The House
Legislation, issues and insights from Parliament.
Hosted by Phil Smith & Louis Collins
On air:
Tuesday - Wednesday at 8.20pm (when Parliament is sitting), Sundays at 7.45am, encore 10.45pm on RNZ National
Follow this podcast
RSSGet this podcast straight from the source in the free RNZ app: Apple App Store or Google Play
New episode
In its penultimate sitting block of the year, Parliament was in urgency debating 12 bills, The House looks at the two most controversial ones.
New episode
Penultimate week of the year begins with RMA shakeup
Parliament's penultimate sitting week began with a major shakeup to the RMA, helped along by urgency.
Parliament’s gentle pre-Christmas slowdown anything but gentle
Rather than enjoying a gentle wind-down, Parliament’s final full week is packed with last-minute work as the Government tries to complete work and adds ten new bills to MPs’ piles for good measure.
Scrutiny Week: Politics, oversight and attention
Parliament's December Scrutiny Week is over. The House looks at the eternal tussle between politics and actual oversight, and the interlocking problems of scale and attention that mean you will miss most of it.
Number crunching continues amid high profile scrutiny squabbles
Headlines from scrutiny week honed in on the heated clashes, but behind the scenes the unglamorous work of number-crunching carried on.
Scrutiny Week: A cascade of diminishing attention
Parliament’s biannual Scrutiny Weeks involve a sudden glut of oversight, but what reaches the public is only a glimpse behind the curtain.
Scrutiny week kicks off with high profile issues dominating exchanges
The first week of Parliament's final sitting block of 2025 is solely focused on scrutiny on past Government spending. It began with a back and forth on animal welfare.
Urgency ends early after voting gaffe
A late night voting error during a fourth evening of urgency last week forced the Government to end urgency sooner than expected.
Parliament's penultimate sitting block brings long nights in the House
Urgency was the theme of the week at Parliament this week, both in the House and during the ongoing Standing Orders review into Parliament's rules.
Voting process slows but doesn't stop bills under urgency
MPs are working on 13 bills under Urgency this week but numerous amendments and drawn out voting sessions threaten to slow the process down.
Clean vehicle bill passed under urgency
A bill reducing charges for clean vehicle imports has passed through under urgency at Parliament.
MPs debate the details under urgency
MPs are working on passing bills through various stages under urgency this week with one of those stages involving putting legislation under the microscope
13 bills get urgency treatment in penultimate sitting block of 2025
In the last week of the penultimate sitting block of the year, the House was moved into urgency for the progression of 13 government bills.
Loophole results in 11 day submission period for fast track amendments
A loophole in parliamentary rules has avoided a debate, shortened a committee report back time, and resulted in 11 days for the public to have their say on proposed fast track amendments.
Government completes four bills in a week of political sideshows
Amidst political distractions Parliament continued to consider legislation, with four government bills completing their legislative journeys this week. Two enjoyed relative consensus across the House. The other two not so much.
Other podcasts
like this one
More podcasts with similar themes or ideas that you might enjoy.