Darroch Ball

● Age: 36

● New Zealand First List MP based in Palmerston North since 2014

● Party spokesman for police, corrections, justice, social services and youth affairs

Tell us a couple of things you like and a couple of things you don’t like.

I like sushi, sushi’s good. I like watching the Warriors. The Warriors are a big thing for me. A pet hate of mine is slow drivers, terrible drivers. The ones where they brake before they indicate, it gets me going.

Give us one fun fact about yourself.

I think one thing that people might not know about me is that I’m part Tongan. My grandmother was Tongan and she was born and raised in Fiji, and so was my mother.

What was your best speech about this year and why?

One of the most important topics that I spoke on recently was the Psychoactive Substances Act. We’ve got a really big problem with that at the moment. We’ve got dozens of people dying and we’re going to do something about that. I think we’ve got an important role to ensure that the judicial system is equipped with the tools that it needs to deal with the issues that we have with synthetic cannabis.

What issue would you like to see passed in a private member’s bill?

I’ve had a number of bills put in and I’ve actually had one drawn recently which is the First Responders Bill. That gives extra judicial powers to our judges to allocate and give maximum sentences for anyone who assaults our first responders.

What were your political influences in your upbringing, if any?

I don’t think I had any particular political influences. It wasn’t until I was in my late 20s, early 30s, before I realised I actually wanted to be a politician.

If you could be fluent in a second language, what would it be?

I guess the only two I’ve ever thought of wanting to would be te reo Ma¯ ori and New Zealand Sign Language. The main reason for that is that they’re both official languages of New Zealand but I think they would absolutely come in handy, especially in the role I’m doing at the moment.

What’s your view on the personal use of cannabis?

I’m genuinely undecided. I think that one of the advantages that we’re going to have coming up soon is a referendum on the matter. What the referendum allows us is a thorough, detailed discussion about the pros and cons backed up by evidence, and people can make a decision based on that.

What are your plans for summer?

One of the things that I enjoy every single summer is just having a family meal. That usually involves going up to Auckland where most of my extended family are, and having a barbecue and putting the jandals on.