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Parliament finds energy to debate power costs
This week, Parliament allocated an hour to debate New Zealand's struggling energy sector. All parties agreed it was an issue, but diverged on how to solve it.
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Parliament delivers heralds of 2026 election
25 Oct 2025This week, parliament produced two signs of the election to come - crucial work on tweaking rules and a new calendar that may just hint at an election date.
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A question of intent: Takutai Moana Bill passes third reading
23 Oct 2025The Takutai Moana Bill bill on customary marine titles has passed after much argument over the original intent of its predecessor.
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Question Time, not Answer Time
22 Oct 2025Parliament's Question Time is correctly named. Actual answers can be thin on the ground.
The House headlines with summaries.
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Moe mai rā, Bolger: MPs farewell the 'great helmsman'
19 Oct 2025On Thursday, Parliament's usual agenda was set aside, as MPs lamented the death of Jim Bolger, Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1990-97. Audio
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MPs hear submissions on Public Service Bill
16 Oct 2025The ability of Parliament to scrutinise the government and public service departments would be directly affected by changes considered to the Public Service Amendment Bill, the Clerk of the House…
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Sometimes Parliament needs plot summaries
16 Oct 2025Parliament is always a story of continuing business, but plot summaries were needed this week to reveal 'the story so far…'.
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Oriini Kaipara's maiden statement: 'A product of Māori resilience'
12 Oct 2025Oriini Kaipara's maiden speech was overshadowed a little by celebration of it, but what did Tāmaki Makaurau's new MP actually say? Audio
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Good MPs make great quiz team members
9 Oct 2025A good pub quiz team always needs a music and a sports nerd and a celebrity news addict, but for wide general knowledge an MP might be just the thing.
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Groundhog Day, as Peters delivers third ministerial statement on Gaza
8 Oct 2025Tuesday at parliament felt a bit like Groundhog Day, as Foreign Minister Winston Peters gave yet another ministerial statement on the war in Gaza.
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The third branch: Parliament's relationship with the courts
5 Oct 2025The state has three independent branches. Victoria University Dean of Law Geoff McLay helps explain the crucial relationship between Parliament, government and the courts. Audio
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The House: Inside the Beehive’s emergency command ‘bunker’
28 Sep 2025RNZ takes a tour of 'The Beehive Bunker' - the National Crisis Management Centre.
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Government passes adoption bill under urgency
Parliament changed New Zealand's adoption laws this week. The bill was revealed at the last minute, and thanks to urgency and unanimous support completed within a day.
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MPs celebrate Māori Language Week by arguing … in te reo
19 Sep 2025Parliament's Nga Ratonga Ao Māori translation team had their work cut out for them this week as the use of te reo Māori in the House surged in tribute to Māori Language Week. Audio
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Question time’s push and pull of politics and process
17 Sep 2025Question time is known for quick quips and the potential for gotcha moments, but MPs are constantly testing the boundaries of the rules.
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The Budget finale: politics vs governance
14 Sep 2025The government's 2025 budget was finally agreed this week. The last major hurdle involved a long walk through a political minefield of questions, and even some answers.
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The long race to the Budget finish line
13 Sep 2025More than 110 days since Budget Day, this week the government finalised the process of securing Parliament's approval to spend cash.
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Parliament's workload squeezing out committees
10 Sep 2025Parliament's week is traditionally shaped across three days. That shape is increasingly being squeezed and select committees are being forced into the margins.
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The House: Parliament's local MP and electorate
7 Sep 2025Each of New Zealand's 72 electorates is unique - so what's it like to represent the heart of our capital city? Louis Collins chats with Tamatha Paul and her staff.
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Are Parliament's colonial underpinnings out of date?
31 Aug 2025Parliament's Westminster underpinnings sometimes jar against modern Kiwi sensibilities, especially with te ao Māori.
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Lies, damn lies and parliamentary debate
24 Aug 2025Analysis - Mendacity is the bane of good debate. In Parliament both lies and claims of lies used to be naughty, but the floodgates may have opened on the latter.
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Opposition's backbench overtakes National's on bills passed
21 Aug 2025Members' bills can come from any backbench MP. Usually successful government bills far outnumber opposition bills - but not this Parliament.
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Saplings, stalking, and spying: Government bills this week
20 Aug 2025This week's bills are a mixture of unfinished business from last week along with a selection plucked from the Order Paper that are awaiting their next stages.
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Higher rates and more debt: Auditor General and former mayors
19 Aug 2025This week, two officials from the Office of the Auditor-General spoke with the Governance and Administration Committee about the Long Term Plans made by local government.
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Spine and Punishment: A review of Swarbrick v Brownlee
17 Aug 2025Analysis: Last week, the Speaker made new rules and interpretations on the fly in punishing an MP who challenged the government to show some spine.
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What can we learn from the PM's answers on Palestine and Gaza during Question Time?
13 Aug 2025National avoided taking a stand on Palestine in Parliament's urgent debate. What can we learn from the PM's answers on Palestine and Gaza during Question Time?
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The House: Bills this week
12 Aug 2025MPs are back for a two-week sitting block, with a smorgasbord of proposed laws scheduled for debate. Here are the bills up this week.
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Parliament's cross-partisan powerhouse and the new law that undermines it
10 Aug 2025One of Parliament's quiet, powerful committees is opposition-led and cross-partisan, but a new law from ACT may undermine that.
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