Legislation, issues and insights from Parliament.
Latest episodes
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12 min
Parliament's triennial warrant of fitness
Just about the last thing that happens before a Parliament adjourns for an election is the Review of Standing Orders – Parliament's rules. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more…
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6 min
Gerry Brownlee on "probably the most comprehensive" Standing Orders review since MMP began
The House sits down with Gerry Brownlee for a chat about some of the more significant changes proposed in this year's review of Standing Orders - Parliament's rules. Go to this epi…
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5 min
Debates: finally complete, incomplete, and unwelcome
Parliament's final week has just two days to finish off government business, so it's pick and choose – win and lose. An unwelcome debate on OIA avoidance won't help. *RNZ’s The Hou…
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14 min
Pity the Committee: 48 meeting days, 55 laws
The House on Sunday: The Government has deluged Parliament’s committees with work but starved them of time due to extra debates and urgency. The Justice Committee had it especially…
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6 min
Eight bills cross the parliamentary finish Line thanks to urgency
In the 54th Parliament's penultimate week, MPs spent hours and hours debating under urgency, with eight bills crossing the third reading finish line *RNZ’s The House, with insights…
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6 min
Parliament exit interview: Andrew Bayly
Having just made his valedictory speech the night before, the House sat down with Andrew Bayly for a chat about the personal toll of being an MPGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for…
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5 min
NZ-India Free Trade legislation brings odd pairings
This week's first completed bill was enabling legislation for the India Free Trade Agreement. A bill that split the coalition and made for odd pairings. *RNZ’s The House, with insi…
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4 min
Cascade of lawmaking for Parliament’s penultimate week
With two weeks of Parliament left, the Government is squeezing in a cascade of legislation via yet another long week of urgency, when multiple contentious bills will make for a lon…
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13 min
Getting the last word: How MPs farewell Parliament
Given the current slew of valedictory speeches, The House looks at what is usually said in them, or perhaps more poignantly, what's left out. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for mo…
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14 min
A contempt of privilege: Parliament’s Clerk explains
Parliament’s expert on its rules explains privilege, the inquiry process, and the limited options for punishment in the wake of MBIE officials being found guilty of a contempt this…
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6 min
Greg O'Connor gives a bard's farewell to the House
Outgoing Labour MP and former Deputy Speaker Greg O’Connor has something of a reputation around Parliament for his poetry. It would have come as no surprise then that he gave his v…
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6 min
Paulo Garcia : ‘Let hateful words be the undoing of those who wield them.’
In a vividly honest farewell speech, retiring MP Paulo Garcia spoke of wonderment, joy and gratitude, but also of his own experience of hatred and violence and invisibility. *RNZ’s…
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13 min
MPs get brief reprieve from urgency trenches to farewell two colleagues
As the remaining weeks of the 54th Parliament tick over, MPs who have decided to step back from politics have their chance to farewell their colleagues and Parliament as an institu…
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6 min
RMA week: a sane, slow respite from frantic politics
As the election nears, politics can get frantic and irrational. By contrast much of Parliament’s long week of urgency was a model of calm, with careful, unemotive discussion of RMA…
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6 min
Dr Shane Reti farewells Parliament
After about 12 years, National's Shane Reti farewelled Parliament this week, reflecting on some of his achievements in the Health portfolio, and lamenting some of the unfinished bu…
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5 min
MP Mark Cameron says goodbye from afar
Two MPs gave valedictory statements to their colleagues on Wednesday, but illness forced one of them to say haere rā via a video link. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more deta…
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6 min
What's Parliament getting urgent about this week?
With only four weeks of Parliament to go before it breaks for the election, the government is snatching as much time as it can to try to complete its legislative agenda. Here's the…
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12 min
House on Sunday: Duncan Webb exit interview
The House sits down with Duncan Webb for an exit interview as the former Minister and Labour Party whip calls time on his parliamentary career. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for…
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6 min
54 nurses: A grudging admission and the data on nurses
This week the minister of Health was forced into a grudging admission that threatens the Government's narrative of success in Health. We look at the admission and the raw data on n…
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5 min
Government DNA inaction undermining prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Government asked by AGenDA to stop insurance discrimination on the basis of DNA, two years after it passed an as-yet unused law enabling that. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for m…