The House on Sunday: Parliament's local MP
Each of New Zealand’s 72 electorates is unique, so what's it like to represent the heart of our capital city? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Sep 06, 2025•14 min•Ep. 701
The House
Legislation, issues and insights from Parliament.
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Episodes
A Tikanga for Parliament
Are Parliament’s colonial underpinnings out of date? A former Speaker says Parliament ought to be a reflection of everyone, but isn’t, and the mental shift needed would take collective political will. The House chats with Adrian Rurawhe and Mariameno Kapa-Kingi about how Parliament could better reflect Māori tikanga and kawa. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Aug 30, 2025•15 min•Ep. 700
The House on Sunday: slow government lawmaking and suggestions of lying
Several significant bills were passed through the House this week, two of them being Opposition bills. Meanwhile, the General Debate proved to be a test of the Speaker's tolerance for accusations of lying. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Aug 23, 2025•15 min•Ep. 699
Lies, damn lies and parliamentary debate
Mendacity is the bane of good debate. In Parliament both lies and claims of lies used to be naughty, but the floodgates may have opened on the latter. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Aug 21, 2025•8 min•Ep. 698
Opposition backbench passes more bills than National backbench
Members' bills can come from any backbench MP. Usually, successful government bills far outnumber opposition bills – but not this parliament. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Aug 20, 2025•5 min•Ep. 697
Parliament this week: ETS reform, stalking, and spying
This week's bills are a mixture of unfinished business from last week and a selection of other bills plucked from the Order Paper, and awaiting their respective next stages. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Aug 19, 2025•6 min•Ep. 696
Spine and Punishment: A review of Swarbrick v Brownlee
Last week the Speaker made a series of new rulings and interpretations on the fly in punishing an MP who dared governing party MPs to demonstrate some spine regarding Israel and Gaza. We survey and analyse the incident and aftermath. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Aug 16, 2025•15 min•Ep. 695
Political distractions dominate while the House chips away at lawmaking
This week in Parliament, a brouhaha about unparliamentary language, an eviction from the House, and apologies, or rather a lack thereof, stole the spotlight – but what bills went through? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Aug 14, 2025•6 min•Ep. 694
More rates and more debt: MPs hear from Auditor General on Local Councils
On Wednesday, the Governance and Administration committee were joined by two officials from the Office of the Auditor-General to hear about the long term plans of Local Government. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Aug 13, 2025•6 min•Ep. 693
Palestine: Divining a position from a lack of answers
National avoided taking a stand on Palestine in Parliament’s urgent debate. What can we learn from the Prime Minister’s answers on Palestine and Gaza during Question Time? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Aug 12, 2025•6 min•Ep. 692
Parliament’s cross-partisan powerhouse and the new law that undermines it
One of Parliament’s quiet, powerful committees is opposition-led and cross-partisan. A new law from ACT may undermine that, ceding parliamentary oversight to the Executive. We chat with the leaders of the Regulations Review Committee: Arena Williams and Nancy Lu. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Aug 09, 2025•15 min•Ep. 691
House on Sunday: Electoral enrolment changes, & 'Unimportant' bills
The Sunday edition of The House includes one fresh story, and a replay from Thursday. The new story covers the first debate on the bill to change the electoral law – including the requirement to enrol to vote earlier. The replay from Thursday's House looks at Private and Local Bills. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Aug 02, 2025•13 min•Ep. 690
Parliament's 'rats and mice'
The big laws debated by Parliament get a lot of attention, but others are so small as to be barely noticed. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jul 31, 2025•6 min•Ep. 689
Opposition drills into Crown Minerals Bill
After the rare occurrence of a recommittal, the Crown Minerals Bill found itself back in committee where the Opposition tried their best to extract answers from the Minister. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jul 30, 2025•6 min•Ep. 688
Speaker nods towards large changes to Question Time
