Jane Patterson

The government is moving to clean up the problems with emergency housing in Rotorua, in response to reports of crime and unsafe living conditions.

The latest blow up over race relations in Parliament has raised the question - are MPs allowed to call each other racist in the House?

The government can't - or won't - say if crime is increasing in and around emergency housing, because the police are not collecting that information.

Close trans-Tasman friend and ally Australia is taking a more aggressive stance against China - with South China Sea and Taiwan potential flashpoints. Where will New Zealand stand?

The Prime Minister says as China's role in the world grows the differences between it and New Zealand's political systems and respective interests and values are becoming harder to reconcile.

Unknown sums of money are being handed over to moteliers to cover damages caused by emergency housing clients - officials aren't keeping track of what's being spent and can't put a total figure on it.

The National Party says it is good to see Green MP and government minister Marama Davidson condemn conditions in some emergency housing - "better late than never".

One of the government's own ministers has condemned some emergency housing, while taking aim at a system allowing moteliers to turn a quick buck at the expense of safety and a decent place to live. Audio

The dragon, the taniwha - and the kangaroo? This week the Australian and New Zealand foreign ministers shared a podium and China was very much the dragon in the room.

Distressing revelations about life in emergency housing continue to emerge, including a woman being punched unconscious by another motel resident, putting her in hospital.

Emergency housing has been described as dangerous and terrifying for some, with families mixed in with gang members and many places rife with crime and intimidation. Audio

Power Play - Some of Labour's backbenchers did little to cover themselves with glory this week with their behaviour - a red flag for the still fresh majority government.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the border security guard who had not been tested since last November lied to his employer First Security about the tests he was supposed to have had. Audio

The government is estimating Australian tourists' spending will recover to about 80 percent of the pre-Covid level by next year.

The Opposition is calling on the Finance Minister to specifically rule out any move to cap rent rises.

Power Play: Taking a page right out of the John Key playbook, rookie National MP Chris Luxon has addressed his religious beliefs head on, Jane Patterson writes.

Any border worker who refuses a vaccination will soon be removed from their frontline job.

The minister responsible for the SIS has mounted a spirited defence of the agency, after its annual appearance at select committee.

The change allows for a scenario where if the family home is not used as such for more than a year, it becomes subject to the bright-line test.

More time is needed to nail down the final details of the trans-Tasman travel bubble, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says, so when the government announces a date, people have certainty.

The Corrections Minister is taking aim at his department over its failure to answer in court accusations of "cruel and inhumane" treatment of inmates at Auckland Women's Prison. Audio

The government plans to have a travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia in place by the end of April, RNZ understands, and the proposal may go to Cabinet on Monday. Audio

Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has defended her decision not to alert the prime minister to the imminent deportation of a 15-year-old boy from Australia, when she was told last week.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta was told by Australia last week they intended to deport a 15-year-old boy to New Zealand, but that message was not passed on to the prime minister.

The National Party says there should be a much better system to collect money for stays in managed isolation and quarantine, including using debt collectors when bills are overdue. Audio