The House

Legislation, issues and insights from Parliament.

Hosted by Phil Smith & Louis Collins

Podcast Title 'The House' set in a bold font on an outside wall, with a image of the parliament house seen through a window

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Parliament 2023, year of the shake-up

The House offers a selection of some of the highs and lows, and behind the scenes chats, from a year of great change at Parliament.
Scenes from Parliament on Commission Opening Day 2023

Quick bills, long weeks at Parliament

When governments change, the new bunch typically want to quickly make a mark. The first weeks have been long weeks, all about marking fast marks.
Christopher Luxon during the first debate of the 54th Parliament.

Digging in: Parliament's grind towards year's end

There's a look in the eyes of many people who work on precinct that tells you they just want this parliamentary year to finish already, but it's not quite done yet.
Chris Bishop in Parliament's debating chamber, 6 December 2023.

Parliament's Speaker has outlined his approach to Question Time

The Speaker's role and approach are crucial to Parliament's good functioning. Gerry Brownlee has outlined to MPs what approach he will take in enforcing Parliament's rules regarding Question Time.
Gerry Brownlee in the Speakers chair during the Commission Opening of Parliament.

Early stanzas: getting a feel for the new Parliament

It's early in the 54th Parliament and things are dynamic, with many MPs either still finding their feet or feeling out the others to see how they roll.
National Party MP Chris Penk participating in Parliament's Justice Select Committee.

The House For Thursday 14 December 2023

The latest from the House

Crash learning: MPs adjust to new roles

Parliament's in urgency in this hectic, penultimate week before Christmas, and most MPs are undergoing a kind of crash course of learning and adjustment.
Labour MP Deborah Russell speaking in Parliament's debating chamber

Question Time answers become optional

Parliament is discovering how the Speaker will interpret its rules. Today's contention was can he force good answers from ministers, or indeed, any answers.
Gerry Brownlee in the Speakers chair during the Commission Opening of Parliament.

Parliament: A change of ends and a new referee

A new Parliament, a new Prime Minister, a new Speaker. There was a lot going on at Parliament in the first week of its 54th incarnation.
Christopher Luxon during the first debate of the 54th Parliament.

Parliament’s first choice of debate topic is Gaza

Parliament pushed back it's business on Thursday to begin with an hour of debate over how far to go in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Damien O'Connor speaks at Parliament

Pomp and ceremony gets Parliament underway

Parliament business got underway after the State Opening of the 54th Parliament, a ceremony of pomp and pageantry culminating in the Speech from the Throne.
Sandra McKie, the Usher of the Black Rod, arrives at the State Opening of Parliament, 6 December 2023.

Parliament's new Speaker hints at free flow style

The new Speaker Gerry Brownlee has offered a heads-up about how he'll run Parliament, with Standing Orders to be a mere guide rather than a strict line to follow.
Gerry Brownlee in the Speakers chair during the Commission Opening of Parliament.

New Parliament, new rules

The final thing Parliament did before adjourning was agree rules changes for the next Parliament. We discuss them with senior clerks David Wilson and Gabor Hellyer.
The Clerk of the House of Representatives, David Wilson, gives evidence to Parliament's Standing Orders Committee about ideas for the 2023 Review of Standing Orders.

The rule untravelled: changes MPs wanted but didn’t get

Before Parliament adjourned it agreed new rules for next time. In discussing them MPs gave glimpses into the rules they would like to change and the Parliament they wished existed.
Parliament's Standing Orders Committee hears evidence from a submitter, the former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer for the 2023 Review of Standing Orders.

Voting age for local council elections debated

MPs have been debating whether to lower the voting age for local council elections to 16 years of age from the current age of 18.
Ginny Andersen talks Police during Question Time in Parliament's Debating Chamber.

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