Jane Patterson

NATO's secretary general might be visiting, but the government has still refused a request to stay in Iraq.

Power Play - No-one will argue against the merits of a plan to tackle cancer, so it was a smart decision of National's Simon Bridges to unveil a plan hitting the government where it hurts, writes…

The National Party has pledged to establish an independent cancer agency, and specifically fund cancer drugs to the tune of $200 million over four years.

Power Play - Whispering campaigns have undermined unanimous caucus support for Simon Bridges, but the National Party leader says he believes he can survive, writes Jane Patterson.

Flamboyant, seasoned, colourful and "buffoon-like" - all words used to describe the new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson by New Zealand politicians.

The Greens have been forced into a swift apology and backdown on an attack ad they ran against the National Party leader Simon Bridges. Video

Power Play - The announcement of a new housing team, and a new Housing Minister, was designed to remove Phil Twyford from the glare of the KiwiBuild controversy without undue humiliation.

Power Play - Today's government reshuffle isn't shaping up to be a bloodletting, writes Jane Patterson, with coalition agreements and the lack of strong contenders constraining more radical action.

With the Prime Minister's first Cabinet reshuffle to be announced this week, the fate of Housing and Transport Minister Phil Twyford has caused the most speculation. Audio

There are still many unanswered questions about the claims made in the book Hit & Run and the inquiry should continue, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

Accusations over the way senior government figures handled the so-called Treasury hack continue to fly, after another testy day at Parliament.

All New Zealand's Hercules C-130s, the work horse of the Defence Force, have been grounded because of the need for maintenance or other faults.

The Housing Minister acknowledges millionaires are able to buy a KiwiBuild home if they wish, but says he's not about to shut down the "bank of Mum and Dad".

Some preapproved applicants for KiwiBuild houses say they could come up with $650,000, raising concerns that people who are not struggling first-home buyers could take advantage of the scheme. Video, Audio

More than $180,000 in hush money has been paid out to parliamentary staffers to secretly settle employment disputes with MPs.

Power Play - This Budget has eased some of the pressures that have been building up since the election of the coalition, but it is not transformational, writes Jane Patterson.

Power Play - A major pre-Budget bomb has dropped on the Beehive with top level Budget information ending up in the hands of the National Party.

National's deputy leader Paula Bennett has called for Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard to involve the police immediately if he believes there is a rapist in the parliamentary precinct.

A report into bullying and harassment has delivered a scathing view of what it's like to work at Parliament, including allegations of sexual assault. Audio

The Crown underwrite for unsold Kiwibuild homes has been triggered for a second time.

The National Party has put the relationship with the United States front and centre of its foreign policy, saying it's a relationship that will be prioritised.

Another KiwiBuild development backed by taxpayer money is failing to generate buyer demand - prompting more calls for Labour's flagship programme to be dumped.

Cabinet has until next month to decide whether to further extend New Zealand's deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan or end them.

The Finance Minister insists the fees-free tertiary policy is not a failure, despite reallocating a sizeable part of the funding to polytechs due to low demand.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins says imminent strike action by teachers is unjustified, given the size of the offer on the table.