Stories by Craig McCulloch

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… Audio

Government ministers hoping to bask in a post-Budget glow this week have instead been trying to tamp down the backlash to a big broken promise.

The clock is now ticking for the coalition to correct… Audio

At last, the tax cut tease is over, the full details on full display. The Budget's headline was only ever going to be tax cuts - and they arrived almost exactly as promised.

Finance Minister Nicola… Audio

Humiliated and humbled in last year's election, Labour has spent its first months back in opposition licking its wounds.

At the party's caucus retreat this week - a gathering of its MPs at a remote… Audio

Parliament was brought to a standstill on Wednesday, with politics set aside after the sudden and shocking death of  first-term Green MP Fa'anānā Efeso Collins.

A champion for his people, a tireless… Audio

The coalition has ticked off another objective - repealing the troubled Three Waters programme - but in doing so may have just delayed the bigger problem for another day.

In this week's Focus on… Audio

Coming hot on the heels of last weekend's Hui-aa-Motu and the Rātana celebrations, Waitangi Day this year promises to be highly emotive and political. 

The government's policies have prompted calls… Audio

Summary Audio

The resumption of Parliament this week has been underlined by outcry from Māori, soon matched by fury within the debating chamber.

With just two weeks before the Christmas break and Waitangi Day fast… Audio

It took 40 days and 40 nights - but at long last, the country knows what its new government will look like.

New Zealand's first-ever three-way coalition: National, ACT and New Zealand First finally… Audio

The final act of the 2023 election has reset the calculus, blowing apart National's dream scenario and driving up the price for forming government. 

With NZ First's support now a requirement, Winston… Audio

Call this the week of Winston Peters - with the New Zealand First leader, riding a wave of renewed relevancy. 

In not one, but two TV polls, New Zealand First featured above that critical 5 percent… Audio

Set the table for bread and butter - or in this case, fruit and veg: Labour fired its opening election campaign salvo on Sunday with a starkly populist pitch for tax-free produce.

The party is… Audio

The 2023 Budget has proven difficult to define: neither the belt-tightening exercise that was promised, nor the blatant bribery sometimes seen in election years.

Certainly, it is no election… Audio

Stuart Nash's rapid resignation from his treasured police portfolio - just two months after getting it back -  is one of the clearest examples of a political own-goal. 

It's highlighted poor… Audio

Consultants and contractors are a favourite punching bag for opposition parties - of all colours - and National is just the latest to land a solid blow, leaving Labour off-balance. 

The numbers show… Audio

While National's solution to the Three Waters problem may please the councils steadfastly opposed to the government's plan, it remains plagued by a financial fishhook. 

But, as journalist Bernard… Audio

In today's Focus on Politics podcast Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch assesses the Prime Minister's American odyssey. Audio

In today's Focus on Politics podcast Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch runs the numbers on the Budget and its political implications.  Audio

In today's Focus on Politics podcast, Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch recounts the siege of Fortress New Zealand and reckons with its reconnection to the world. Audio

It's a multimillion-dollar ministerial blind spot that is being called into question. Opposition parties are demanding accountability after revelations millions of dollars was shelled out by the… Audio

In today's Focus on Politics podcast, Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch talks with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern about the year that's been. Video, Audio

In today's Focus on Politics podcast, Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch delineates the nuclear destruction of Judith Collins' leadership and assesses the fallout. Audio

In today's Focus on Politics podcast, Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch details the latest Covid-19 outbreak, the government's response, and how that's been received by the public and… Audio

Craig McCulloch returns from London and a Commonwealth heads of government meeting to explore whether a trade agreement across all 53 countries could really fly? Video, Audio