Is this the Brighter Future?

To end RNZ's Is This The Brighter Future? series, senior journalists Jane Patterson and Patrick O'Meara crunch the numbers on the government's economic stewardship. Read more

The number of children living in poverty has remained stubbornly static in recent years, and organisations trying to turn that around tell RNZ they're only getting busier. Read more

Those who made it onto Auckland's property ladder in the nick of time have reaped the benefits since 2008. Kate Newton asks whether anything has improved for those left renting. Read more

Has it been boom or bust for the regions over the last nine years? RNZ's journalists report. Read more

The pay equity settlement has given thousands of low-paid women a big pay rise, but nine years after National came to power women are still paid significantly less than men. Megan Whelan and Kim… Read more

Post-quake Christchurch will form a huge portion of the National government's legacy. Rachel Graham reports on a city where the future is still uncertain. Read more

NCEA Level two pass rates have improved for Māori students under the National-led government - but, as Mihingarangi Forbes reports, for another 26,000 not in education, employment or training, the… Read more

Despite efforts to improve achievement among children from disadvantaged backgrounds, there's still a gulf between the haves and have-nots. John Gerritsen spends the day with two pupils from either… Read more

A growing number of community conservationists are confronting New Zealand's declining biodiversity. But, Kate Gudsell asks, are their efforts happening in place of official work? Read more

Health statistics are worse for Māori than the general popuation for just about every indicator going. Mihingarangi Forbes investigates whether anything has improved since 2008. Read more

Less than half of all New Zealand adults have been to the dentist in the last year. Sarah Robson reports on a decaying situation. Read more

Increasingly strict controls on tobacco since National was elected have hastened a decline in New Zealand's smoking rates, but a lack of similar action on obesity has seen it overtake smoking as the… Read more Video

A national cycle trail was pitched at the nadir of the recession as a way to boost employment and drive regional economic growth. Chris Bramwell reports on whether that proved true. Read more

Our well-being depends on the health of our waterways, but much of New Zealand's freshwater faces an unclear fate. RNZ's journalists report. Read more

Despite new treatments and programmes, the number of cancer cases has continued to climb since 2008. Health correspondent Karen Brown reports on a persistent threat. Read more

Since it took office in 2008, the government has given hundreds of millions to mental health services. But as RNZ's reporters found, those grappling with mental illness can see little light ahead for… Read more Video

As the election draws near, generational resentment over housing and superannuation is being stoked by politicians. But as Craig McCulloch reports, one Lower Hutt family has found a novel antidote. Read more Video

Marriage equality became reality under a National-led government. But as Craig McCulloch reports, one newly-wed couple places the credit firmly elsewhere. Read more Audio

Since 2008, thousands of people have traded the traditional office environment for something more flexible. Sarah Robson and Jacob McSweeny report. Read more

Same salaries, different lifestyles. The experiences of two teachers and two apprentices show how far the cost of living in Auckland has diverged from the rest of the country. Read more

Even as overall immigration has grown, the number of Pacific migrants being allowed to call this country home has fallen significantly in recent years. Indira Stewart reports. Read more Audio

The country's refugee quota is about to increase - but how easy is it to be a new New Zealander? Mei Heron reports. Read more Video

In a city where the landscape has changed completely since the National government first came to power, perhaps the most noticeable change in Christchurch has happened on its fringes. Read more

Since National took office in 2008 the dairy industry has been on a wild rollercoaster, and one farming family would like the ride to slow down. Read more Video

Want to see the future face of New Zealand? Take a look inside our schools, where classrooms are more ethnically mixed than ever before. Read more Audio

It wasn't all that long ago that roast lamb, fish and chips, pies and lamingtons ruled the Kiwi diet. But an explosion in New Zealand's culinary scene over the last decade has diversified our… Read more Audio, Gallery

As part of RNZ's election year series "Is this the Brighter Future?", which examines the Government's record since it was elected in 2008, our reporters look at the impact of tourism on the… Read more Video, Audio