Long-serving Labour MP David Parker is giving his valedictory address to Parliament.
Parker, who was first elected in 2002, after winning the Otago seat, has been a list MP since 2005.
He has twice held the role of Attorney General, from 2005-2006, and from 2017-2023.
He also held the Trade, Revenue, Economic Development, Associate Finance, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, State Services, Transport and Land Information ministerial portfolios.
He announced he was retiring at the beginning of April.
In an interview with RNZ, Parker said he had "three main threads" in politics: environment, civil liberties, and economics, and was proud of achievements in all three spaces.
In his first stint as environment minister he legislated the Emissions Trading Scheme, and in his second spearheaded the overhaul of the Resource Management Act (the latter was repealed by the current government).
As trade minister, Parker signed New Zealand up to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and ratified the PACER Plus agreement.
He resigned from his revenue portfolio ahead of the 2023 election, partly due to Labour ruling out a wealth tax policy.
Parker said he would participate in the tax debate "til the day I die, I suspect," and while he would not participate in the political debate, he would remain a Labour member.
"It is true that I believe there's unfinished business for the country. Middle class people who earn their income through wages pay tax on every dollar they earn. But wealthy people, very wealthy people, pay tax on less than half what they earn."
While there would always be unfinished business, he said the "art of government" meant there were always improvements to be made.
"You're never finished in this job. You've got to call it quits sometimes."
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