Chris Bramwell
Motorist to be hit with more fuel price rises
Motorists are again going to be hit with fuel price rises as the Government finds new ways to raise money to cover its international obligations. New Zealand is signed up to an International Energy… Audio
Labour having a rough start to election year
The Labour Party is having a rocky start to election year. Audio
Greens says power has gone up averge of $431 under National
The Green Party says New Zealanders are being ripped off by big electricity companies, that continue to push prices up. Audio
NZ puts FTA with Russia on hold
Jittery global markets have plunged over fears of a conflict while the price of oil surged. Audio
Govt veto hangs over parental leave Bill
The Government is still poised to veto a Labour Bill to extend paid parental leave, with the parliamentary committee looking at it ending up stalemated over it by the cost. Audio
Checkpoint Top Stories for Friday 28 February 2014
Govt veto hangs over parental leave Bill; The Finance Minister on paid parental Bill; Baiting great whites likely to be banned; Another measles case confirmed in Auckland; Treasure hunters stung on… Audio
Key says McCarten will take Labour hard left
John Key says Labour will blast off to the hard left now it has appointed a former Alliance Party president as its new chief of staff. Audio
NGO's scared to submit to Parliament, fear losing funding
Organisations are being reassured that their funding won't be affected if they are publicly critical of Government legislation. Some non-governmental organisations say they won't put their names to… Audio
Peters sticks to usual targets in State of Nation speech
The New Zealand First leader, Winston Peters, has used his State of the Nation speech to attack immigration policy and Maori. Audio
Government downplaying lastest GCSB gaffe
Bill English has come in behind the Prime Minister saying the lastest gaffe by the Government's spy agency is disappointing. Audio
TVNZ admits it was a mistake to take Taurima back
National Party MPs have come out swinging saying there is no doubt that Shane Taurima has been biased and aggressive in his interviewing of them. Mr Taurima resigned as general manager of TVNZs Maori… Audio
Russel Norman will not back down over Colin Craig comments
The Green Party co-leader, Russel Norman, says he will not resile from comments he made about the Conservative Party leader, Colin Craig despite the threat of legal action. Audio
Meridian Energy attacks Labour-Greens one-buyer policy
Meridian Energy says the Labour-Greens policy to introduce a single buyer of electricity could lead to less investment in renewable energy. Audio
Labour would return to 10-year passports
The Labour Party says it will return to 10-year passports if it is elected to Government at the election. Audio
Government being urged to pass plain packaging bill into law
The Government is being urged to pass the plain packaging of tobacco legislation into law before the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement is signed. Audio
Focus on Politics for 7 February 2014
Politicians converging on Waitangi Marae this year were given a relatively easy run, with a noisy but respectful protest, and a few fish dropped at the Prime Minister's feet. History was made though -… Audio
Voters will have to wait to hear about Nat's electorate deals
Voters will have to wait until the weeks running up to the election to find out who National will do deals with for electorate seats. Audio
Parliament kicks off with fiery Question Time
Parliament has started election year with a fiery exchange between leaders during the first Question Time. Audio
Government may extend paid parental leave
The Government has signaled it's working on its own policy to extend paid parental leave, but may still veto a Labour Party MPs bill to extend the entitlement to 26 weeks. Audio
Race has started for the Maori vote
The race for the Maori vote has begun, with politicians making their annual appearances at Ratana Pa where the annual celebrations took place over the past week. Audio