No way should Labour do a 'Cup of Te' deal.
Labour should stand up for its own strong values.
Read MorePolitics
How the path to election victory might go through the Maori seats
There is a single biggest loser from Laila Harre's appointment to lead the Internet Party... and it's not the Greens
Read MoreFrom the throne came the verdict, the lake of fire won't be your home
John Banks' political epitaph lies in the hands of a High Court judge. Will it be "John Banks, retired as MP in September", or "John Banks, kicked out of Parliament in June"?
Read MoreThe Left starts to fracture - and thats a good thing
I'm picking that Laila Harre's appointment as leader of the Internet Party will be good for Internet-Mana, but the impact on this year's election will be determined by the relationship with Labour. If Internet-Mana do well this year, though, there might be an important shake-up that will strengthen the broad left in the longer term.
Read MoreWhy Laila? The maths makes sense, but what's in it for her?
So Laila Harre is back in politics via the most unlikely of vehicles -- the Internet Party. The question is why, why, why has she done it
Read MoreHarre will lead the Internet Party, because the Twitter tells me so
If Laila Harre is going to lead the Internet Party, what does that mean? Good? Bad? Happy? Sad?
Read MorePower acquaints a man with strange bedfellows
The MANA Movement and the Internet Party have discovered they both have a lot in common. Each very much wants to get as many of its MPs into Parliament as it can.
Read MoreWhy National is riding high in the polls
I guess if you want a man who'll resist temptation, a Catholic Southland farmer's as good a bet as any. And it's what Bill English hasn't done in the past five and a half years that has National in pole position for this year's election
Read MoreRaising kids with grit, not high test scores
We are right not to get too bogged down in educational rankings, but we mustn't ignore their obvious warnings
Read MoreThe Taurima affair: when good reports go bad
The Taurima report paints a slear portrait of a fine journalist who lost his way, but then goes on to make a recommendation that is oppressive and should be resisted
Read MoreA taxonomy of scandal
A scandal can be distinguished from a controversy. Immigration policy became controversial in the 90s, the foreshore and seabed in the 2000s. Even though there were bungles, and offensive views and policies were aired, the underlying issue was always sharp disagreement over core values and policies.
In a scandal, the underlying issue is wrong-doing.
Read MoreI'm right, Winston's not, so there
NZ First wants to charge straying MPs $300,000. I say they can't do it. Winston says I'm wrong. Where does the truth lie?
Read MoreWhy the Collins case is about then, not now
The timelines are damning, the hits this week revealing. But in the end none of it matters, because it all comes back to that dinner and what we knew months ago
Read MoreExile is a dream of glorious return
New Zealanders who stay overseas for too long don't get a vote. Is that right?
Read MoreWilliamson questions remain, especially for police
This weekend saw some rare political courage from an MP on the slide, but it can'tstop the questions
Read MoreAre we approaching a political tipping point?
On their own, the odd golf game, visa waiver or dinner doesn't shake public confidence in a government. Until something happens that pulls the threads together and puts them in a new light... Enter Maurice Williamson...
Read MoreIt is the evil things that we shall be fighting against ... and against them I am certain that the right will prevail
Judith Collins wants to go to war with the media. That probably is ... not wise.
Read MoreMr Joyce claimed nine mistakes in David Parker's interview. None stacked up.
If Steven Joyce is right that David Parker told ‘nine lies’ about the economy on The Nation last weekend, then he must believe the economy is already in full boom; growth has peaked and needs to be slowed; exporters are whingers; the hot New Zealand dollar is nothing to worry about; that not selling enough products to the world to pay for all the things we buy from other countries isn’t a problem - hell, we’ve been doing it for forty years - let’s do it for another forty!
And there is no housing bubble in Auckland - David Parker made it up.
Read MoreFonterra should hang its head in shame
How is Fonterra allowed to stay in business when it does this? Here is our dairy monopoly, enjoying its special status as the New Zealand economic engine (while threatening that economy with botch up after botulism botch up), now employing low paid ‘slave’ labour and getting away with it.
Legal highs leave MPs dazed & confused
A look at how we got into this legal highs muddle and how the government's knee-jerk reaction is all about the drug of power rather than any evidence on legal highs themselves
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