The Speaker has caved in to pressure to release MPs' spending on travel perks after political parties rebelled.

Phil Goff has released details of his MPs' expenses from July to September, ignoring Lockwood Smith's decision to withhold the information.

MPs are now free to use an international travel perk and keep their individual holidays - subsidised by public money - a complete secret, under new rules revealed by Speaker Lockwood Smith.

Individual MPs use of travel perks - such as that used by Act leader Rodney Hide to take his fiance on an overseas holiday - will now be kept secret under new rules.

TVNZ dished out an average of almost $50,000 each to 44 staff whose contracts were "terminated" in the past financial year.

Robyn Malcolm taking on the PM over mining is one thing, but wrecking the livelihoods of NZ film workers is "just plain stupid", writes Fran O'Sullivan.

Mighty River Power chief executive Doug Heffernan is NZ's highest-paid government employee with a $1.32m package.

Robyn Malcolm had to be escorted by police from an inner city Wellington restaurant last night after being threatened by technical workers worried the Hobbit won't be made in NZ.

Among the 24 state sector CEOs whose performance over the year had been reviewed, six were paid more, five were paid less and 13 stayed the same.

Production of The Hobbit films moving offshore has raised the ire of many Herald readers. We asked where the blame should lie.