Any leader of a country visibly ages before your eyes, says John Key — it’s a high-stress environment.

The PM has been accused of withholding critical information on proposed mass surveillance from the public ahead of new spying legislation going through Parliament.

John Key says he won't release documents that show that spy agencies do not conduct mass surveillance until after Glenn Greenwald tries to prove the claim.

John Key says "without a shadow of a doubt GCSB does not conduct mass surveillance on New Zealand".

This time next week the people will have spoken - an election is that rare and precious moment when everyone in the country can be heard.

Paul Little writes: It has been a great election campaign for hoardings, which have done so much to brighten commuters' days.

John Key will declassify highly sensitive documents to prove the GCSB pulled the plug on plans to spy on New Zealanders.

The coolest head I have ever seen on a pair of shoulders is John Key's, writes Rodney Hide.

Can Twitter handle serious policy debates? This week has been dominated by tax policy.

John Key is the king of the political selfie, the prince of the walkabout. His is a campaign high on charm and low on policy detail but one which the polls suggest is working.

He called him ''Shylock'' and a ''nasty little creep'' but Labour candidate Steve Gibson was among those queueing to shake hands with Prime Minister John Key today

Satirists would be safe from breaching Electoral Commission rules if their work was only for humour and not as an election advertisement, a court has been told.

A move away from the adversarial court system for sexual and domestic violence may be back on the agenda after the resignation of former Justice Minister Judith Collins, a senior National MP says.

Labour and the Greens are backing National's plan to get all prisoners working or studying fulltime within three years.

For the past month, National leader John Key and Labour leader David Cunliffe have bemoaned the focus on Dirty Politics and the lack of attention to their policies.

A re-elected National Government would keep all current military bases open and operational, Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman says.

As expected, the National Party's announcement yesterday on proposed tax cuts was short on specifics and long on conditionality.

Armstrong writes: The PM's offer is not so much a tax cut, more like a tax offcut - one which will not be finding its way into your wallet for the best part of another three years.

Maori Television says there will be no job losses at its news show Te Kaea and changes at the station have been put on hold.

Up to 25 people could see their jobs axed as Maori Television ditches its Te Kaea news show, Mana leader Hone Harawira claimed late last night.

The Government plans to establish two marine parks for recreational fishing - and pay millions in compensation to the commercial interests that would be forced out.

After being relinquished by National's Chris Tremain, the battle for the seat of Napier has been heating up between Labour's Stuart Nash and National newcomer Wayne Walford.

The Labour Party election campaign is in a mess after one candidate reportedly made an anti-Semitic jibe shortly after another candidate sent a bizarre email.

Prime Minister John Key slotted in his first campaign visit to the Epsom electorate yesterday and found not everybody was willing to go along with his instructions to vote for Act's David Seymour.

Labour leader David Cunliffe has dissociated himself from his Rangitata candidate, Steve Gibson.