NZ First’s positioning – will Shane Jones help? / Would Winston partner with anyone? / Ruataniwha knockback a defining electoral issue / Govt lukewarm on more freedom for local govt / Petrol politics / Simplicity as activist shareholder / Be alert for more ransomware on the way

English risks looking weak, isolated / Labour – doing better, still attacking weakly / Petrol price inquiry findings due / Dry winter pushing power prices / MBIE gets an acting ceo / RBNZ seeks new governor as OCR remains unchanged / US-China dairy deal taking shape

Budget medicine working for National? / Jones delayed again / Infrastructure funding – plenty of tension / Water allocation recommendations by Xmas / Message from Washington / The Greens and Labour – strained but not terminal / Xero’s first decade

An election-winning Budget? / Why the govt ignored corporate tax / Spending the lot / Port politics / State-owned NZ media well-positioned? / Upward pressure on power prices makes a rare showing

Concern for resilience underpins new debt target / RBNZ’s surprisingly neutral stance / Swimming against the political tide / Labour struggling – Willie Jackson isn’t helping / Australia’s anti-bank, anti-foreigner Budget / What is Vector up to? / Media sector disruption

Huge Crown capex jump over next 4 years / Amy Adams’s task – accelerate social housing reform / Labour: trying hard, still struggling / TPP: the trade deal that would not die / Hard questions for the Electricity Authority / Jones edges closer to NZ First candidacy / Mixed signals from US on Paris climate pact

Labour – an autumnal spring in the step / The Budget – all the more critical / UFB model for local govt infrastructure / That UN vote – McCully acted alone / The RMA – not dead yet? / An optimistic mood persists / Those water reforms

RMA replacement looks certain, whoever wins / First show of nerves on English / FMA looks again at non-GAAP profit measures / Issues of substance in battle for the Maori vote / Auckland light-rail decision a test for funding reform? / NZers ‘get’ free trade, right? Maybe / NZ dodges China’s extradition treaty wishes, for now

RMA reform - very untidy, but does it matter? / Labour’s new weapon and two Achilles heels / Less trusting Kiwis / Weak Q4 growth - cause for concern? / A heady week offshore / Local govt wants coherent water policy / DIRA decisions reflect careful political weighting

Elevating Jacinda / Maori seat arithmetic / Shane Jones and NZ First / Labour’s feint to Peters / Trump’s trade agenda becomes clearer / Media plays / RMA reforms