Coalition in clean up mode
The government has found itself cleaning up some legislative mess. Beneficiaries and pensioners having payments wrongly suspended forced a d...
Radio and PodcastLive Radio & Podcasts
News & Politics
Focus on Politics
A weekly analysis of significant political issues.
Episodes
20 of 265 episodes
National and Labour dance around areas of agreement
In Focus on Politics, the major parties are finding more areas of agreement ahead of the election campaign - often to the frustration of the...
An urgent call to fix the aged care crisis
The aged care system is at breaking point. A new report calls for an urgent overhaul. RNZ political reporter Lauren Crimp takes a look at th...
National's nightmare: come again, coup again
A second attempt to oust Christopher Luxon ended much like the first - with the National leader still standing. But this time, the party's i...
Sorry, not sorry: Luxon's shocker week
Christopher Luxon spent much of this week putting out fires of his own making. And others set by Winston Peters. RNZ's deputy political edit...
National bolts the door as Opportunity knocks
Christopher Luxon's surprise rule-out of Opportunity may have reshaped the election campaign. So was it a masterstroke or misfire? RNZ deput...
Stuart Nash's swan song
Stuart Nash thought he'd found a political lifeline with New Zealand First. Instead, one text message triggered another spectacular downfall...
Three Wise Pol Eds and a Poll
RNZ political editor Jo Moir, Stuff political editor Jenna Lynch and NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan are joined by RNZ's lowly de...
Outrage over emergency housing targets
Following revelations the Ministry of Social Development had implemented performance measures related to cutting the number of people in eme...
National converts to KiwiSaver
National made its first major election year policy announcement this week. If elected, it would make KiwiSaver compulsory, including for tho...
Officials in firing line over $30m immigration failure
A failed immigration technology project has left taxpayers more than $30 million out of pocket. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says off...
Labour joins election race with fare cap promise
Labour has finally joined the election campaign, unveiling its first major policy of the year: a public transport fare cap. But questions re...
Penk's verbal nuclear bomb inflames defence debates
In Focus on Politics, Russell Palmer recounts how and why a debate about nuclear free policy ended before it began, links to defence spendin...
The deliberately boring election-year Budget
The government has delivered its third Budget pointing to an earlier return to surplus, but with no election-year lolly scramble. Political...
Public service cuts spur debates on AI, shorts and flying
In Focus on Politics, Russell Palmer asks if the government's public service cuts are made to measure, whether AI will help, and what it mea...
Te Pāti Māori's shrinking caucus: "No story here"
Te Pāti Māori's internal turmoil has exploded again - with MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi quitting to launch her own party and fresh questions swir...
The GP crisis politicians can't ignore
GPs say the system is at breaking point - and they want politicians to listen. RNZ's deputy political editor Craig McCulloch takes the tempe...
Coalition parties trade blows over India agreement
The Free Trade Agreement with India has been signed, with National and New Zealand First continuing to disagree over what's been signed up t...
Confidence call: Luxon's uneasy victory
Christopher Luxon has stared down his critics in caucus, forcing his MPs to demonstrate their loyalty with a dramatic vote of confidence. He...
Vaianu: better safe than sorry?
Cyclone Vaianu has resurfaced difficult questions around resilience and retreat. And did New Zealand dodge disaster - or just over-do the wa...