Comment: Cleaning up nitrogen pollution costs 10 times more than buying the fertiliser in the first place, freshwater ecologist Dr Simon Stewart argues.

Seven former conservation ministers from Labour, National and the Greens demand changes to a bill they say would upset decades of protection

"We’ve been lucky so far—the harms have been limited. But luck is no substitute for the law."

The National party has promised there will be no new taxes if it is re-elected on November 7.

Labour has released their fiscal strategy for the election, promising to get back to surplus by 2029/30, slash debt and set up an independent Parliamentary Budget Office, if elected.

Electricity company Mercury has posted record operating earnings as hydro generation improved and expenses fell.