New Zealand Parliament's battered cookie tin sits center stage as lawmakers anxiously await its metallic rattle to determine which of 23 bills will receive debate. This decades-old lottery tradition, held in Wellington, transforms serious lawmaking into a suspenseful spectacle, leaving MPs to describe the noise as both “nerve-racking” and “absurdly charming.”

Legislators gather as the battered metal tin shakes, each hoping their bill is drawn. With just 7 slots available and 23 hopefuls in the mix, the lottery's outcome shapes New Zealand’s legislative agenda—proving that even democracy can hinge on the clatter of a cookie box. One MP called it “the most New Zealand thing ever.”

The battered tin has been in use since the 1980s and once held chocolate chip cookies, making it New Zealand’s quirkiest legislative artifact.