Focus on Politics

Debate about charter schools and what would happen to them under a Labour government has flared up after comments made by its list candidate and Maori campaign manager Willie Jackson. Labour has a… Read more Audio

Low and middle income families should expect to receive some financial relief in this month's Budget. The finance minister Steven Joyce is putting the final touches on his first budget and as our… Read more Audio

The controversial Te Ture Whenua Maori Bill would make major changes to the way Maori control and develop their land, as well as removing some of the discretion of the Maori Land Court. The… Read more Audio

Global trade now looks very different for New Zealand, with the withdrawal of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, and the imminent departure of Britain from the European Union… Read more Audio

Parliamentary hearings on the thorny topic of voluntary euthanasia wrapped up this week. The select committee is now tasked with distilling the thousands of submissions and coming up with… Read more Audio

Pollsters are rushing to reassure New Zealanders of their credibility ahead of this year's election. The sector's reputation has taking a drubbing globally after several major misses last year - most… Read more Audio

A startling new book by the investigative journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson was released this week, raising questions about whether the New Zealand Defence Force committed war crimes in… Read more Audio

The issue of abortion law raised its head again this week, which in election year is never a welcome topic for political parties. The laws governing abortions in New Zealand are 40 years old and… Read more Audio

The Prime Minister has taken a political gamble, and laid out a plan to increase the age of entitlement for superannuation - but not for another 20 years. Under John Key the National -led government… Read more Audio

The revelation this week at-risk prisoners have been subject to inhumane treatment, has again raised questions about the country's mental health system. In one case a prisoner was tied down to a bed… Read more Audio

The Government's been in damage control this week, after Maori leaders spoke out against a planned change to the care and protection system for children. The change, governing the placement of… Read more Audio

The government has once again found itself on the back foot over housing, during an ongoing debate about how it measures housing shortages, particularly in Auckland. It has also started the formal… Read more Audio