Phil Smith

Parliament has just days left before it ends for the election. The closer dissolution gets, the harder the MPs are pushing to fit everything in - almost like they're cramming four years of legislating…

This week the Government added a morning sitting of the House to ‘get stuck into’ completing debate on RMA reform. The Opposition just aimed for ‘stuck’.

As MPs count down to the election Parliament’s mood changes. The Opposition’s House leader Michael Woodhouse predicts “more anger, frivolity, perhaps less discipline”. “Perhaps” seems generous.

When MPs screw up the consequences can be public and brutal. But sometimes that response has solid reasons which safeguard our system of responsible government.

As an MP Sir Geoffrey Palmer had a huge impact on the interlocking shapes of government and parliament. The great reformer is still brimming with ideas for improvement.

This week, RNZ’s Parliament show, The House, focused on the processes and outcomes of Parliament’s Select Committees. The Sunday show is a collation of this content.

When things threaten to go awry it can help us learn how they work. So, how do Select Committees decide to amend bills, who helps them; and how do they track amendments and communicate with the legal…

Parliament has hit the time of year it turns into a combination of Glastonbury and the Inquisition - the multi-pronged miniterial grilling called Estimates Hearings.

Among Parliament's key bills this week is one to update emergency management relationships and one to protect your bank deposits because mattresses have better uses. Grant Robertson picks his bills to…

For any of Parliament’s speakers, the daily Question Time is a tricky horse to manage, let alone tame. Every Speaker brings a different approach, the current Speaker is trying riding with no reins at…

As the election nears, Question Time transforms into a forum for party political messaging. It’s not the ideal format for messaging and it doesn’t always go well. 

Parliament's justice committee has been hearing experts on youth justice, the age of criminal responsibility, and better outcomes from alternative approaches to justice.

MPs passed two bills about number twos this week – one regulating freedom camping toilets, and another creating a role to assist family court judges.

Budget day is all about the Minister of Finance’s big reveal. But spare a thought for other party leaders who must prepare speeches opposing something they haven't read yet.

Parliament changed a long-standing rule this week and will now leave the counting of votes to the experts. It turns out MPs just aren’t that good at counting.

MPs voted today to congratulate Charles III on his coronation. But while noting the heir, thoughts of an alternative Head of State are not far away. Is it not just inevitable but timely? National’s…

Backbench MPs sometimes quietly engage in international diplomacy. One relatively junior MP recently faced off against Russia on behalf of not just NZ, but also Canada, Australia and all of Europe.

Budgets are wrapped up in a combination of mystery and tradition. The portents of the Budget to come have begun already and will only increase as it nears.

Rachel Hayward has two overlapping jobs, ‘organising’ both Cabinet and the Executive Council. Those twin roles are an also a great insight into how government works at the very highest level.

Prime Minister’s farewell speeches are rare events. We have photos, video and the full transcript of Jacinda Ardern’s valedictory address.

In a busy week of Parliament one of the most crucial things MPs did may have got the least attention. Financial scrutiny is seldom exciting but it is important.

Despite a week of distractions MPs were working. Hard. Ten bills were finished, and eight brand new bills began their lives, ready for the remaining weeks of this parliamentary term.   

Question Time gets all the media attention, but it is only the tip of the scrutiny-iceberg. The action is below the waterline - in committee, where most of Parliament’s scrutiny of Government happens.

Parliament has a charming tendency to gift people with very odd job titles, like Shadow Leader of the House. Michael Woodhouse outlines what the job entails (and it's neither shade nor homes).

This week MPs discussed Stuart Nash’s loss of a ministerial warrant for an hour. It may have looked like a political pile-on, but in reality it was Parliament doing exactly what it is designed for –…