The importance of National's support partners - Act, United Future and the Maori Party - has grown immensely since election night a year ago.

Malcolm Turnbull starts new job as Australian Prime Minister praising John Key, saying New Zealand had a leader whose style should be emulated, writes Audrey Young.

In the space of a week, Prime Minister John Key has performed a rather acrobatic about-flip, writes Claire Trevett.

The Cabinet's response yesterday to the Syrian refugee crisis is no more than a token gesture.

A long list of negative episodes have plagued John Key's third term, ranging from very damaging to trivial.

We are living in an age of spin, writes Peter Lyons. The Roman leaders gave their people bread and circuses. Sadly we no longer get the bread.

I believe we need to hold our Govt, whatever stripe it is, to the task of doing what it is there to do. That's what has driven this column, writes Dita De Boni.

Worm farming is a dangerous industry, according to the Government's health and safety reform bill.

It is crunch time for the economy, crunch time for Bill English and his "steady as she goes" economic plan.

Given the already surreal shemozzle the likelihood of more embarrassments emerging should have had National feeling like a lamb to the slaughter.

National's latest bit of tinkering with its immigration policy will not solve the Auckland housing crisis. It will barely touch it.

The Government says a new plan to lure migrants away from Auckland will boost regional economies, but admits it will do little to ease Auckland's housing pressures.

If this weekend's National Party conference runs true to recent form it will be so stage-managed that any vitality or vibrancy will have been sucked out of the affair before it has even begun.

The NZ-China free trade agreement doesn't stop new restrictions on house sales to overseas buyers, but National's subsequent deals try to, writes David Parker.

Prime Minister John Key has opened the door to possible restrictions on foreign buyers if information gained shows high numbers of foreigners are buying in New Zealand.

"Spectacularly unsuccessful" is John Key's verdict when asked about following Australia's foreign buyers policy. They are not really telling the whole story, says John Armstrong.

For all intents and purposes National was done like a dog's dinner by Labour this week, writes John Armstrong.

Unfair employment practices including zero-hours contracts are not going to be solved by National's latest measures, politicians and a union representative say.

It did not take long. Just three days, if that, for the politicians to get voluntary euthanasia well and truly off the political agenda, writes John Armstrong.

Judith Collins has told a women's magazine she wouldn't have got through last year's Oravida and Dirty Politics scandals if it wasn't for her husband.

Judith Collins tonight released emails that show a $30,000 door that will separate Labour MPs from National MPs sharing a floor in Parliament House was opposed by the National Party.

Labour continued to bay for Murray McCully’s blood in Parliament yesterday over the Saudi farm saga.

Nobody likes a nark but there was great entertainment value in Act leader David Seymour dobbing in National MP Maurice Williamson for an apparent waka jumping plot.

Not only will the benefit boost do little to alleviate poverty, but it is accompanied by cuts to other associated benefits and payments, writes Dita De Boni

It is too early in Andrew Little's career as a party leader to be ruling out realistic answers to problems he would face if he leads Labour to power.

Prime Minister John Key says axing the $1000 kickstart grant to new KiwiSaver members in the Budget "will not make a blind bit of difference to the number of people who join".

Former Act leader Don Brash has approached the party to ask whether National MP Maurice Williamson could join, but he has been unanimously rejected.

Keeping silent about axing the $1000 kickstart payment for new KiwiSaver members, isn't a broken promise, strictly speaking, writes Audrey Young.

Russia had a shirtless President, Australia had Tony Abbott in budgie smugglers, and now Prime Minister has added to the catalogue with a shirtless snap.