What does an MP actually do all day?

I always pictured MPs shouting at each other in the debating chamber. Turns out most of the job is meetings, emails, and electorate clinics.

When I started the NZ Politics lab I thought MPs spent all day in the House. That's the bit you see on TV.

But when I went looking, the actual schedule looks more like: select committee in the morning, electorate calls at lunch, then maybe two hours in the chamber, then back to a community meeting.

I'm going to keep digging. If you're an MP (or you work for one) and you want to set me straight, the contact form is open.