MP 'CARRIED AWAY' DURING SPEECH

National's Paul Goldsmith is best known for "taking a fall" in Epsom, allowing ACT's John Banks to win the seat.

Yesterday he narrowly avoided a replay. In mid-speech on Greens co-leader Russel Norman's foreign investment bill, the earnest Mr Goldsmith suddenly exited stage right into the aisle beside his seat.

Returning to shot on Parliament's TV feed, he apologised for "getting carried away", but Deputy Speaker Lindsay Tisch soon ruled him out of time, saying he should not have "fallen off his perch".

PARLIAMENTARY ACTION MAN TAKES TO NETBALL COURT

It seems Iain Lees-Galloway is a jack of all trades. The Labour MP, spotted here in a bib, has represented Parliament at both netball and rugby. But he is not yet up to the standards of fellow backbencher Louisa Wall, who represented New Zealand as both a Silver and Black Fern.

The parliamentary netball team played the local team in Mr Lees-Galloway's home patch of Palmerston North last month. He was the only man to take the court, but National MP Ian McKelvie was the MC and orange boy. For the record, the MPs went down 21-17 to the Manawatu Heroes.

NEW ENVOYS FOR RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND CHILE

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has named two new ambassadors. Career diplomat Hamish Cooper will be posted to the Russian Federation. He is at present head of Foreign Affairs' international security and disarmament division and co-ordinator for counter terrorism.

He was previously ambassador to Turkey and consul-general in Osaka, Japan. Diplomat John Capper will be ambassador to Chile. Mr Capper, a Spanish speaker, has worked with the Red Cross in Spain and in the private sector in the Middle East.

MINISTER 'TASER' COLLINS TAKES TO TWEETING

Having responded to the Law Commission's bid to prevent cyber-bullying, Justice Minister Judith Collins is boosting her own digital profile. On Tuesday she issued a video press release, believed to be the first sent from the Beehive.

In it Ms Collins, seated at her desk with a yellow Taser on it, said bullying wasn't new but the methods used were. Presumably she thinks it is safe to take the plunge herself, because she opened a Twitter account on Tuesday.

By late yesterday she had tweeted 14 times and had 86 followers, though she claimed to be "still getting the hang of it"

- © Fairfax NZ News