Loizos Michaels convinced people to "think big" and believe in his investment plans - before he fleeced them of more than $3 million, a court has heard.

The former chief executive of Christchurch Casino had plans to take over SkyCity with backing from National Party president Peter Goodfellow, says an alleged conman.

Labour's leadership woes are the gift for National that keeps on giving, writes John Armstrong. "But it will only keep on giving for as long as National is careful not to disturb the unhappy equilibrium."

Two senior National Party figures were involved in plans to apply for a casino licence, an alleged conman says.

Five years after they were thrust unwillingly into the political spotlight, things have changed for the residents of McGehan Close - much of it for the better.

After a rocky couple of gaffes, the Prime Minister defends his style, saying 'I came in as John Key and I'm going out as John Key.'

There have been growing gripes that Lockwood Smith has been going too far in seeming to want to also be Parliament's coach and commentator, writes John Armstrong.

An apparent absence of economic rationality is not the only reason for questioning the Government's sense of priorities over this issue, writes Bryan Gould.

Labour leader David Shearer has refused to comment on reports that his press secretary's partner was the source for apparent GCSB leaks.

The GCSB started an investigation into its staff last night after the Labour leader said he'd been leaked information about John Key's knowledge of the Dotcom case.

Workers' unions were quick to write off the Government's plan for a new, low, starting pay yesterday, while business leaders said it would help create jobs.

While Labour is pecking away in a number of policy areas, they lack much in the way of an argument to explain what is wrong with the incumbents, writes Toby Mahire

John Key was yesterday again on the back foot in Parliament over questions about how much he knew about the involvement of his spy agencies in the Dotcom debacle.

National MP Tau Henare says he is serious about getting a tattoo of the 28th Maori Battalion's logo in defiance of a bureaucrat's request he stop using it on his social media pages.

Claire Trevett says John Key's actions show that there are at least two ostriches in New Zealand: him and Act leader John Banks.

John Armstrong says the Prime Minister's defence of John Banks looks more ridiculous by the day. The risk is that even more damaging material will seep out.

Opposition parties have renewed their calls for John Key to sack Act leader John Banks, claiming a police finding showed he had misled the Prime Minister.

Toby Manhire says slash a parent's benefit and you hurt their children - children who, chances are, already have it extremely tough. To argue otherwise is fantasyland.