Parliament
Todd Muller, the human factor
Todd Muller is leaving Parliament. Known for a brief stint as Opposition leader, he also won plaudits for his bipartisanship and advocating for awareness about mental health. Audio
Te Kāhui Mōuri lights up Parliament's face
Visitors entering the main entrance to Parliament can finally notice some visual signs of Māori culture and physical recognition of mana whenua. Audio
The House drops into first gear on RMA
This week the Government added a morning sitting of the House to ‘get stuck into’ completing debate on RMA reform. The Opposition just aimed for ‘stuck’. Audio
Election Energy inside Parliament
As MPs count down to the election Parliament’s mood changes. The Opposition’s House leader Michael Woodhouse predicts “more anger, frivolity, perhaps less discipline”. “Perhaps” seems generous. Audio
Photo essay: cross-party MP group in Samoa
Five New Zealand MPs from across the political spectrum are visiting Samoa to build relationships within the country - and among themselves. Audio
Urgency done with urgency
During a briefer than usual urgent sitting in Parliament this week, multiple bills were progressed through multiple stages each in what would normally take a couple of sitting weeks of debate. Audio
Parliamentary Privilege: a balance of power and responsibility
When MPs screw up the consequences can be public and brutal. But sometimes that response has solid reasons which safeguard our system of responsible government. Audio
Privileges and more than a sense of urgency
Parliament has just six weeks left before it breaks for the election. There is still a lot yet to do, and to slow that down, one or two matters of privilege. Audio
Geoffrey Palmer: Strengthen Parliament to watch government
As an MP Sir Geoffrey Palmer had a huge impact on the interlocking shapes of government and parliament. The great reformer is still brimming with ideas for improvement. Audio
Ian McKelvie: Parliament's last country squire
Something of a throwback to when most National MPs staunchly represented farming interests, Ian McKelvie is however ending his career as an MP not defined by the tribal lines of party politics. Audio
The ways of Parliament’s committees
This week, RNZ’s Parliament show, The House, focused on the processes and outcomes of Parliament’s Select Committees. The Sunday show is a collation of this content. Audio
Therapeutic Products Bill in the panel-beater workshop
The Therapeutic Products Bill is one of those pieces of legislation that requires a fair bit of panel-beating in a select committee, and even then not everyone's happy with its shape. Audio
How select committees tweak bills
When things threaten to go awry it can help us learn how they work. So, how do Select Committees decide to amend bills, who helps them; and how do they track amendments and communicate with the legal… Audio
Parliament's backstop for extra government spending
An Imprest Supply Bill is Parliament’s way of saying to the government 'yes you can have that money, but also if you find you need to use more money on it, you don't need to come back and ask again'.
…Ministerial Grillapalooza: Photos from Parliament’s Estimates Hearings
Parliament has hit the time of year it turns into a combination of Glastonbury and the Inquisition - the multi-pronged miniterial grilling called Estimates Hearings. Audio
ACT’s pile-on Question Time tactic
The ACT Party has this month latched on to a Question Time tactic of using consecutive supplementary questions on a repetitive theme as a pile-on against the government. Audio