Tractor therapy

He says he's been using the time to fill in for his staff as they take their holidays, but some of his plans have been thwarted by the rain which has been something of a constant in the Manawatu.

He says he planned to reinstate some fences that got taken down when he had new staff accommodation built on the property. But he says doing carpentry with power tools in the wet was not a goer and his plans were running behind schedule.

But the transition from Feds to Parliament has allowed Hoggard to indulge in politics for a little longer.

He admits that life without some involvement in politics would have driven him 'stir crazy' and forced him to watch TV news and scream at the television.

Parliament is described by some as a 'zoo' and Hoggard has his own unique way of winding down after a week in it.

"I call it tractor therapy - recreational cultivation - something that involves me going around and around in circles on the tractor. After spending all week listening to the screaming and squealing from across the aisle in Parliament, it's good to listen to the diesel engine just purring away," he says.