Stories by Demelza Leslie

Chinese President Xi Jinping is very supportive of Helen Clark's bid for the top job at the UN, Prime Minister John Key says. Audio

New Zealand and China have agreed to scope out a better free trade deal.

Prime Minister John Key appears confident he'll be able to convince Chinese leaders to start negotiations to upgrade New Zealand's free trade deal. Audio

Up to 60 people in New Zealand are wanted by China for fraud and embezzlement, Prime Minister John Key says.

China's richest man Alibaba founder Jack Ma, wants to help more New Zealand farmers and small businesses sell their products there.

Prime Minister John Key, in Beijing, says he'll continue to raise NZ's stance on the disputed waterway with Chinese leaders despite a warning not to do so.

Prime Minister John Key and two of his senior ministers will be pushing for greater trade access to China during an official visit there this week.

Plans for the controversial Ruataniwha Dam project need to be aborted, Labour says.

The Prime Minister has ridiculed Labour leader Andrew Little's idea of strong-arming banks to lower interest rates.

The situation in Syria remains a top priority for the Security Council to grapple with, says NZ's permanent ambassador to the United Nations Gerard van Bohemen.

The Corrections Minister is accused of being overly controlling regarding prison visit requests by politicians.

A new multi-pronged attack on gangs and gang culture could leave some families worse off, the Maori Party says.

Opposition parties are refusing to support a bill governing the next step of the Christchurch earthquake rebuild.

Moves to make it easier for some New Zealanders to get Australian citizenship have been announced this afternoon. Audio

New Zealand's offer to resettle some of Australia's asylum seekers could be back on the table today. Audio

John Key's decision not to go to Waitangi has been described as arrogant by the Green Party but has won some backing from other opponents.

Nominations have opened for the next head of the United Nations and the organisation is strongly encouraging member states to put forward women candidates. Audio

The Chief Ombudsman is putting government agencies on notice for their compliance with the Official Information Act. Audio

The government has finally won enough support to go ahead with its long-planned changes to the Resource Management Act.

A members bill that would prevent convicted child sex offenders legally changing their names has passed its first reading in Parliament.

Labour Party leader Andrew Little's visit to an Australian detention centre has validated how he feels about the country's immigration laws, he says. Audio

Parliament resumes sitting under urgency this morning on legislation to introduce a monitoring regime for New Zealanders with criminal records returning to the country. Audio

Prime Minister John Key says New Zealand is at war with Islamic State alongside France but there will not be any change in the way this country is fighting that war.

The government has confirmed it is merging the country's fire services into a single national organisation.

The Prime Minister says he will ask his Australian counterpart to release New Zealanders from detention centres and exempt them from a tough immigration policy.