It was the right time to get out, he said.
Mr Hughes said he wanted to thank the people of the East Coast.
“I’ve loved working with East Coast people because it’s helped me as a list MP with a focus on national policies.
“It has helped me to stay grounded.
“I really appreciated my relationship with East Coast and Gisborne in particular.”
Gareth and Meghan have an idyllic lifestyle ahead of them.
Mrs Hughes was recently appointed as the “keeper” of Quarantine Island/Kamau Island in the middle of Otago Harbour, and has the responsibility of bringing tourists to the island, welcoming school groups and acting as caretaker.
The public reserve was Otago’s quarantine station from 1863-1924.
Mr Hughes said he planned to write, pursue his love of history and conduct research for an American environmental organisation.
The joys of family life involved taking his children to school by boat.
Sometimes the weather caused them to miss school, which they didn’t mind.
Living on the island was paradise, he said.
“I’ve been running full-speed for 10 years, so I’m having a bit of a sabbatical for 12 months.”
The future was unknown but there would still be an element of campaigning.
“Democracy doesn’t start and end with Parliament.”
Mr Hughes did admit to having mixed emotions on election night.
The early results showed the Greens exceeding expectations — “so there was a tinge of sadness that I wouldn’t be there”.
The victory of Chloe Swarbrick in Auckland Central was no surprise to him because of her grass-roots campaign.
Mr Hughes entered Parliament through the list upon the retirement of Jeanette Fitzsimons in 2010, and left as his party’s longest-serving MP.
“I leave with my values intact.”
He had no regrets about entering Parliament at such a young age.
It was invaluable that someone in the House could present a youthful perspective.
It was obvious during a parliamentary discussion about online copyright that some MPs had no idea what they were talking about, he said.
He became the youngest MP in the House, taking that mantle from Jacinda Ardern.
In his valedictory speech, Mr Hughes said he had since been lapped a couple of times by the Prime Minister in a political sense.
He went on to say, “I am so proud, though, as a New Zealander at such a time of global uncertainty, that she is the one leading us and inspiring the world.”
As an MP he enjoyed meeting members of the public “at their kitchen tables”.
Like Anne Tolley, he rejected criticism that politicians lived in ivory towers.
“It’s a lovely part of New Zealand politics, being in a small country where we are much closer to people than in other countries.
“It’s Kiwi culture — we have an informality about us which I love.”
The highlights of his political career were “the policy wins” such as stopping offshore oil and gas exploration, changing the rules of around fracking and banning shark-finning.
“My entire focus has just been on getting wins for the environment.”
In his valedictory speech, Mr Hughes said, “I love our country, our beaches, our rivers, our forests, and our mountains, and protecting our beautiful but fragile planet has motivated my life’s work.
“Coming from the activist world, I described my previous career at Greenpeace as banging on the outside of this place.
“I like to think I’ve spent the last 10 years banging on about the environment from the inside.”
His biggest regret was failing to bring the rail line back to Gisborne.
“After years of work on committees and constant lobbying, we still haven’t got that across the line.”
Labour was not showing the same emphasis and support on bringing back the line as when Moana Mackey was the locally-based Labour MP.
“I hope that can change.”
Questioned about his valedictory speech where he said New Zealand needed transformative Government rather than “simply arranging deckchairs on the Titanic”, he described the comments as “an observation of a fact”.
He told The Gisborne Herald that future historians would not view contemporary New Zealand as being in a transformative stage, as they did with the first Labour Government and the Rogernomics Labour Government.
“When you look at the plethora of issues looking at us from climate change, species extinction, the growth of poverty and inequality, we need a transformation, otherwise we are facing the edge — it’s a challenge.
“It’s easy to chase the medium voter and not rock the boat — that’s not how we’re going to fix the problems facing the world.”
Asked if the Greens sought a middle-of-the-road approach when they signed up to the Budget Responsibility Rules (which set targets for lowering government debt and spending) with Labour prior to the 2017 election, Mr Hughes said that in hindsight, that had been a mistake.
“I’m glad we changed our position.”
The country needed a fairer tax system and “greater spending on those New Zealanders doing it hard”.
Mr Hughes said any type of coalition arrangement with Labour should depend on what Labour offered.
“We have no strict leverage. What we do have is our integrity, our mana. These are tangible and should not be given lightly,” he said.
