Stories by Craig McCulloch

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…

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…

近150亿减税款项未来4年"资金充足"，同时对税阶做出调整。

National has kept its tax cut promise, laying out a relief package largely in line with the 'Back Pocket Boost' it campaigned on during the election.

Several long-standing MPs were astonished when Ricardo Menéndez March dropped the f-bomb in Parliament.

Christopher Luxon has fronted an unapologetic defence of National's first months in power, its pace of change and commitment to tax relief.

"In future I should walk away," Green MP Julie Anne Genter says after complaints over an exchange in Parliament and from two members of the public. Audio

联合政府首个财算案确定不会实施紧缩性财政，但也不会通过借贷来实施减税。

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says do not expect any curveballs in this month's Budget, but he reaffirmed a commitment to tax relief.

The government is still trying to work out how it will meet its pledge to end Covid mandates, given the mandates were scrapped more than a year ago.

Beneficiaries looking for a job will have to attend a work seminar within two weeks of starting to receive welfare under new requirements.

The Prime Minister and Corrections Minister repeatedly provided incorrect information about their $1.9 billion planned prison spend-up.

The Labour Party is demanding Peters be stood down, saying "he's embarrassed the country" with a "totally unacceptable" attack on a prominent AUKUS critic.

Power Play - Asked for his own assessment of the visit, the prime minister said he was returning home "excited and energised".

The commitment came after a sit-down meeting between Christopher Luxon and President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr overnight. Audio

The Prime has announced a commitment to triple two-way trade with Thailand by 2045, but it only requires maintaining current growth. Audio

Escalating global tensions are sure to colour engagements during the prime minister's week-long trip.

Christopher Luxon is determined to prove the scoffers wrong in his promise to "raise the energy" of international engagements.

Luxon称，联合政府在未来三个月中将重点推进36项优先事项，涵盖经济、教育、法律及公共服务等领域。

Goodbye 100-day plan - The government has a new list of big promises for the next three months. Audio

Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far.

Brooke van Velden has also renewed attacks on Labour's minimum wage hikes, doubling of sick leave and the new Matariki public holiday.

The broadcasting minister insists she is not ducking for cover, despite refusing all radio and TV interviews since the news of Newshub's impending closure.

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…

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…