on parenting in Parliament and losing my voice was abridged and republished by Fairfax on 30 April 2016. You can read it here.
Q&A
I did my first TV interview since leaving politics this week. I was hesitant about doing it but I think it turned out ok. It’s about my experience becoming a mum while in Parliament and how it could be made easier for others. It’s very much based on my essay in The Interregnum which was published earlier this month. And here it is.