One of the things Mike said in one of his interviews—on, I think, The 9th Floor interview on RNZ—that stuck with me was "The greatest betrayal we can make of our people is to not care." No one could say Mike didn't care, and courageously so, about the people that he served. It was caring for people, dedicating his life to public service, and sticking to his values which served him so well for his 24 years of parliamentary service. Mike embodied some of the best traditions of New Zealand: looking out for Kiwi battlers, backing each other to succeed, recognising that not everyone is born into wealth and that sometimes they need a hand up. 