The Ombudsman has launched an investigation into whether an Auckland councillor knew she already had another job when she received a redundancy payout of more than $200,000.

A trail of documents show a lack of communication, an absence of Cabinet papers and the lone hand of Finance Minister Bill English in approving $4.8 million in public money for an agency that was ultimately left out in the cold.

Simon Botherway, accused of a conflict of interest in the Hubbard case, had no operational role in putting him into statutory management, says the Securities Commission.

It's time John Key put the dummy back in Murray McCully's mouth and sent him to the Chris Carter home for over-stressed politicians.

The ARC, co-owner of Queens Wharf, has voted to keep one of the wharf sheds as a Rugby World Cup "party central" venue, alongside the Govt's temporary Cup structure dubbed the "slug".

Markups in supermarkets are hitting both consumers and producers, as the low prices growers get for their produce are not passed on to buyers, says an MP.