Russell Palmer

Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris have delivered their first votes as independent MPs from afar, using the Green Party as proxies.

Willie Jackson says his party will not consider ousted MPs Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris as candidates.

The call to throw out Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris leaves the party and its leaders with a new problem.

The public will not find out until after the election how the party plans to handle the thousands of property valuations needed.

The NZ Pork industry group were consulted by the government.

The government first announced its commitment to boost halal meat trade with Malaysia in July.

The party won't be hunting for who leaked its new capital gains tax policy, but if someone is found they'll be removed as a member, Chris Hipkins says.

James Meager says Air New Zealand had not formally approached the government about any financial subsidies.

His attendance at the debates follows those of ACT leader David Seymour and Labour MP Willie Jackson.

Karen Chhour has acknowledged her initial comments didn't paint a full picture. Audio

Previously, complainants taking a civil case were limited to claims of $30,000.

The government credits its new policy of using transparent bags to stop harmful items from being brought in.

A report from Treasury shows it provided advice to the Finance Minister in July proposing options for changes to governance settings at the bank.

Labour's leader has admitted he "forgot" his health spokesperson was set to release policy today.

But the prime minister says the newly unveiled policy is "just a whole bunch of buzz words" with no detail or costings. Audio

The NZ First leader is holding out the prospect of more regulation for the dairy giant if the sale of brands like Anchor and Mainland proceeds.

David Seymour says politicians should stick to policy, but Winston Peters says he milked cows for decades and unlike some knows "what one end of the cow looks like".

Education Minister Erica Stanford says the government had halved build costs which freed up the funding to rapidly growing areas.

Christopher Luxon praised the former PM's innate sense of fairness as he led the tributes in Parliament.

David Seymour says NZ First's changes to his bill are a 'win-win', not a backdown - but experts say the way it's been handled means it is unlikely to have lasting impact.

The review will cover regulations for restaurants, cafes, bars, food stalls at markets, food trucks, caterers, and hotels, but exclude gambling regulations.

"It seems that there are a number of different segments to the Māori Party," says Chris Hipkins, "and it's unclear whether they actually form a cohesive whole at this point."

The Speaker suspended Parliament briefly last week after Oriini Kaipara's speech was followed by a waiata, then haka.

Currently, local elections are run by the councils themselves.

Parties agree the laws and regulations governing gene technology need to be modernised, but disagree over what the final bill should look like.