National Party member Brent Robinson says he's disappointed and upset about an "atrocious" smear campaign during the Rodney candidate selection in 2011.

Do you want to know more about your political leaders and what they think but don’t have much time? Here you can watch the party leaders answer Fast Fire questions on a range of issues, talking down the barrel of the camera directly to you. (NZ First declined to take part).

Labour party leader David Cunliffe and finance spokesman David Parker have revealed their alternative budget. Labour has made what it says are "minor" changes to its fiscal plan in response to the softer economic outlook and lower Crown revenue forecasts outlined in last week's Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (Prefu). However that amounts to cuts in spending of $300 million a year from what Labour proposed in its original plan and has seen a handful of yet to be announced policies axed.

Senior reporter David Fisher writes about having Cameron Slater as a contact and why he decided to cut ties with the Whale Oil blogger.

National is promising that grants for first-home buyers on modest incomes will be doubled - to up to $20,000 for a couple buying a newly built home - if it is re-elected next month. The existing KiwiSaver grants of up to $10,000 a couple will remain for qualifying buyers of existing homes, but the cap on the value of the properties that can be bought has been lifted throughout the country. It will be $550,000 in Auckland.

National is promising that grants for first-home buyers on modest incomes will be doubled if it is re-elected next month. What do you think of the policy?

National is promising grants for first-home buyers on modest incomes will be doubled - to up to $20k for a couple buying a newly built home - if it is re-elected next month.

What do the party leaders think about inequality in NZ? Hear their answers in our Fast Fire video series.

Labour leader David Cunliffe responds to the National party's proposed housing policy, which marked the launch of the National's election campaign on Sunday.

New Zealand First dismissed National’s first-home buyer policy – but also took a swing at Labour for being a party for “gays, lesbians and the loony intelligent left”.

Prime Minister John Key has kicked off National's election campaign in South Auckland with a boost to Government assistance for low and middle income first-time buyers.

Act Party leader Dr Jamie Whyte said the party wants to see Youth Court and Family Court open to public scrutiny.

Greens co-leader Russel Norman was literally up in arms about public transport yesterday - but he still missed the bus.

Whatever voters do with the private emails an unidentified hacker has made public, they are better informed.

The Govt will try to dig itself out of the Dirty Politics mire when it unveils a housing policy today expected to target Kiwis struggling to enter the property market.

A quick quiz with the men who would be Prime Minister.

Labour turned its sights on the grey vote, the Greens up the tax rate and the Nats stayed pretty silent post-Dirty Politics.

It was the week the Crusher got crushed. Sure, Judith Collins technically got off the hook once again because the Prime Minister is too scared to do anything about her with the election so close.

If you're wondering in this political maelstrom who the hell you'll vote for on September 20, you may like to try a couple of the internet's election tools.

New Zealanders are strongly in favour of a proposal to give tertiary students free trips on public transport, a Herald-DigiPoll survey shows.

John Key will not give his opponents - and this includes Nicky Hager who timed the publication of his book Dirty Politics to inflict as much electoral impact as possible.

It often comes in like a wave, the release of a book from Nicky Hager, breaking on the shores of public awareness awash with assertions that are too much to take in at once.

One question - and one question only - lingers like flashing neon on a moonless night as the Nicky Hager-instigated political firestorm of the last 10 days finally seems to be burning itself out, if only gradually.

I could give you a million differences between Auckland and Melbourne. Like how in Melbourne you can walk down the street in your gran's bedroom curtains and people will call you chic.

Watching the dirty politics of character assassination it would be easy to forget that this country is exceptionally well governed.

Conservative Party leader Colin Craig is heading to court yet again, this time in an attempt to gain more state funding for his party's TV and radio advertising.