Foreign Minister Murray McCully wants New Zealand to be "sure-footed" from the outset when it officially begins its term on the UN Security Council tomorrow night.

Matt McCarten, the former enemy, is now seen as a calm and pragmatic influence in Labour who could play a crucial role in its resurrection, writes Audrey Young.

Little must be seen as a potential leader for all, not just narrow left-wing interests, writes Audrey Young, so the guest list was as important as the message.

Prime Minister John Key signed two insurance agreements yesterday in the form of confidence and supply deals with Act and United Future.

If anybody else in Labour is thinking about putting his or her hat into the leadership contest, they should think again, writes Audrey Young.

Audrey Young writes: Sometimes it helps to see your politicians in action in order to judge whether they can be trusted.

Anything could happen between now and the election in eight weeks. That's what makes election campaigns so exciting.

The PM has a touch of the Dale Carnegie about him when it comes to international affairs. He knows how to win friends and influence people, writes Audrey Young.

Rescuing the deal from a pitiful result is john Key's top priority for the trip, writes Audrey Young. Expecting a gold-standard deal is probably out of the question. But it could be much worse.

Getting a seat on the Security Council is not seen by many as a big deal. But it is, writes Audrey Young. And with the deteriorating state of relations among the five permanent members at present, it is an even bigger deal.

All weekend, Act supporters and friends of the Act Epsom MP were saying John Banks would "do the right thing", writes Audrey Young.

To understand the demise of Judith Collins, it helps to understand what a powerful role she has carved out for herself in the National Party.

This has been by far the best week for Labour this year, due in equal parts to the Williamson scandal and Labour's management of an important policy, writes Audrey Young.

There may be an explanation as to why Maurice Williamson's political judgment deserted him to the extent he interfered in a police investigation that cost him his ministerial post.

Tiny parties are rarely in the spotlight and rarely get the chance to set the news agenda. Whyte squandered his opportunity, writes Audrey Young.

A bunch of colleagues from the Press Gallery yesterday were showered with a suite of insults by NZ First leader Winston Peters on his way into Parliament, writes Audrey Young.

John Boscawen took a risk in holding the meeting, writes Audrey Young. It might have been a miserable turnout but it was a respectable 100. It could have been disrupted by enemies outside the party, or even inside but it wasn't.

To understand Paula Bennett's value to the National Party, you just have to see how much Labour cant stand her.

Misery united Parliament yesterday - until politics intervened, writes Audrey Young on Greens co-leader Russel Norman's climate change speech.

Cunliffe implied that National's opposition to the policy is because it received big donations from the insurance industry in 2005, writes Audrey Young.

Apec's focus is trade liberalisation, writes Audrey Young. The East Asia Summit focus is wider; leaders will talk about regional questions of the moment, including security issues such as North Korea.

The absence of US President Barack Obama from the Apec leaders summit leaves a gaping hole, and a lot of disappointment, if not misery, writes Audrey Young.

New Zealand really likes being characterised as the firm but fair "honest broker" in matters of world affairs, writes Audrey Young.

New Labour leader David Cunliffe received less than a third of the support of caucus when the votes were counted yesterday.

It has been a leadership not so much in decline, as never taking off, writes Audrey Young. Shearer was a risk his supporters thought worth taking in 2011.

Conference 2013 was meant to be the conference of good ideas. Political editor Audrey Young looks at whether it delivered.

The Herald's political editor Audrey Young says the Press Gallery hunts as a pack and panics as a pack during a quake.

There are three things John Key could do in the coming week to make the GCSB bill more acceptable than it is now, to the public and others, writes Audrey Young.

At the start of the week, I would have put Shearer's chances of surviving at 80/20. Now they would be closer to 50/50.