Parliament’s Speaker, Gerry Brownlee, is considering a major rewrite of the rules for Question Time, potentially the first major reworking since the 1980s. Specifically the Speaker indicated he may ask the Standing Orders Committee (which proposes changes to Parliament’s own rules), to consider balancing the playing field by allowing questioners to contextualise their questions. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Jul 29, 2025•5 min•Ep. 687
House on Sunday: EU MPs and a maiden statement
This week on The House, we chat with a visiting MP from the European Parliament, and hear some of the highlights from Parliament's newest MP, David Wilson Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jul 25, 2025•11 min•Ep. 686
European MPs at Parliament
This week Parliament hosted MPs from the EU Parliament in Brussels. We chat with Ireland's Seán Kelly who lead the visiting delegation. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jul 24, 2025•5 min•Ep. 685
Space, spies, stalking, and extra sittings
Parliament this week is all-House, with extra debates and an interesting array of topics including space, espionage, and stalking. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jul 23, 2025•5 min•Ep. 684
Peters navigates opposition questions on Gaza
The sitting week this week began with a Ministerial Statement from Foreign Minister Winston Peters. The House looks at the subsequent Q and A that followed. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jul 22, 2025•6 min•Ep. 683
Are our politicians 'free to lead'
To mark the launch of the Ministry for Women's Free to Lead campaign, MPs discussed online harm and the safety of public figures in a panel this week at Parliament. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jul 19, 2025•14 min•Ep. 682
Parliament versus Executive: Regs Review and the Regulatory Standards Bill
A parliamentary committee tasked with keeping a check on the Executive has heard how the Regulatory Standards Board would duplicate its role, but without its powers. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jul 17, 2025•5 min•Ep. 681
MPs check in with Parliament's boss
Albeit a month late, Speaker Gerry Brownlee sat down this week with the Governance and Administration Committee for a chat about Parliament. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jul 16, 2025•6 min•Ep. 680
New sitting block, new bills
Parliament kicked off a three week sitting block today, and the first legislative business was initial debates and votes on three brand new bills. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jul 15, 2025•5 min•Ep. 679
"We are watching, we are rising, we will not be silenced": Youth Parliament 2025
Last week, MPs were replaced by their younger counterparts during Youth Parliament 2025, and just like real Parliament, there was plenty of drama. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jul 12, 2025•14 min•Ep. 678
Making law: A final avalanche of edits
Before laws are finalised, MPs get a last chance to argue for changes. Pav Sharma—whose office manages them—explains the purpose, rules, and process for the many amendments. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jul 05, 2025•15 min•Ep. 677
House on Sunday: Debating war, mourning death
Parliament spent most of the week debating legislation under urgency, finalising eight separate government bills, initiating four others. Despite that effort, the week's most telling events may have been its bookends – the international tragedy that opening it, the very local tragedy at its close. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 28, 2025•13 min•Ep. 676
MPs pay tribute to Takutai Tarsh Kemp
It was a sad day at Parliament on Thursday, with the news of the sudden death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp. Before adjourning, The House paid tribute to her in a number of speeches. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 26, 2025•6 min•Ep. 675
Bills under urgency
Parliament's focus this week is debating numerous bills under urgency. Across recent parliaments the use of urgency and extra sittings has become so regular as to be almost normal. But it remains important to know what laws are being debated and agreed – at whatever speed. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 25, 2025•5 min•Ep. 674
Situation in the Middle East: Parliament reacts
The first item of business at Parliament this week was not Question Time, but a Ministerial Statement on the Middle East situation. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 24, 2025•6 min•Ep. 673
The House on Sunday: Xu-Nan on scrutiny, and bear pit tactics
On the Sunday Edition of the House you can hear an interview with Lawrence Xu-Nan about Scrutiny Week and the preparation necessary. You can also listen to a description of a few of the Q&A tactics observed in the scrutiny hearings. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 21, 2025•12 min•Ep. 672
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