The House RNZ News

MPs have some of the highest pressure jobs in New Zealand, and the stressors aren’t always what you might think. So does anyone help them carry the load, and how do they personally cope?

It was a sitting block of just one week but it had its share of surprises, routine stuff and signs of a changing culture around scrutiny at committee level. 

Members Day this week had it all: surprise votes, big and niche issues, success and failure. A bill from a retiring MP led to an environmental rights debate which included gaping philosophical divides and a parting shot.

The work of the Auditor-General’s office features often in this week’s select committee hearings at Parliament, and for good reason.

The Speaker has begun steering ministerial answers away from outright attacks on the previous government, and towards answers. The road to positivity for new governments is long and difficult.

Petitions to Parliament don't always result in a change to law or policy as intended, but they can be an effective way of the public getting a message to those in power.