New government within the week? / Market-dominant players beware / Fiscal headaches loom before Christmas / Water services reforms becoming clearer / Hipkins safe for now / Fonterra’s climate and costs reset / A scrappy PIF

How long a wait for a government? / Peters’ shot across the bows / Centre-right alignment / A “bruised” Act / Economic headwinds / Big transport policy shifts / What now for Labour?

HV extra Election Special / A swing to the right

Don’t forget to vote / A weak government is the most likely outcome / Port Waikato and overhang / Global bond are saying rates are staying structurally higher / Big trouble for Fletcher Building; a bid for Sky TV / No precedent in Auckland flood relief package? Yeah, right

Voting starts, all promises are out there now / National – stuck in mid to high 30s / What does Winston Peters want? / Trade challenges ahead / Water infrastructure – the issues won’t go away / Natural hazards NPS / The inflation challenge

The case for a pre-Christmas mini-Budget / Two vital weeks of the campaign / How they’re travelling / The minor parties / A chill wind through Wellington / Nats on tech and ag / GDP and balance of payments next week

Will the Nats’ package create polling momentum? / Where are the growth policies? / Raiding the carbon kitty / GIDI fund gone / Who will be the next Minister of Energy? / IMF reckons / Earnings season

National’s pre-Christmas blitz plans / Little in damage control on immigration failures / Labour’s GST gambit / NZ First might get 5% – does it matter? / Double-dip recession baked in? / Higher petrol excise ahead / RMA and 3 waters laws pass – repeal promised by Nats

Labour’s hill just gets higher / Historically high “wrong track” reading / Another transport rejig coming from Labour? / National’s bet on roads / Desperate tax policy / No case for OCR increase / Weak Chinese demand, weak milk prices

Labour’s own-goal with its base / Act prepares for the main stage / Security, resilience, and power – new foreign policy rules / What a wealth tax might have looked like / NZ First’s bid for relevance / Inflation slowly cooling / Albanese visit – last diplomacy before the election?