MP defends student union Bill
MP defends student union Bill
ACT New Zealand Party MP Heather Roy took a shot on Saturday at student opposition to her Bill requiring voluntary membership of students' associations.
ACT
Brothel not mine: Dunedin MP
Brothel not mine: Dunedin MP
New ACT MP Hilary Calvert says she has no criminal skeletons in her closet, but she has admitted that a brothel is run from one of her investment properties.
Calvert sparks row with Walls
Calvert sparks row with Walls
Only days into her tenure as Act's latest MP, Hilary Calvert has become embroiled in a spat with a Dunedin city councillor over her criticism of the city council.
Dunedin lawyer headed for Parliament
Dunedin lawyer headed for Parliament
Out goes lawyer David Garrett and in comes lawyer Hilary Calvert, as ACT rearranges the deck chairs on its political Titanic.
Hide says party still behind him
Hide says party still behind him
Epsom MP Rodney Hide continues to cling to his leadership of embattled Act New Zealand as a party insider and political opponents called for him to step down over his role allegedly covering up MP David Garrett's identity theft charges.
Act MP-in-waiting ready for call
Act MP-in-waiting ready for call
Dunedin MP-in-waiting Hilary Calvert sympathises with calls for disgraced MP David Garrett to leave Parliament and would prefer to join an Act New Zealand Party united behind leader Rodney Hide.
Week in politics: Decision to hide Garrett's secrets may be end of Act
Week in politics: Decision to hide Garrett's secrets may be end of Act
Doomed, kaput, done for, dead and buried: Act New Zealand has been written-off more times than your typical boy-racer's standard low-slung 2-litre turbo-charged pride and joy.
Strike two
Strike two
Act New Zealand leader Rodney Hide is quite correct when he suggests, apropos his colleague David Garrett, that they both belong to a house of representatives - not a choir of angels.
Hide victory comes at great cost
Hide victory comes at great cost
So Rodney Hide ended the most calamitous week in his party's history having won (at least for the time being) the debilitating power struggle that has been consuming the Act New Zealand caucus and the wider party for months.
Dismayed adviser leaked notes: Roy
Dismayed adviser leaked notes: Roy
Act New Zealand MP Heather Roy said last night she was extremely disappointed to learn her former ministerial adviser, Simon Ewing-Jarvie, leaked the notes for last week's caucus meeting to the media.
Spat was over defence document between ACT leaders
Spat was over defence document between ACT leaders
Dumped ACT deputy leader Heather Roy's adviser has confirmed there was a bust-up over leader Rodney Hide taking a defence document from her office.
ACT MPs in crisis meeting
ACT MPs in crisis meeting
ACT Party MPs have started their crisis caucus meeting, which could see Heather Roy ousted as deputy leader.
A step too far
A step too far
Tensions and periodic tantrums are built into coalition politics, just as compromise and pragmatism are an essential part of a coalition leader's armoury.
Lawsuits cost taxpayer $320,000
Lawsuits cost taxpayer $320,000
The taxpayer has so far unwittingly chipped in at least $320,000 for MPs embroiled in lawsuits - including $150,000 for two MPs to defend themselves in legal spats with another MP, NZ First leader Winston Peters.
National stuck in middle of warring and uneasy allies
National stuck in middle of warring and uneasy allies
The increasingly erratic and somewhat flaky behaviour of Act New Zealand and the Maori Party should be giving the Prime Minister some serious cause for worry.
Scorn poured on sterilisation suggestion
Scorn poured on sterilisation suggestion
Scorn has been poured on ACT MP David Garrett's suggestion that bad parents should be offered a $5000 incentive to get sterilised.
Student groups lobby to keep compulsory membership
Student groups lobby to keep compulsory membership
Student groups and their supporters are gearing up to tackle ACT MP Sir Roger Douglas's bid to outlaw compulsory membership of student associations, saying such a move would "gut" them.