The coalition campaigned on a return to law-and-order with a hardline approach emphasising personal responsibility and a crackdown on gangs. Nearly a year in power, many of the numbers seem to be going the wrong way - but statistics on crime and policing are notoriously difficult to draw conclusions from. In this week's Focus on Politics, Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch assesses how the government's tough-on-crime crusade is going, and what's ahead.
Between 2019 and 2023, groceries went up in price by more than any other common household bill. High hopes were placed on new Grocery Commissioner Pierre van Heerden to boost competition, but he says the current tools are still not enough. In Focus on Politics this week, RNZ's Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch digs into the first report card from the Grocery Commissioner - and considers what is to come.
Tributes are flowing from across Aotearoa and around the world after Kiingi Tuuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII died early on Friday morning. Moe mai raa e te kiingi. It ends a fortnight in which the question of whether Māori ceded sovereignty - a question as old as the Treaty itself - saw the major parties in Parliament taking stronger positions in the debate than ever before.
In the pouring rain and whipping winds, politicians arrived at Ngāruawāhia's Tūrangawaewae marae for te Koroneihana, the 18th anniversary of the Māori King's coronation. The typically apolitical event was instead this year full of challenges to the government and the man at the top, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
With Parliament in recess this week, the coalition used the clear air to clear the decks, rattling through a laundry list of announcements - congestion charging, genetic engineering, and two separate ministry overhauls. But the announcement the government tried hardest to highlight was its new hardline approach to welfare.
In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Lillian Hanly examines the coalition policy of repealing section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act, and the resulting backlash.
In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Giles Dexter speaks with Chlöe Swarbrick after the Green Party's AGM about the challenge she gave members to go through some growing pains, and the ongoing fallout of the Darleen Tana party-hopping saga.
In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Anneke Smith speaks to Aaron Smale and explores the initial response to New Zealand's inquiry on abuse in care.
In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Anneke Smith looks at why New Zealand's ability to meet its climate targets is on shaky ground.
In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Giles Dexter looks at Australia backtracking on its commitment to New Zealand over 501 deportations.
In this week's Focus on Politics, Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch takes a closer look at National's broken cancer commitment - and considers how the government could put it right.
In this week's Focus on Politics, RNZ Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch examines the first Budget of the coalition government.
In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Anneke Smith explores the government's fast-track legislation and the responses to it.
In Focus on Politics, political reporter Katie Scotcher looks at the latest funding boost for the Defence Force and how much more investment is needed.
In Focus on Politics, RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch chews over the coalition's school lunch announcement, as well as the opposition's somewhat muted reaction.
In Focus on Politics, RNZ's deputy political editor Craig McCulloch whips through a whirlwind week at Parliament.
Successive governments have claimed crack downs on youth vaping but retailers are flouting the law, with just one prosecution on the books. Retailers have until the end of the year to phase out single-use products, but academics say MPs' fears vape manufacturers will just adapt are justified. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Anneke Smith looks at concerns vape manufacturers will find loopholes in new regulations.
As global tensions escalated this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was touring South East Asia, strengthening defence and security ties. Back home, his government was accused of drifting away from New Zealand's independent foreign policy.
Andrew Hoggard might be new to Parliament, but he's certainly not new to New Zealand's screens and airwaves. The Manawatū dairy farmer was president of Federated Farmers from 2020 to 2023, and one of the more prominent critics of the previous government's agricultural policies. In this week's Focus on Politics, RNZ Political Reporter Giles Dexter sits down with new MP - and new minister - Andrew Hoggard, to discuss the suite of reviews and replacements he's been tasked with.
Public Service Targets are set for a comeback but with job cuts looming over ministries and agencies, unions fear public servants are only being asked to do more with less. Originally introduced by the John Key National government, the targets have led to improvements in the past - but that experience shows there are also risks. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Giles Dexter looks at the impending comeback of Better Public Services targets, one of the points in the government's new action plan.