Election 2008

Labour has pulled back from a "neutron bomb" blast against the National leader John Key over his alleged knowledge of a notorious 1980s white-collar crime.

If it was a numbers game, the Alliance party stands in good stead in Dunedin, with eight candidates on their party list living in the city, one more returning soon, and another who was born here.

Both the Labour and National Dunedin South candidates were attacked about their policies on benefits and apprenticeships by an irate woman at a forum in Dunedin yesterday.

The Government has announced a $47 million funding boost for the ambulance sector over the next five years.

Voters living overseas may decide the results of this year's general election.

It was a case of fighting off ambushes for National leader John Key today.

Consumers should be adding more than just food to their shopping lists, according to Sue Kedgley, who took a "Shopping with Sue" expedition around a Dunedin supermarket on Friday.

Much has been written about the need for New Zealand First leader Winston Peters to win Tauranga to ensure the return to Parliament of the party. However, Political Editor Dene Mackenzie finds that NZ First MP Ron Mark could be the "sleeper" for the party as he contests Rimutaka.

Labour will remove restrictions on the unemployment benefit as part of a $50 million transitional assistance package for those who lose their jobs as a result of the faltering global economy, Prime Minister Helen Clark has announced.

Would voters rather see John Key, Helen Clark or neither of the two major party leaders in the hot seat as prime minister? Is the economic crisis taking over the election campaign? Sarah Harvey speaks to our focus group about the issues with nine days to go until election day.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters initially pushed hard for expatriate billionaire Owen Glenn to be made New Zealand honorary consul in Monaco, papers released today reveal.

At times it was difficult to tell whether last night's Queenstown Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Great Debate was a debate between representatives of six major New Zealand political parties and the 400-strong audience, a mud-slinging match or a comedy show.

Tourism industry leaders welcomed National Party leader and aspiring prime minister John Key's announcement in Queenstown yesterday that he would take on the tourism portfolio if elected, but called for more money to market their industry.

He wants to be New Zealand's global marketing manager, but National leader John Key today struggled to make an impact in his target market in Queenstown.

National Party leader John Key says he was never involved in the white collar scam known as the H-Fee transactions and Labour's attempt to link him to it is a desperate election tactic.

With less than two weeks before polling day, National is screening new ads challenging Labour's record while a billboard erected in Tauranga pokes fun at New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.

National still holds a commanding lead over Labour and NZPA's average of published opinion polls shows that with its allies it would have a majority in Parliament and be able to form a government.