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Politics headlines with summaries.
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Earthquake strengthening law changes pass first reading
16 Dec 2025Buildings under three storeys and in towns with under 10,000 people will not need strengthening, remediation or warning notices.
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Willis v Richardson debate unlikely to go ahead
16 Dec 2025Ruth Richardson says she "will not be party to a circus or a sideshow designed to distract from fiscal failure".
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Mega ministry merger: Bishop can't say how many jobs will be lost
16 Dec 2025A plan was unveiled today to merge housing, transport, and local government functions into one ministry.
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Legislation to replace RMA sent to Environment Select Committee
16 Dec 2025The Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill, which set out a new system putting more emphasis on property rights, passed their first readings Tuesday afternoon.
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Warning from Willis as government finances get gloomier
The Finance Minister says agencies and ministers will need to manage "with little or no additional funding".
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'No quick fixes' for high visitor numbers at iconic sites
16 Dec 2025Car parking fees are being trialled from this week at three major sites.
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Government books bleaker as surplus gets further away
The government's financial position is looking worse for longer with a delay in getting to surplus and bigger deficits, according to new Treasury forecasts.
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New mega-ministry to merge housing, transport and environment
16 Dec 2025Minister Chris Bishop says currently much of the government's reform work spans multiple agencies. Audio
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David Seymour promises to reignite Treaty debate
16 Dec 2025The ACT leader made the comments in a sit-down interview with RNZ reflecting on 2025 and looking ahead.
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Hipkins says Seymour, Peters will be 'nightmare' in election year
16 Dec 2025The Labour leader says there will be tensions within the ACT-National-New Zealand First coalition heading into a campaign. Audio
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New Zealand should not dilute gun reforms, Hipkins says
16 Dec 2025The Labour government put the reforms in place after the Christchurch terror attack in 2019. Audio
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Agencies worried by DOC parking fees at major hotspots
16 Dec 2025Documents show concerns raised by the Transport Agency, Police, Heritage NZ, and the NZ Alpine Club about people potentially parking off-road or on the state highways to avoid fees.
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Bondi attack 'an act of antisemitism in all its ugliness and cruelty' - Luxon
15 Dec 2025Prime Minister says the NZ government stands in solidarity with the people of the Jewish faith after the shooting in Sydney.
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Defence Force mulling how to improve surveillance of oceans
15 Dec 2025It is open to any solutions for monitoring the South-West Pacific and Southern Ocean.
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Government urges passport renewals as 1.3 million set to expire
15 Dec 2025With a massive surge in passport applications expected next year, the government is urging people to renew early to beat the rush.
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Infrastructure Commission calls for government business cases, budget submissions to be public
15 Dec 2025The Commission is due to hand over the first National Infrastructure Plan to ministers by the end of the year. Audio
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The House: Parliament gets urgent on voting rules, climate targets
In its penultimate sitting block of the year, Parliament was in urgency debating 12 bills, but the most controversial were among the last.
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'Opportunity to stamp my own mark': Hipkins promises different Labour
14 Dec 2025The last election saw Labour's six years in government end, with Hipkins returning to the opposition benches just 10 months after becoming prime minister.
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Media in middle of fudge stunts, 'right v left' rows
14 Dec 2025This week, the finance minister pushed back at a critical lobby group campaign, while academics and experts mulled the polarising political landscape.
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'I know what it took to rebuild': Luxon mounts National leadership defence
14 Dec 2025The prime minister is reminding people he rebuilt the party after "a state of civil war".
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Mitchell's last word on McSkimming, the IPCA report and 36 emails
13 Dec 2025Police Minister Mark Mitchell talks about the moment he found out about Ms Z, his relationship with Coster and why emails were diverted from his office.
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The House: Crimes bill adds things outside usual rules
12 Dec 2025Parliament has been pushing hard, rushing through bills and working under urgency all week, but one bill bypassed the rules, adding things not usually allowed.
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The day the climate consensus died
12 Dec 2025With bipartisanship ended, farmers will now face "the rollercoaster experience" of changing targets every political cycle, a Green MP warns.
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Ruth Richardson still willing to debate Nicola Willis
12 Dec 2025The Taxpayers Union chair is suggesting Cameron Bagrie as a moderator.
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