Prime Minister John Key says his former adviser and National Party staffer Jason Ede was not forced out of his job in response to the Dirty Politics scandal.

In Labour's worst defeat in 92 years, the party vote in central Auckland strongholds Mt Albert and Mt Roskill turned blue.

It will be like the first day of school when 29 new MPs, 15 of them from the National Party, turn up to various caucus meetings at Parliament today.

John Key says education reform, National's Home Start housing programme and the continuation of welfare reform are the three key areas to focus on.

Jason Ede, a former Beehive staffer in the PM's office who was widely quoted in the Dirty Politics book, has quit his position with the National Party.

If loyalty to the leader is highly valued, it's not hard to see why new New Zealand First MP Fletcher Tabueau rocketed his way up the party list.

Mike Hosking writes: National had the best case. The best project to present. The best story to tell. The best numbers to back them.

The election success of National has weakened the bargaining power of their support parties.

John Key yesterday began his third term as Prime Minister with a strict warning to National MPs and ministers: don't get arrogant.

This is a horrible column to write. (Gets up to make a cup of coffee. Instant coffee! De-activates Facebook page.

The new Parliament is a melting pot of ethnicities and religions - but one thing has stayed the same, it's a male-dominated House of Representatives.

The Herald-DigiPoll survey came closest to predicting the final election result, an analysis of the four major polls shows.

Whangarei's new MP is a high-achieving doctor who was called on by the New Zealand Embassy to help in the wake of the Boston Marathon terror bombings.

New Zealand financial markets are expected to firm when they open today after the National Party secured the first ever outright win.

Winston Peters yesterday appeared dead-set on taking a leading role in opposition against John Key's new Government but some of his MPs won't shut the door on National.

Former minister Judith Collins is returning to Parliament but appears to have been punished by voters in Papakura, with her majority halved.

As National began to slide in the polls last week, one senior Beehive staffer was puzzled as to why.

Tax cuts are coming for most New Zealanders ... but you're going to have to wait for three years.

So much for "dirty politics". So much for Nicky Hager, Cameron Slater, "Rawshark", "Whaledump", Kim Dotcom, Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden, Julian Assange ...

Labour leader David Cunliffe says he will not stand down despite a heavy defeat in election 2014.

Three more years they chanted at the National Party headquarters as the scale of their resounding victory in Election 2014 became clear.

An indisputable triumph for one man; a total and unmitigated disaster for his many enemies.

'Getting stuck on a benefit is like crack cocaine,' deputy Prime Minister Bill English told a Tauranga crowd yesterday - and beneficiary advocates aren't impressed.

The PM has accused Glenn Greenwald of acting against NZ's interest after the US journalist said he'd release details of NZ's spying activities on its allies ahead of UN vote.

PM John Key can't rule out US spy agency NSA having NZers' electronic communications under surveillance, even if this country's GCSB doesn't.

Mana leader Hone Harawira claims the National, Labour and Maori parties are all out to unseat him by throwing their weight behind Labour's Kelvin Davis.

Labour leader David Cunliffe says he has sought reassurance from former Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark about the party's role in recent spying revelations.