National Party list MP Michael Woodhouse is enthusiastically looking forward to the opportunities and challenges of 2011. He talked to business editor Dene Mackenzie.
They are the election, his contribution to policy at a national level, and local issues.
He told the Otago Daily Times he hoped to get some change in duties in the election year and that included having input into commerce, finance and revenue.
''I don't want to get pigeon-holed into health and ACC. I am keen on commerce and finance and am hopeful for a promotion at some stage.
''It's not something I can worry too much about. I will work hard on policy and in the House but the decision on promotion will come from the leadership. I am a believer in promotion on merit.''
Some of the issues Mr Woodhouse would be dealing with quite early on in the year were the marine and coastal legislation and alcohol law reform.
The alcohol law reform legislation was finely balanced between the liberal view that the Government should keep out of peoples' lives and the socially conservative view of wanting the age for buying and drinking alcohol raised, he said.
He believed the excise tax needed to be considered in the overall view of the reform and thought that it should be applied at the point of sale, not the point of supply.
That would make a difference to the way alcohol specials were promoted in supermarkets.
''The benefits of price elasticity are not flowing through and that's being looked at.''
Mr Woodhouse had surveyed residents in Dunedin North and Dunedin South to get their views.
He had not made up his mind which way to vote but favoured a split vote of 18 in a bar and 20 in an off-licence.
The survey results were expected to show a consensus for keeping the age at 18 from Dunedin North and raising it to 20 in Dunedin South.
The MP expected to be involved in the ongoing stocktake of ACC because of his work in the corporation and through involvement in the small taskforce of MPs considering changes.
Locally, he had high expectations of increasing his vote in Dunedin North.
''In 2008, I was completely new with a new team. Now we have the infrastructure and organisation in place and we are well funded. We have increased our volunteer numbers and Mana showed that no party can take any seat for granted.
''My goal is for both major parties to believe that Dunedin seats are there to both win and lose.''
With the retirement of long-serving Dunedin North Labour MP Pete Hodgson, National was looking at making gains.
Although Mr Woodhouse was expecting to campaign throughout New Zealand before the election campaign proper started, his energy and time would be focused on Dunedin North during the campaign.
Already, his team was preparing an election strategy.
''An election is not won or lost on the day but in the months leading up to it.
We are putting in the work now.''
He was proud of helping to get extra funding for the Dunedin Hospital and being involved in the bid to save neurosurgery at the hospital.
One of the issues he believed would be hotly debated when he was on the campaign trail was voluntary membership of student unions.
The legislation allowing for voluntary membership was expected to pass and defending that would be a challenge.
He would like to see the Otago University Students Association cut back to its core base services for all members - advocacy, welfare and perhaps health.
Other services, such as student health and membership to gyms, could be subscription-based with students offered a ''basket of services'' from which they could pick from and pay for.
Mr Woodhouse said he could not remember having any specific goals when first selected for National, but he had no regrets.
''You can't unring the bell of being in public office. I have never regretted the decision - quite the opposite.''
His energy levels were the same as in 2008 and he made an effort to keep fit and sleep well.
In 2010 he refereed four games of rugby and kept fit by running.
Mr Woodhouse was conscious his being away from home took a toll on his family and he paid tribute to his wife Amanda for her support.
