Fourth-ranked Cabinet minister Simon Power has signed off from Parliament with a call for MPs to lead from the front and tackle the tough issues.
Mr Power, the Justice Minister, delivered his valedictory speech last night, as did his Cabinet colleagues Wayne Mapp and Georgina Te Heu Heu.
Mr Power decried the amount of time MPs spend attacking and trying to out-manoeuvre each other.
Instead, he urged the House to face up to some of the big issues it traditionally shies away from, such as abortion, adoption laws, children's rights and sexual violence issues.
"If we don't have those debates here, where will we have them?" he asked.
Mr Power says more can be done to help protect the victims of violence.
