• Trading places: Seymour steps up, Peters gears up
    May 30 2025

    In Focus on Politics, RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch sits down with the incoming and outgoing deputy prime ministers to mark the historic handover. David Seymour is vowing to keep speaking freely, while an unshackled Winston Peters shifts into campaign mode.

    Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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    16 mins
  • A Budget of give and take, cuts and credits
    May 23 2025

    In Focus on Politics this week, the coalition debuts its second Budget - taking the knife to numerous government programmes in order to boost health, education and defence. RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch takes a deeper look at the Budget of trade-offs.

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    16 mins
  • From urgency to uproar: a House of Chaos?
    May 16 2025

    In Focus on Politics, RNZ's deputy political editor Craig McCulloch walks through the week at Parliament, a week featuring C-bombs and unprecedented punishments.

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    16 mins
  • Pay equity shake-up: billions saved, trust lost
    May 9 2025

    In Focus on Politics, RNZ Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch breaks down the government's shock shake-up of the pay equity regime - the changes, the fallout and what's next.

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    16 mins
  • The pros and cons of public-private partnerships
    May 2 2025

    The coalition is pushing for more public-private partnerships (PPPs) in an effort to boost infrastructure investment. Political reporter Anneke Smith takes a closer look at the government's plan and asks one expert about the pros and cons of PPPs.

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    16 mins
  • Defence Capability Plan spend-up shows the new strategic normal
    Apr 11 2025

    The government has finally released its Defence Capability Plan, with phrases like 'enhanced lethality' and 'force multiplier' laying bare how much the strategic outlook has changed. For Focus on Politics this week, political reporter Giles Dexter digs into the plan, where the money's going, and how New Zealand's partners might respond.

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    16 mins
  • Razor-sharp race in first RNZ-Reid Research poll
    Apr 4 2025

    The new RNZ-Reid Research Poll shows the political race has tightened since the election, but the coalition parties are still holding on to a slim lead. Deputy political editor Craig McCulloch breaks down the numbers as RNZ ventures into the province of polling.

    Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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    16 mins
  • Politics and the police
    Mar 28 2025

    There was outrage from across the political spectrum this week, following comments by Green MP Tamatha Paul about police beat patrols making people feel "less safe". It came the same week a Justice Select Committee report stated public trust in the police is at about 68 percent. Political reporter Lillian Hanly looks back at the different perspectives on the issue.

    Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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    16 mins