New Zealand First list MP Clayton Mitchell is moving across to the other side of parliament, swapping the opposition benches for government.

He was among MPs present at the new government's swearing in at Government House on Thursday morning.

Although Clayton is not himself a minister, and therefore does not have to take the oath before the Governor-General that his colleagues swore, he was there nonetheless as a guest to support his fellow caucus members.

'It was a very auspicious occasion, and a proud moment for all of us.”

He says it's been a busy three months, first campaigning, and then helping with negotiations to form the next government.

'The last two weeks before an election are bedlam – everyone wants a piece of you – and then after that we had to wait until the final count before we could get down to negotiations.

'I felt very privileged to take part in those conversations. You've got to get to the point and put your policies on the table. And that was what it was all about – policy, not personalities.

'Now we've got a new government, and I'm pretty excited about it.”

It's a unique moment for the country, too – the first time a party without the largest share of the vote has been able to form a government under MMP (this occurred twice under FPP during the Muldoon years).

In that sense, Clayton and his colleagues are MMP pioneers, at least in New Zealand.

'It is pioneering for New Zealand, although not when you look overseas to countries like Germany, who take a lot longer to put governments together. I think this will be a successful term. There's a positive, collegial vibe between all parties. We've all got the desire to make positive change for all New Zealanders, and not just look after multinationals.

'It will be a balanced approach.”

Clayton's pleased to be current party whip, and hopes to be of assistance to ministers in areas such as racing, internal affairs, conservation, workplace relations, employment, and health and safety.

He's already put one private members' bill before parliament, which would make top-level sports games, such as All Blacks and Blackcaps matches, free to air.

'That bill didn't make it past the first reading because people were concerned about what the costs would be. But we have disenfranchised young people, child obesity, and low participation rates in sports. So if those can be changed as a result, then the benefits outweigh the costs.”

He's got another bill drafted, too, which would make being drunk or drug-affected in public a crime.

'There's a lot of pressure on bar owners to be responsible, but there's no impetus put on people to take responsibility for themselves.”

During the election campaign, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters made much of the fact $1.5 billion was received by the government in GST from foreign tourists, but none of that is returned to the regions.

Clayton says their policy around returning GST to the regions is basically what their new regional development fund will do.

'We've got a regional development fund in these negotiations, which will do what that policy was intended to do. That fund is a billion dollars per annum, and Shane Jones will be the minister in charge. I think there will be some exciting projects out of that.”