The House

Legislation, issues and insights from Parliament.

Hosted by Phil Smith and Louis Collins

On air:

Tuesday - Wednesday at 8.20pm (when Parliament is sitting), Sundays at 7.45am, encore 10.45pm on RNZ National

Podcast Title 'The House' set in a bold font on an outside wall, with a image of the parliament house seen through a window

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House on Sunday: Submission advice, and politics in infrastructure

The House Sunday Edition combines two stories from Parliament's week. First, advice on convincing a select committee to amend a bill. Then, MPs on better infrastructure planning with less politics.
New episode
Fish and Game NZ CEO Corina Jordan and COO Richie Cosgrove give evidence to the Justice Committee on the Arms Bill.

Removing politics from infrastructure, with a little politics

The House reviews the special debate on the National Infrastructure Plan, when most MPs agreed they ought to remove politics from decisions, and couldn't help but be political.
Road sign at speed

MPs put public service integrity under the microscope

The integrity of New Zealand’s public service was under the microscope at Parliament today as the Governance and Administration select committee heard from the Public Service Commission regarding their long term insight briefing.
Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche

Helping stop bad law

Select Committees are everyone’s best chance to stop the impacts of bad law. We have tips to help maximise your chances, with examples from hearings on the Arms Bill.
Fish and Game NZ CEO Corina Jordan and COO Richie Cosgrove give evidence to the Justice Committee on the Arms Bill.

Written Questions: A less frustrating Question Time?

MPs Ayesha Verrall and Ricardo Menéndez March outline Parliament’s lesser known written version of Question Time, and compare it to its louder, less forthcoming, cousin.
Parliament House with question marks

House on Sunday: Maiden speeches and memorable speeches

Following the retirement of former Speaker Adrian Rurawhe, Parliament has a new MP in, Labour's Georgie Dansey, a former teacher, and unionist based in Hamilton. She delivered her maiden speech on Wednesday this week.
Labour MP Georgie Dansey delivers her introductory maiden statement in Parliament.

Parliament's late comer makes maiden statement

Parliament's newest MP Georgie Dansey gave her maiden statement this week, wasting no time in getting stuck into her role as a member of the opposition.
Labour MP Georgie Dansey delivers her introductory maiden statement in Parliament.

Turning back time through law

Parliament is considering a law that changes what was legal in the past. Retrospective law-making is allowed, but rare and controversial.
ACC - Accident Compensation Corporation generic image

Bishop and McAnulty speeches among the standouts

Parliament’s year begins with a very long debate. We review the event and sample a few of the best speakers.
Parliament's Speaker, Gerry Brownlee laughs in response to a speech.

DEI and Employment Relations: The week's contentious bills

Two bills made strong progress this week against fierce opposition. They aim to end diversity hiring in the public service, and "rebalance" employment relations. The House considers the bills and lopsided debating.
Employment Relations Authority

Employment relations and full speed, one-sided debates

In Parliament's first proper week back the government was still high-speed legislating with an extra sitting. Among the bills was one to "rebalance" employee/employer rights. The debate was quite one-sided.
Brooke van Velden

Public Service Amendment Bill reignites DEI debate in the House

The Public Service Amendment Bill is back in the House from Select Committee, and has reignited debate on the culture war flashpoint of DEI.
A night view of the Beehive, with interior lights on. The New Zealand flag is flying atop the building against a dark blue sky, framed by silhouetted tree branches.

Question Time - the election year edition

The election is still 270 sleeps away, but inside Parliament the hustings are assembled. Question Time's usefulness diminishes but jibes and insults flourish.
Christopher Luxon delivers the 2026 Prime Minister's Statement.

Inside the Chief of Staff role: The House chats with Kevin Hague

The House sits down with Kevin Hague to unpack what the Chief of Staff role really involves, what it’s like for the former MP to be back in the parliamentary world.
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"I just wanted to leave quietly." Former Speaker Adrian Rurawhe farewells Parliament

Former Speaker Adrian Rurawhe is calling it quits after a decade in Parliament. Despite wanting to leave quietly, he reluctantly gave his final address to the House on Wednesday this week.
Former Speaker and Labour MP Adrian Rurawhe gives his valedictory speech to MPs in Parliament.

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