Johnny Blades

Parliament can grant powers to certain authorities to make new rules without having to go through the normal lengthy legislative process.

An increased appetite to learn Te reo Māori among different parts of the Parliament system means the work of the Māori Language Service is in demand more than ever.

It’s a common occurrence in the House for opposition MPs to ask to “seek leave to table a document”, but have you wondered what this really means?

Legislation has been passed under urgency to ensure all people returning to the country after being in prison systems abroad continue to come under parole-like oversight and support back in New…

The use of entrenchment in law-making in this country has had a sound grilling at the Standing Orders Committee which is conducting its ongoing regular review of Parliament’s rules.

Today the debating chamber launched into action as it does most years - but this year was all about the weather and the climate.

After a week of business in the House was lost due to Cyclone Gabrielle, Parliament’s sitting year properly gets underway today with Debate on the Prime Minister’s Statement.

After a two-month break, Parliament resumed only to soon adjourn for the week as Cyclone Gabrielle complicated plans for the first sitting week in 2023.

The last episode of The House for this year is an opportunity to look back at some of the goings-on in Parliament that we covered in 2022.

Parliament’s year is rapidly nearing an end, and the Government has this week been focused on completion of three fairly major pieces of legislation.

Five MPs travelled to Westport as part of a Parliamentary Outreach Programme aimed at connecting New Zealanders throughout the country with Parliament and its processes.

In a week when Parliament sat under urgency, across four long Tuesdays, quite a lot of legislative business has been progressed.

There’s been a distinct niggly energy about the exchanges in the House this week, and it’s got something to do with the fact Parliament is sitting under urgency.

Parliament is this week to sit under urgency as the Government seeks additional sitting hours to clear a backlog of legislation that it wants to progress.

“An incredibly diverse and eclectic collection”, the Parliamentary Collection has great art, black rods, protest bricks, bodily parts and much more.

A former Prime Minister has warned MPs they face a daunting challenge to maintain public confidence in the Parliament system in the age of disinformation.

MPs who are former members of the NZDF had plenty to say when the first reading of the Inspector-General Defence Bill got underway. 

This week in Parliament, a Member's Bill is duelling with a Government Bill to enable easier transferral between the Māori and general electoral rolls.

Whether cross-party or inter-parliament collectives, MP groups are all about human connections which help MPs, and importantly us, find out what makes them tick.

Soraya Peke-Mason's arrival as MP means an historic achievement of gender equity in New Zealand’s Parliament, while heralding another chapter in the political history of Rātana.

After consuming much of Parliament's energy last week, the Fair Pay Agreements Bill looks set to do so again this week as its committee stage continues.

As this week of Parliament was getting underway, just after the prayers, the House heard a rare message from the Governor-General.

What do Nicole McKee, Joseph Mooney, Teanau Tuiono and Sarah Pallett have in common? They’re first term MPs who have shared their experiences with us.

Trust in media, or lack thereof, was front and centre as the Minister of Broadcasting had a week of being grilled in parliament's Question Time about the Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media Bill.

MPs have been reflecting on the Queen's death again, with the passage of a bill under urgency to create a one-off public holiday for her. But not all the reflections were misty-eyed.