Steven Joyce, known as "the minister for everything" while National was in power, has bowed out of parliament.

Joyce has retired from politics and delivered his valedictory speech on Tuesday.

He revealed he had been in two minds about entering parliament in 2008, believing he had a perfect work-life balance as it was.

But former prime minister John Key and then party president Judy Kirk persuaded him, and he became a cabinet minister when National won the election.

He listed his most memorable achievements as building roads, rolling out ultra-fast broadband, working in the science and technology portfolios, and regional development.

And he recalled the most photographed event in his career - being hit in the face with a sex town thrown by an opponent of the government.

"I felt something hit my face, it ricocheted away, hit a cameraman, and fell on the ground," he said.

"I didn't know what it was - then we all looked down and I said 'well, let's head off then'.

"As we walked away I said to Nathan Guy 'do you think the cameras picked that up'?

"He said 'yeah, I think so. Keep walking'."

Joyce also recalled his young daughter telling her teacher, when asked what her father did in the Beehive, saying: "He draws pictures, drinks water and goes to the toilet".

"That about sums it up, I think," he said.

At the end of his speech, Joyce's voice faltered as he talked about his eight-year-old son, saying the boy was verbally autistic.

"He doesn't have a vocabulary, but he sure likes having his dad around.

"There's going to be a lot more of that."

- NZ Newswire