The opposition Labour Party held its annual conference over the weekend, doling out promises and setting up policies heading into next year's election.
It has pledged to put more resources into solving Christchurch's housing problems if it leads the next government, promising 10,000 new homes. The homes would be for first home buyers, but one social services group says they're not the only ones suffering.
The party also announced plans to set up a state-owned insurance company. The party's leader, David Cunliffe says it would keep profits from the insurance industry in the country - like Kiwibank has.
Critics say the idea is ill-conceived. The Insurance Council says says the country already has the state-owned Earthquake Commission, which has not performed any better than private insurers after the Christchurch earthquakes. And Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says the policy is a populist hit that is risky to taxpayers in the long run.
And the party is already defending a plan to have a gender quota. It would mean a target of 45% women by 2014 and 50% by 2017.
