One of the strangest weeks at Parliament - Audrey Young

Opinion bySenior Political Correspondent·NZ Herald·9 Nov, 2026 05:45 AM5 mins to readAudrey Young, Senior Political Correspondent at the New Zealand Herald based at Parliament, specialises in writing about politics and power.‌Clockwise from top left, Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong, National deputy leader Nicola Willis, New Zealand First's Michael Laws and Labour leader Chris Hipkins. The week after the election is always one of the strangest at Parliament, where grief, regret and blame meet elation, celebration and pride, often in the same room. That is certain to be the case at Tuesday morning’s National caucus, at which it is traditional to present an engraved silver