The Green Party are to contest the Mt Albert byelection, with a candidate to be selected in the New Year.

The National Party's decision not to contest the Mt Albert byelection can be well understood, but that does not make it right.

Longstanding Labour MP Annette King will stand as a list-only candidate in 2017 - a step that opens up her Rongotai seat for Labour leader Andrew Little.

The Labour Party has announced a reshuffle of its caucus this morning following the departure of MPs David Shearer and Phil Goff.

COMMENT: Politics can be a nasty, thankless business, especially when you're the leader.

Labour MP Jacinda Ardern has put her hand up to stand for Labour in Mt Albert in the likely by-election prompted by incumbent David Shearer's departure.

COMMENT: The Opposition, and the Labour Party in particular, always underestimated John Key.

In his farewell speech to Parliament Shearer told how he has come full circle, retelling the mango skins story of a time that had a profound effect on him.

The very health and safety changes which the Pike River disaster prompted make re-entering the mine difficult, Prime Minister Bill English says.

This week a new Prime Minister will be sworn in and reshuffles will take place in both Labour and National before MPs slink off for the summer break.

New Zealand's largest private health insurer is reassuring members will get access to the latest breast cancer screening technology at no extra cost.

COMMENT: On the day John Key resigned, Andrew Little's face flashed with something most of us hadn't seen on him in years, if ever.

The public's reaction to Labour MP David Shearer's resignation from Parliament has so far been overwhelmingly supportive this morning.

Exclusive: Labour MP David Shearer is poised to resign from Parliament to take up the tough job of leading the United Nations' mission in war-torn South Sudan.

It was the first time in Parliament since PM John Key announced he was going and Labour's front bench was a 10-metre-wide grin of schadenfreude.

Labour appear quietly thrilled about the prospect of a National Party without John Key.

National faced a more uncertain future without Key at the helm, says University of Auckland political scientist Raymond Miller.

Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little has paid tribute to outgoing Prime Minister John Key, saying he has "served New Zealand well".

Even a close win in Mt Roskill could have been bad new for Andrew Little but the victory will transform the spirits of the party.

COMMENT: Opposition parties are hoping that their own version of the Brexit-Trump contagion will take grip in New Zealand.

COMMENT: It's "game on" in the Maori seats for next year's election with a Maori-Mana showdown with Labour looking likely.

People with student loans would be able to put off their repayments to instead save for a house under a Green Party bill to be debated by Parliament.

A former Labour member spurned for being "right wing" by Labour leader Andrew Little has signed up with National.

A bid by Labour leader Andrew Little to make Govt prioritise NZ jobs in its tenders has failed at the first hurdle.

Michael Wood was politicised amidst the body odour of hundreds of uni students.

Eighteen per cent of GP clinics closed their books to new patients

The Labour Party is still lost, neither tapping into discontent nor managing to successfully forge a competent, centrist reputation.

The latest poll canvassed views not just views on political parties but on what impact a Donald Trump presidency would have on New Zealand.

The Labour Party is urging a rethink of one of the Government's key health targets after a group of surgeons revealed important operations were being put off in order to reach the strict target.

Pupils with learning difficulties struggle to get the help they need, despite Government changes to tackle inequity.