Parliament

The new Speaker Gerry Brownlee has offered a heads-up about how he'll run Parliament, with Standing Orders to be a mere guide rather than a strict line to follow. Audio

With a government now formed the 54th Parliament can finally get underway. Twice. Here’s how that happens.

Wellingtonians can breathe a sigh of relief after a protest involving hundreds of people mirroring last years anti mandate occupation remained peaceful. The protest organised by Brian Tamaki's Freedom… Video, Audio

Scientific research has taken Dr Chandrika Nath from pole to pole. As a glaciologist she has worked in Lapland and Antarctica, spending 100 days in the latter collecting data samples in extreme… Audio

The final thing Parliament did before adjourning was agree rules changes for the next Parliament. We discuss them with senior clerks David Wilson and Gabor Hellyer. Audio

Before Parliament adjourned it agreed new rules for next time. In discussing them MPs gave glimpses into the rules they would like to change and the Parliament they wished existed. Audio

MPs have been debating whether to lower the voting age for local council elections to 16 years of age from the current age of 18. Audio

The last sitting week of the 53rd Parliament has a fairly packed schedule of government business, plus debate on the Standing Orders Committee's regular report, and the Adjournment Debate. Audio

Before you can hold an election, a little polite brutality is required. First you must dissolve the current Parliament. No-one wants two parliaments at once do they? 

If there’s one group who we don’t hear enough about, it’s the photographers who cover Parliament. A new exhibition is casting light on five of these practitioners. We talk to two of them. Audio

The election looms over Parliament’s debating chamber and as it nears the behaviour of MPs is amplified, especially in Question Time. We have a week of photos from above and from down amongst it.