Times are very tough in manufacturing. The global recession has merely contributed an additional woe to a sector whose share of economic activity has been declining for more than two decades.

Police allege an illegal immigrant living here on a false Australian passport was also able to obtain three other false passports - including two from New Zealand.

He has more combativeness than the sort of bonhomie that endeared predecessors such as Don McKinnon, John Carter and Simon Power to political enemies but is still regarded as a pleasant enough fellow.

Justice Minister Judith Collins rejected the advice of an independent panel which recommended a woman lawyer for a top state service job and selected her own nominee, despite a plea from the Chief Human Rights Commissioner.

Prime Minister John Key was left in little doubt that there was at least one place he wasn't the preferred Prime Minister: at Ratana Pa.

Hone Harawira says dumped Cabinet Minister Phil Heatley is a "smarmy p****'' who jokes about the poor, but the Whangarei MP says he takes poverty seriously.

The first was being asked to chair the finance and expenditure committee.

If that spectacular display did not make Mr Dotcom a household name, the New Zealand police soon did.

It is said that Napoleon, on being told of the impressive attributes of a new general, asked, "But is he lucky?"

This has been another testing year for New Zealand businesses as they rock along the decade of "grumpy growth".

Newly released Treasury papers show it was sceptical about the chances charter schools will improve student performance .

Normally, talkback in the week before Christmas is full of callers ringing in with lovely stories of family get-togethers and their own personal Yuletide traditions, and we wish each other well for the holiday season. Nice, warm, fuzzy stuff.

Several months ago, Education Minister Hekia Parata called a meeting in her office to discuss the vexed issue of Christchurch school restructuring. Post Primary Teachers' Association president Robin Duff was among those invited to the evening meeting.

Unless he's softening him up as a potential coalition partner, writes Brian Rudman. "But better fun surely just to sit back and enjoy the sight of another of the New Zealand First leader's hand-picked acolytes going rogue."

Editorial: MP Brendon Horan is right: it is not fair. He has been investigated only by his erstwhile party leader, whose verdict is final as far as the party is concerned.

Editorial: Auckland has seldom hosted a more globally important meeting than the negotiations that start today on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.

National still believes that all growth is good growth, but it isn't, writes Russel Norman. "Growth that leads to more debt, pollution and environmental destruction is bad growth."

Recent polls have shown that Labour's popularity is on the rise, with one indicating Labour, with support of the Greens, would hold enough seats to run Government.

Australian authorities will get the full cooperation of New Zealand investigators if they choose to extradite the conman convicted of a $3 million fraud.

A victim of Loizos Michaels clapped as the "brazen" conman was led into the cells.

The alleged conman who carried out "bold frauds on a grand scale" says he is the victim.

The man at the centre of an alleged $3 million fraud case will discover his fate in two weeks.