KEY POINTS:
On Friday night they bade farewell to Nandor Tanczos. Yesterday morning, they proudly paraded the candidate who will replace him.
No one is indispensable in politics - even in the group-hug atmosphere of the Green Party.
The circus must go on. Only the performers change.
Few MPs leave
much of a mark on history. In Tanczos' case, the parliamentary record will footnote him as the first self-proclaimed Rastafarian MP.
The dreadlocks, the skateboarding and the deejaying brought scorn from some and the label of "the world's oldest teenager".
But among political friends and foes alike, the stereotyping was quickly dropped as they encountered one of the more gentle, kind-hearted and sympathetic of political animals.
Throughout Parliament, he earned a reputation as a thoughtful and valued contributor to political debate, particularly his work in refining and improving legislation, notably that involving justice matters.
"We're going to miss you, bro," Jeanette Fitzsimons, the Greens co-leader, declared at Friday night's farewell ceremony for him at the Greens' annual conference, thanking him for the intelligence and wisdom he brought to party discussions,
She also praised him for making Parliament relevant to people who otherwise could not be bothered with the institution, most notably disaffected youth who could identify with him.
She sounded less sure that she would miss the reggae beats coming from his corner office on the eighth floor of Wellington's Bowen House.
There was no mention of his demotion down the Greens' list in 2005 - presumably for performance reasons - which resulted in him nearly missing out on returning as an MP after that year's election.
Neither was there mention of his failed attempt to become co-leader the following year. But he was generous in his mention of Russel Norman, the man who beat him for the job. "He rocks."
Tanczos does not leave Parliament until the election, but the weekend's conference was the last he will attend in the capacity of MP.
Greeting fellow party members in the name of the Creator, the Most High Jah Ras Tafari, he related anecdotes from his early days in the Greens, including his time in the now defunct "direct action" wing, the Wild Greens.
In that episode, he was involved in testing Ecstasy tablets for dangerous additives - something which attracted the attention of TVNZ's Holmes show.
With the story about to go to air, Tanczos thought it advisable to tell his party's leaders. "The reaction was remarkably calm."
But he was more circumspect about links with the Wild Greens' uprooting of genetically engineered potatoes at the Crop and Food research facility at Lincoln in 1999.
"I neither confirm nor deny."
He did recall his first caucus meeting after becoming an MP.
"It was an amazing feeling. Everything seemed possible. I guess after nine years in Parliament, it doesn't quite feel like it is exactly filled with infinite possibilities."
His advice to new MPs? "Do your own thing. You will be sanded smooth soon enough. Don't worry about that."
Parliament will be the poorer for his going - not least for the disappearance of the colourful, if eccentric, hats and caps under which those famous locks were coiled.