The Opposition's role is to hold the government to account plus present itself as an alternative administration.

Schools could get as many as 21 extra teachers under Labour's election-year policy, according to new calculations.

NZ's political parties are making it official on Twitter. Both Labour and National are targeting the 'twitterati' and offering social media hashtags to campaign.

It was at the same venue as the National Party's conference the week before, but the Labour Party "congress" came in a different colour.

Politics columnist Toby Manhire leaks his version of the secret emails between the top players in Team Key.

I bet Labour wishes it wasn't an election year, writes Mike Hosking.

Editorial: Foreign Minister Murray McCully owes the state of Malaysia a huge apology for suggesting it was to blame for immunity in the diplomat sex case.

Editorial: Looking for an electoral gift to unwrap at the National Party conference last weekend, the Government issued a hardly inspiring programme of roadworks.

Prime Minister John Key gave the strongest hint yet that modest tax cuts for low- and middle-income earners will form part of National's pre-election promises.

The roading announcement was also part of a wider strategy to convince voters that the Greens will be the driving force of any post-election coalition, writes John Armstrong.

Prime Minister John Key has announced a $212 million roading and construction package in a bid to shoreup National's vote in regional New Zealand for the election.

The three National MPs effectively forced to retire at the coming election appeared to boycott a ceremony at the party's conference yesterday to thank all 12 retiring MPs for their service.

The prospect of the Internet Mana alliance teaming up with Labour has been a recurring theme at the National Party conference.

Anti-oil exploration protesters have put up banners in Wellington ahead of the National Party's Annual Conference.

One word jumped out when I read John Roughan's book on the PM yesterday. That word is "disciplined", writes Fran O'Sullivan.

If it seems a dismal beginning to the election campaign, there is cause to hope that this has been a flash flood, rather than the start of a long storm, writes Toby Manhire.

Controversial businessman Donghua Liu has issued a new statement to the Herald confirming "close to" $100k in total payments to Labour and its MPs.

National's little Act Party poodle seems to be running scared of the attention-seeking yapping of wannabe Conservative Party lapdog Colin Craig, writes Brian Rudman.

A donation from Donghua Liu to a rowing club linked to a former Labour Cabinet minister has been confirmed.

Prime Minister John Key has added his voice to calls for Donghua Liu to put up or shut up over his donations to Labour.

Labour's Tukituki candidate rejects a claim that she was once a National supporter, despite a photograph of her and PM John Key tweeted in 2011.

Kiwis are interested in very little, if the PM is to be believed. The America's Cup is the latest in a long list of things Mr Key has declared NZ to be unconcerned about.

Millionaire businessman Donghua Liu has confirmed for the first time that he donated to the Labour Party.

John Roughan writes: Nine months ago, I received an offer that gave me excitement and trepidation. Would I like to write a book on John Key? Would I!

Letters of support from two Government MPs for Donghua Liu's citizenship bid have been kept secret - despite two Labour politicians' letters for Liu being released this week.

This gaming of the system is not new, writes Brian Rudman. What is different this election is that instead of it being nudge-nudge, wink-wink, it's become formalised.

Almost half of National's own supporters believe the fundraising tactics the party uses with its "Cabinet Clubs" are a bad look, according to the latest Herald poll.