Farm debt mediation Bill news this week's offering
Politics this week offered proof that if at first you do not succeed, you should try, try and try again.
Southern Say
Pursuing a reliable polling method
Pursuing a reliable polling method
There are many half-truths and untruths told in politics, the biggest of them all being "I don't pay attention to polls".
Talking tech, cheese rolls and scones
Talking tech, cheese rolls and scones
Computers and government have been a major issue this past fortnight with the fallout from National accessing Budget data still proving dangerously radioactive to a range of politicians and civil...
Southern MP heard over noise of Budget
Southern MP heard over noise of Budget
In Budget week it is really quite an achievement to get anything other than the country's finances on the national political agenda.
Petitions useful way to make point to MPs
Petitions useful way to make point to MPs
It is a common refrain that politicians never listen to the people.
Bills on water issues in the pipeline
Bills on water issues in the pipeline
As anyone who has ever overseen the letters to the editor column of a newspaper could tell you, few things get people more worked up than an issue involving water.
Lumsden issue puts pair in tricky spot
Lumsden issue puts pair in tricky spot
It is fair to say Lumsden seldom registers on the political Richter scale - a search of Hansard shows the northern Southland township has been mentioned a mere 22 times in the House since 2003.
Southern MP's luck runs hot when draws are involved
Southern MP's luck runs hot when draws are involved
One of the more charming aspects of New Zealand's Parliamentary system is how proposed member's Bills get chosen - a random ballot, conducted by drawing numbers out of an old biscuit tin.
Is the South getting its fair PGF share?
Is the South getting its fair PGF share?
Self-proclaimed chief of the provinces Shane Jones went just about as provincial as is possible last week, taking in the sights of Gore.
PM's pragmatism perhaps most dispiriting for Clark
PM's pragmatism perhaps most dispiriting for Clark
Dunedin, with its collection of rental properties snapped up annually by students, has long been favoured by investors.
Drug debate promises high drama
Drug debate promises high drama
One day there will be a sensible, substantive discussion about drug laws in the New Zealand Parliament.
Law reform tightrope for NZ First
Law reform tightrope for NZ First
For New Zealand First, the ongoing rapid rehabilitation of the country's gun laws ought to be easy politics.
Fine line for Govt on mental health report
Fine line for Govt on mental health report
One of the hardest things to judge when it comes to national calamities is when it time to return to "normal".
Bridges fails to grasp chance (or better mug)
Bridges fails to grasp chance (or better mug)
When you are a politician, even something as mundane as choosing a coffee mug can become accidentally significant.
More open government welcome move
More open government welcome move
For most people, Parliament is the 10-second snippets they see on television of Jacinda Ardern and Simon Bridges shouting at each other across the debating chamber at Question Time.
Labour vulnerable in health field
Labour vulnerable in health field
Aristotle claimed nature abhorred a vacuum. But in politics, it's the reverse. A vacuum is terrific, as the absence of information allows a politician free rein to fill the void themselves, writes Mike Houlahan.
Hipkins sits on political dynamite
Hipkins sits on political dynamite
For an experienced politician, Education Minister Chris Hipkins seems to have given very little thought to the political implications of his proposals to reform the polytechnic sector.
Will 2019 be the year of Curran's comeback?
Will 2019 be the year of Curran's comeback?
The decline and fall of Dunedin South MP Clare Curran was the southern political story of 2018 - but might her return to grace be a story for 2019?
Squaring off over medical cannabis
Squaring off over medical cannabis
Michael Woodhouse and David Clark have squared off against each other for years, writes ODT's political reporter Mike Houlahan.