Critics have attacked move they say will nearly double the value of international travel perks for former MPs.

Issues have been building up over the summer and Labour will focus on them when Parliament resumes this week.

Parliament's Speaker David Carter today announced that the traditional prayer he uses to open daily sittings of Parliament will remain as is, with its Christian references.

Two new measures that allow New Zealand's most high-risk criminals to be closely monitored or kept within prison grounds for the rest of their lives have been passed into law.

In Britain, they get the Queen to hold her nose and announce - "my government will..." - the legislative programme. We get instead her guy in Wellington, writes Toby Manhire.

The Prime Minister began his third term by warning National MPs and ministers that he did not want to see any hint of arrogance creeping into their behaviour.

A loophole allowing MPs to hold millions of dollars worth of undisclosed real estate investments and other assets without declaring them has now been closed.

The most striking and welcome feature of the Cabinet named yesterday is the spreading of responsibility for the security intelligence agencies.

Politicians could find it harder to hire relatives in taxpayer-funded jobs after changes to the way support staff are recruited.

The banter for the media was about the Bledisloe Cup but John Key and Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey will discuss the rights of Kiwis in Australia.

Millions of dollars in assets sales cash earmarked by the Government for new schools and hospitals will go instead on obscure projects like repairs to Parliament's leaky roof.

Will the Internet Mana Party succeed? To answer this question, one first has to define what success is., writes Bryce Edwards.

Bryce Edwards asks whether John Banks should resign after being found guilty of filing a false electoral return and looks at the effect of the verdict on the election.

Compete or cooperate? That is the dilemma facing the Labour Party as it surveys a crowded marketplace of parties eyeing the left-leaning vote, writes Bryce Edwards.

Steep walkways, heavy doors and too few lifts make Parliament difficult to access.

Is the Internet Mana alliance a con job on the New Zealand electorate, or is it a fair and smart use of the MMP system? This is a debate we can expect to have over the short term, writes Bryce Edwards.

Prime Minister John Key has ramped up his criticism of Kim Dotcom in the wake of the union of the internet Party and Mana Party, saying Dotcom was trying to "buy influence" .

Laila Harré brought political polish and signs of a coherent policy platform to the official announcement of her leadership of the fledgling Internet Party this afternoon.

Former Alliance Party MP Laila Harré will be announced as the leader of Kim Dotcom's Internet Party tomorrow, the Herald understands.

Criticism, disbelief, and a degree of mockery sums up the response to the newly launched Internet Mana Party, writes Bryce Edwards.

Hone Harawira’s bill that would provide breakfast and lunch to every decile one and two school began its first reading in Parliament last night.