Navigation for News Categories
Politics
Politics headlines with summaries.
-
Government at risk of not meeting two of its nine public service targets
16 Sep 2024The government has identified education and reducing violent crime as the biggest problem areas.
-
Government extends alternative to tough literacy and numeracy tests
16 Sep 2024Students will have until the end of 2027 to get literacy and numeracy standards by internal assessment, rather than tests - two years later than planned.
-
Government releases list of 35 critical minerals as part of mining strategy
16 Sep 2024"Why should we continually say we're going to import everything if we've got it here and we can turn it into an export industry," Shane Jones says.
-
Experts oppose speed limits increase
16 Sep 2024A coalition of leading academics, health professionals and road safety experts have issued an open letter, urging the government to reconsider plans to increase speed limits. Audio
-
Politically charged document minister tried to hide revealed
26 Aug 2024Casey Costello denied it existed. Now she says she does not know who wrote - or even how she got - a tobacco policy document sent to officials. Audio
-
Seymour's plan for tipping millions of dollars into Pharmac - and Big Pharma
The Act Party minister is plotting a huge expansion of the state-run drug buying agency, despite being a proponent of small government. Audio
-
Who is the man suspected of trying to kill Trump?
17 Sep 2024Ryan Routh, 58, has a criminal history, an interest in the Ukraine war, and has been described as both a loving father and "delusional".
-
'Rights and responsibilities': Government announces sentencing changes
16 Sep 2024The sentencing reforms are a culmination of everything the government is doing on justice and crime, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says.
-
NZ could have 58,000 fewer electric cars by 2035
16 Sep 2024The drop will lead to two megatonnes more emissions in the next decade, clean car lobby group says. Audio
-
Contract law changes: Simplifying or complicating?
16 Sep 2024A major union and a big business group are at odds over whether planned changes to employment law will simplify or complicate matters. Audio
-
Firearms Minister won't rule out trying to bring back banned guns
16 Sep 2024Nicole McKee won't promise not to re-introduce banned semi-automatics, saying instead she's committed to listening to stakeholders.
-
Govt to change law on contractors vs employees
16 Sep 2024Supporters say the move will provide more clarity, but the Greens say it's the latest in "a series of assaults on workers' rights". Audio
-
'Auckland is turning a corner' - Luxon on drop in assaults
15 Sep 2024Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Police Minister Mark Mitchell have announced a 22 percent drop in assaults in the Auckland CBD in the past year.
-
Education body calls for overhaul of early learning rules
15 Sep 2024Pay parity is "the single most vexatious challenge" facing services and teacher pay should be deregulated, the Early Childhood Council says.
-
Simeon Brown pushed emissions standards to meet industry's deadline
Environment officials tried to warn Cabinet the move risked blowing NZ's climate targets - but were told they were too late.
-
What it's like to be leader of the opposition
15 Sep 2024One vestige of the pre-MMP era is the term 'leader of the opposition' - but why does the term still exist, and what does the leader do? Audio
-
Columnist and political media expert John Bishop dies
15 Sep 2024He was father of National Party MP Chris Bishop, a former RNZ and TVNZ journalist and chairperson of the Taxpayers' Union.
-
Govt's emergency housing spend drops a third in a month
15 Sep 2024The government is celebrating the decline, saying emergency housing is not safe for families to live long-term.
-
Protests outside PM's office over dolphin deaths
14 Sep 2024At least 15 Hector's dolphins have been killed from fishing activity since Christopher Luxon became Prime Minister almost a year ago, a protest group says.
-
'I've only been here five minutes' - Youngest MP gets global honour
13 Sep 2024Maipi-Clarke says the award is an honour, as is her day job. Audio
-
Government exploring 'all options' to deal with demand for aged care - Minister
13 Sep 2024Minister for Seniors Casey Costello insists the government is not considering any spending cuts. Audio
-
Willis says 'colourblind' policy wouldn't happen without ACT
13 Sep 2024Cabinet has issued a new directive to create a "colourblind" public service that focuses solely on need, not race. Audio
-
The Week in Politics: Seymour's dragon soon to be unleashed
13 Sep 2024Analysis - David Seymour's Treaty Principles Bill is a step closer to Parliament, and Chris Hipkins' hints his party could go into the next election with a radical tax policy.
-
Crown knew it legally had to pay midwives better, court hears
13 Sep 2024Health ministers' comments prove the Crown knew it breached legally binding agreements to improve midwives' pay and contracts, a lawyer has told the court.