Green MP Nandor Tanczos will retire from Parliament today to make way for co-leader Russel Norman. I'll be sorry to see him go. For the past nine years, he has been a tireless advocate for the environment, justice, human rights, and yes, saner drug laws. And then there's the childish glee at the outrage his mere presence causes among a certain type of conservative.
As the Dominion Post points out, Nandor's legacy is a new independent prison inspection regime, the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004, and hopefully, the Waste Minimisation Bill currently before the House. While he won't be around to see the latter pass into law, it will almost certainly make it through its final stages before the expiry of Parliament. While two bills in nine years doesn't sound like much, its more than most non-government MPs manage, and a testament to his ability to choose issues and build coalitions to support them. And there's no question that these laws have made New Zealand a better place.
Nandor's valedictory is at 17:30. You can watch it online here.
