Stories by Johnny Blades

The Labour MP for Māngere, Aupito William Sio is leaving Parliament after a sixteen year-stint which encompassed nine years in Opposition bookended by spells in Government.

Valedictory speech season has begun, and if there’s a common theme cropping up already, it’s a plea for a less toxic style of politics in Parliament.

The majority of all female elected representatives across the Pacific Islands region visited Wellington for a development event, showcasing the merits of soft diplomacy, Parliament-style.

This week MPs had a special debate about the report of the Regulations Review Committee on Covid-19 Secondary Legislation. 

A new Member's Bill looks to fix a 40-year-old outcome of the anti-Pacific racism of the Dawn Raids era, restoring the right to New Zealand citizenship for a generation of Samoan people.

The Intelligence and Security Committee has received a briefing on long-term national security threats which has incorporated a public survey and public consultation which found New Zealanders…

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.

Visitors entering the main entrance to Parliament can finally notice some visual signs of Māori culture and physical recognition of mana whenua.

The great value of inter-parliamentary travel abroad is the relationships that are built, not just between countries but among the MPs themselves.

Five New Zealand MPs from across the political spectrum are visiting Samoa to build relationships within the country - and among themselves.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

Legislation tackling a power imbalance in the grocery industry is among several bills that wound their way through the committee stage in Parliament this week.

Jan Logie admits she had “zero faith in our political system” before entering Parliament, but remains hopeful of what can be achieved here, as she prepares to retire as MP.

As she prepares to retire after 18 years in Parliament, National's Jacqui Dean has a knack for straight talk, and doesn’t mince her words about the work of an MP.

MPs have been making laws to enable access to alcohol at race meetings on race days and during those early hours at pubs when rugby's World Cup is broadcast from France.

A testy exchange in the foreign affairs select committee this week served as a reminder that Parliament’s committees decide for themselves who they should be briefed by and how often.

The Shadow Leader of the House, Michael Woodhouse, talks us through how questions are allocated and who gets to ask them on Question Time.

Efforts are underway to make Parliament more accessible for people who live with disability, after a new position of Senior Accessibility Advisor was established.

A member’s bill freshly picked from the biscuit tin is like a rough diamond waiting to be shaped, according to the MP behind the latest member’s bill on the order paper.

The Minister of Finance talks us through the ceremonial nature of the delivery of the Budget in Parliament.

Because a private bill addresses a specific matter particular to just one person it offers a more mellow and reflective style of parliament debate.