Every MP does more than represent their electorate — they also carry specific areas of responsibility in Parliament. A portfolio is a subject area, such as health, housing, or education, that an MP is assigned to focus on for their party: following what the Government is doing in that area, questioning the relevant Minister, and speaking on Bills that affect it.

Select committees are where much of Parliament's real work happens — small groups of MPs from across all parties who examine proposed laws line by line, hear public submissions, and scrutinise government spending and performance.

A Bill is a law in the making — still being debated, examined, and open for public submissions. Once Parliament passes it, it becomes an Act: no longer a proposal, but the law.

When you make a submission on a Bill, it's a select committee that reads it and hears you. Together, portfolios and committee work are how an MP's voice reaches beyond the debating chamber — and how the voices of Tāmaki Makaurau can reach into the detail of law-making itself.