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.
Southern Say
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.