Power Play
Tax and immigration changes looming in election year
Power Play - With Budget Day looming and the election following fast on its heels, the spending and policy promises are starting to roll in, Jane Patterson writes.
Defence must front up on Hit & Run's claims
Power Play - It is untenable for the NZDF to refuse to answer specific questions about NZ's involvement in alleged attacks on civilians in Afghanistan in 2010, writes Jane Patterson.
Cross-party problems for Bill's super switch
Power Play - Bill English's superannuation change might not find cross-party support, but he doesn't think it a risky move, writes Jane Patterson.
Election date set, let the campaigning begin
Power Play - A September election will not have surprised many politicians, with opposition parties already setting their plans in motion, writes Jane Patterson. Video
New PM's Cabinet changes only cosmetic
Power Play - The new line-up is not so much a new face, but the same face with a touch of powder and some new lippy, writes Jane Patterson.
Key's resignation a game-changer for the 2017 election
Power Play - Prime Minister John Key's resignation throws next year's election wide open, regardless of who takes over now, writes Jane Patterson.
Hobson's Pledge latest play of the race card from Brash
Power Play- Don Brash's back with a reheated take on his Iwi-vs-Kiwi rhetoric. Chris Bramwell looks back at his many incarnations.
100 percent pure or 60 percent polluted?
Power Play - New Zealand relies on its clean green image, but could this become hard for tourists to swallow after thousands fell ill from drinking contaminated water? Video
King's support for Māori Party does Labour no favours
Power Play - The Māori King's politically driven statements have put a spanner in the works for Labour, writes Chris Bramwell.
Security or privacy - what matters most?
Power Play - While new powers to spy on New Zealanders have received attention, the new intelligence legislation addresses an issue that has flown under the radar for years.
The political risks of soaring immigration
Power Play - Immigration numbers are at record levels, but new arrivals put stresses on the nation, and that can cause dangerous resentments, writes Jane Patterson.
Justice over Bain proves to be bane of Justice
Power Play - Was Justice Minister Amy Adams right to sign off a nearly $1 million payment to David Bain, asks Jane Patterson.
Feet of McClay stumble in steel and kiwifruit
Power Play - Rule number one for a successful political career: do not make your leader look bad, writes Jane Patterson.
Government private school funding plan remains opaque
Power Play - The level of government funding for private and charter schools represents one of the most stark ideological differences between the left and the right, writes Jane Patterson.
No surprise NZ troops staying longer in Iraq
Power Play - The Prime Minister's decision to extend NZ's deployment to Iraq shouldn't have come as a surprise, writes Jane Patterson.
Labour-Greens post-election deal still not Shaw bet
Power Play - After 17 years in Parliament, the Greens have won formal support from Labour. Chris Bramwell explains the details.
Budget 2016: Solid, practical generally underwhelming
Power Play with Jane Patterson - Bill English's wide-ranging eighth Budget had few surprises and spread new money across several portfolios.
Warning by Deputy PM Bill English ramps up housing tensions
Power Play - Rhetoric has ramped up a notch with the Finance Minister putting its housing whipping boy on notice, says Jane Patterson
Land tax talk is a classic political tactic
Power Play - Float an idea to test the public mood? John Key has deployed a classic tactic with his land tax talk, writes Jane Patterson.
Foreign trusts should've been a Labour Shewan
Power Play - Labour targeted political "civilian" John Shewan and missed a greater opportunity offered by the foreign trust scandal, writes Jane Patterson. Audio