Southern Say

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.

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...

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?

Pursuing a reliable polling method

Dr Damien Mather (left) and Dr Mathew Parackal, of the University of Otago’s marketing department...

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".

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.

Farm debt mediation Bill news this week's offering

New Zealand First list MP Mark Patterson’s farm debt mediation member’s Bill has been adopted as...

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.

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.

Southern say: MPs wrestling with life and death

Machiavelli wrote that politics have no relation to morals, but in recent days morality and politics have been at the forefront of southern MPs' minds.

More open government welcome move

Fifteen submitters didn't get a chance to speak at Parliament today. Photo: Getty Images

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.

Curran shows she is back in business

Dunedin South MP Clare Curran speaks at a rally outside Hillside Workshops in 2012.PHOTO: GERARD...

Curran shows she is back in business

Politicians often say they want to know what voters are thinking. While the cynical may have their doubts, generally, that is actually the case.

Bridges fails to grasp chance (or better mug)

National Party leader Simon Bridges and his Leaning Tower of Pisa coffee cup at Otago Polytechnic...

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.

Being busy is not always being effective

Jacqui Dean in full flight.PHOTO: PARLIAMENT TV

Being busy is not always being effective

You could forgive Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean for thinking the grass is greener on the other side of the fence ... or at least the other side of the Alps.

Fine line for Govt on mental health report

Health Minister David Clark says the Government will delay its response to the report of the ...

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".

Southern list MP facing challenging times

Invercargill Labour list MP Liz Craig questions Educations Minister Chris Hipkins in Parliament...

Southern list MP facing challenging times

Former National Prime Minister Keith Holyoake's famous advice that first-term backbench MPs should learn to "breathe through their nose" before trying to make their mark on Parliament has echoed...