Stories by Craig McCulloch

The government has announced a taskforce to tackle a payroll mess which has left potentially hundreds of thousands of workers out of pocket.

An 11-person panel has been set up to advise the government on its promised overhaul of the welfare system.

Transport Minister Phil Twyford has been stripped of some of his responsibilities after making a phone call on a plane after the aircraft doors had shut. Video

The National Party has issued a strident letter to Parliament's referee Trevor Mallard, demanding he explain his role in a story about an alleged sexist remark.

Criminal lawyers are backing up the Justice Minister's claims that people on bail or parole are being routinely blocked from staying in state houses.

The Disability Rights Commissioner has clashed with MPs over a proposed euthanasia law, claiming it could apply to people with intellectual disabilities.

Plans to build a new mega-prison at Waikeria have been dropped, but the government has yet to decide what to do instead. Audio

More than 500,000 bees are to make Christchurch's red zone their home as part of efforts to grow the endangered species and make use of the land.

The Labour-led government has delivered a restrained and cautious Budget in its first year, keeping money in the kitty instead of a major spend up. Video

MPs have been urged to change a "hideous" law which allows the public to challenge and overturn Māori seats on local councils.

The push for a predator-free New Zealand is set to get a boost in next week's Budget.

Farmers are butting heads and turning on one another as stress takes its toll over the battle to contain the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis. Video, Audio

National MP Alfred Ngaro is warning the government not to forget Pacific families living in New Zealand as it dramatically ramps up aid to the wider Pacific region.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is playing down differences between her ministers over whether to make te reo Māori compulsory in schools.

The government is set to hike foreign aid by more than $700 million over the next four years, as part of its signalled 'Pacific reset' strategy.

New Zealanders should not expect a closer relationship with the United Kingdom after it leaves the European Union, a former top British diplomat tells Insight.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has had a private audience with the Queen, who has called on Commonwealth leaders to appoint Prince Charles their next head.

After her private audience with the Queen, Jacinda Ardern has been selected to toast the Commonwealth at a banquet of leaders at Buckingham Palace.

London mayor Sadiq Khan says it "absolutely" bothers him Britain has made it harder for Kiwis to live and work in the United Kingdom.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says "we cannot allow the use of chemical weapons", following a meeting with four of the Five Eyes security nations.

The Prime Minister says there has been a deepening in the relationship between New Zealand and Germany.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has received a red-carpet welcome with full military honours as she arrived to meet the German chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hopes any roadblocks to starting negotiations for a New Zealand-EU trade deal have been removed. Video

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has arrived in Paris and will kick off her week-long trip to Europe with a formal meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Power Play - After a month of putting out political fires, the Prime Minister's surely been counting the days till her escape, writes RNZ's Craig McCulloch.