Government should proceed with legalising assisted dying only if strong safeguards are in place, the human rights watchdog says.

A brief liaison with a man she didn't know cost a young Auckland woman $28 a week off her benefit for two years.

Iwi are seeking a compromise over the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary in which they will agree not to fish in the region if their Treaty

Parliament has voted overwhelmingly in support of a child sex offenders register today - but it won't be available to the public.

The gap between rich and poor is growing in New Zealand, new data shows, partly driven by rising housing costs.

Housing Minister Nick Smith is accusing Labour of immaturity after they hijacked his urgent changes to housing policy.

Prime Minister John Key says he will back the Reserve Bank to introduce further controls on housing demand if house prices continue to rise.

Nikki Kaye entered Parliament in 2008 as the National Party's first-ever Auckland Central MP, claiming an electorate which had been held by left-leaning parties for 90 years.

Pacific MPs are coming under pressure from former All Blacks to vote against changes to Easter trading laws.

After locking in its long-term climate change target, National is seeking a cross-party approach to the issue for the first time.

"It is very small, but it is quality,' says the National MP promoting a trivial law change.

Labour wants changes to spying reforms before it will support them, including a broader oversight committee.

COMMENT: It's as though a bee smoker has been pointed at Wellington's most famous hive and its inhabitants have become dopey.

Labour's proposed Affordable Housing Authority will have powers to buy land compulsorily, Labour leader Andrew Little says.

National is preparing for immigration to become a major election issue.

Landbankers could have property seized by the Government if the land is within certain areas marked for housing development. Housing

Serious social imbalances take shine off good performances in polls and economy.

Halfway through the third term, National remain in a strong position. Audrey Young assesses key rivalries and what Labour needs to do in next 18 months.

Not so long ago, when trying to capitalise on Labour's campaign against housebuyers with Chinese-sounding surnames, John Key did not believe any measure was warranted, writes Claire Trevett.

John Key was the star guest at a private fundraising lunch for Change the Flag lobby group in a last-ditch bid to raise cash from wealthy Chinese donors.

COMMENT: Key and Kitteridge owe us all, and NZ Muslim women especially, an apology.

The Labour Party is justifiably celebrating a victory on legislation to end "zero-hour contracts" even if it is victory on a fine point of law.

It was an ominous sign when Prime Minister John Key wandered into his weekly post-Cabinet press conference and announced, "I've got a bit of a head cold."

Eight Mile Style LLC and Martin Affiliated LLC, publishers of Eminem's copyrights, accused the party of using backing music to the rapper's song Lose Yourself.

The longer a Government goes on, the more it needs to minimise the fronts on which it can be attacked, writes Audrey Young.

Murray McCully, National's influential backroom strategist for decades, will not stand for re-election. He tells Claire Trevett he's not dead yet.

The National Government will today ignore widespread opposition from ordinary New Zealanders when it signs the secretly negotiated deal, writes Jane Kelsey.

National has finished the first year of its third term in as strong a position as it was a year ago, according to the latest Herald-DigiPoll survey.

COMMENT: Yes, she has a Machiavellian style, but that hardly disqualifies her for high political office, writes Audrey Young.