In Parliament Podcast Options

5:45 AM.Members' Day sees Labour MP David Parker's Minimum Wage (Contractor Remuneration) Amendment Bill pass its second reading by 61 votes 60 - with Labour, the Greens, New Zealand First, United Future and… Read more Audio

6:50 PM.Hugs, house prices and healthy homes - all come up in various ways in the House. Hugs for grandchildren who stay in New Zealand were a benefit claimed by Prime Minister, John Key, arising from lower… Read more Audio

5:45 AM.Speaker denies Phil Twyford's request for a snap debate on Government announcement not to not take dividends from Housing New Zealand for the next two years; The Labour MP does, however, get the… Read more Audio

6:50 PM.Birthday wishes for the prime minister from Mitiria Turei when MPs gather in their debating chamber for their first Question Time in just over a month. Questions dominated by housing issues of prices… Read more Audio

7:30 AM.Preview of the week ahead courtesy of the Leader of the House, Gerry Brownlee; Local Government & Environment Committee reports back on the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill; The final two weeks of the… Read more Audio

7:30 AM.The Speaker, David Carter, talks about Question Time, the difference between answering and addressing questions, the upcoming review of Standing Orders, settling into the job, his daily routine and… Read more Audio

7:30 AM.Second week of the four-week adjournment sees three select committee meetings held - including the Social Services Committee's hearing of submissions on the Social Security Legislation Rewrite Bill… Read more Audio

7:30 AM.House begins a four-week adjournment - so with the chamber and committee rooms deserted, we go walk-about with the Lead Parliamentary Educator for Parliament's Education Services Miranda Thomson, who… Read more Audio

7:30 AM.Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and his Labour shadow, Annette King, clash in estimates debate and again in Question Time. Prime Minister, John Key, leads his MPs in insisting that his government has… Read more Audio

5:45 AM.Parliament rises on Thursday evening at the start of a 4-week adjournment; 11-hour Estimates Debate continues; Foreign Affairs, Defence & Trade Committee briefed by MFAT officials about a recently… Read more Audio

6:50 PM.Parliamentary messengers farewelled; Health Minister Jonathan Coleman rebuked for comments about his Labour shadow Annette King; Opposition continues to question Government claims that its housing… Read more Audio

4:45 AM.Social Services Committee hears submissions on the Social Security Legislation Rewrite Bill, including concerns about the targeting of solo parents and provisions for disability allowances; Finance &amp… Read more Audio

6:50 PM.Building & Housing Minister Nick Smith and Prime Minister John Key face questions about the Government's housing plan - and whether that plan is a comprehensive one; Social Services Committee hears… Read more Audio

5:45 AM.Social Security (Extension of Young Persons Services and Remedial Matters) Amendment Bill passes final reading by 61 votes to 60, with National, ACT & United Future in favour and Labour, the Greens… Read more Audio

6:50 PM.Maori Language Week in the House begins with the Speaker, David Carter, reading the daily prayer in te reo. While several MPs ask questions in te reo many are non-plussed when they can't find their… Read more Audio

7:30 AM.House welcomes visiting MPs from around the Pacific; Phil Twyford pays tribute to murdered British MP Jo Cox; NZ First leader Winston Peters raises questions about John Key's stance on Brexit… Read more Audio

5:45 AM.Motion regarding the temporary appointment of Leo Donnelly as an Ombudsman agreed to; Smoke-free Environments (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Amendment Bill passes second reading after two years on the… Read more Audio

6:50 PM.Opposition complaint about absent ministers on Thursdays could lead to a change in Standing Orders. Whanau Ora minister, Te Ururoa Flavell, challenged to produce evidence that Whanau Ora is making any… Read more Audio

5:50 AM.Sue Moroney's Parental Leave and Employment Protection (6 Months' Paid Leave) Amendment Bill undergoes final reading - but a Government financial veto blocks any vote being taken at the conclusion of… Read more Audio

6:50 PM.New Zealand First leader, Winston Peters, levels serious allegations against Silver Ferns Farms. Greens foreign affairs spokesman, Kennedy Graham, attacks the government's response to Ombudsman's… Read more Audio

5:45 AM.Member's Day will see the third reading of Sue Moroney's Parental Leave and Employment Protection (6 Months' Paid Leave) Amendment Bill - but no vote on it, after Finance Minister Bill English… Read more Audio

6:50 PM.Week begins with welcome for MPs from around the Pacific. House passes a motion from Labour's Phil Twyford mourning the death of British MP Jo Cox. Questions for the prime minister include the… Read more Audio

7:33 AM.The one week parliamentary adjournment sees just two select committees meeting - while another goes walk-about in Christchurch; On Monday, Associate Tourism Minister Paula appears before the Commerce… Read more Audio

7:33 AM.Finance Minister Bill English lodges a certificate of financial veto to block Labour MP Sue Moroney's Parental Leave and Employment Protection (6 Months' Paid Leave) Amendment Bill; the Battle of… Read more Audio

5:48 AM.Parliament adjourns for a week after passing the final reading of the Coroners Amendment Bill - which is opposed by Labour; Riccarton Racecourse Development Enabling Bill and the Riccarton Racecourse… Read more Audio