Former ACC Minister Nick Smith is all but assured of a return to the Cabinet this week in a ministerial reshuffle to be announced today by Prime Minister John Key.

To disguise what it is doing, the Beehive has ordered the Ministry for the Environment to abandon the five-yearly State of the Environment round-up report, writes Neville Peat.

Eugenie Sage, Christchurch-based Green Party list MP, talks to political editor Audrey Young.

Unless he's softening him up as a potential coalition partner, writes Brian Rudman. "But better fun surely just to sit back and enjoy the sight of another of the New Zealand First leader's hand-picked acolytes going rogue."

Labour, the Greens and NZ First look uncannily like a united opposition as they join forces in a three-pronged assault on John Key's administration. Jonathan Milne goes behind the scenes with the key players in the plot to overthrow the Government.

Her aim is to help 'kickstart a revolution' by giving citizens access to the power and information to challenge and overturn decisions.

Andrew Stone surveys some of the more remarkable trends and breakthroughs which may - or may not - come to pass next year

Does a country of 4.4m really need 28 ministers - 20 in Cabinet and eight outside?