The main flurry of news is around Kim Dotcom, where papers revealed in the NZ Herald showed the SIS tried to block his initial residency application because he was a "bad but wealthy" man.

But the SIS dropped its opposition shortly after being told there was "political pressure" from then Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman wanting to encourage "high rollers" to migrate here.

Labour's Associate Security and Intelligence Spokesman Grant Robertson said the Government should explain the nature of the "political pressure" cited in the papers.

"John Key has two important questions to answer. Who was exerting political pressure on officials and why were they doing it?," Robertson said.

"The Dotcom affair has always had the fingerprints of National Ministers on it. John Key must finally front up to New Zealanders and explain what he and his Ministers knew and what pressure they were applying. On the surface it looks like more of the same from National - interfering and playing politics with what are meant to be independent decisions," he said.

“The documents also indicate that the decision about what to do with Mr Dotcom's residency was heavily influenced by the "likely" joint operation against Mr Dotcom between the FBI and the  New Zealand Police. This raises serious concerns as to whether this decision was being made independently in the best interests of New Zealand."

Internet Party Leader Laila Harre said the papers raised the spectre of decisions being made at the behest of a foreign power. 

“These emails add to the already existing speculation that our immigration laws and procedures came second to the demands of another country’s government in this case,” she said, adding a full independent Royal Commission of Inquiry was needed.

'Altered crime stats'

A Herald on Sunday investigation into altered burglary crime statistics in South Auckland between 2009 and 2012 is also putting pressure on local MP Judith Collins, who was also Police Minister at the time and welcomed the falsely reported drop in crime.

The investigation found 700 burglaries had been wrongly reclassified as other offences or incidents.

Police staff face disciplinary procedures. Current Police Commissioner Mike Bush was Counties Manukau district commander at the time. The Independent Police Complaints authority is now investigating.

Collins has blamed Labour for leaking the report into the altered statistics.

Labour Police Spokeswoman Jacinda Ardern said the report was damning.

"To find that these statistics were deliberately manipulated undermines the entire system, not to mention the work of other police districts who have recorded their crimes accurately," Ardern said.

“We have long had concerns that targets can lead to distorted behaviour. If government wants to set goals to reduce certain types of crime, they have to be incredibly careful to ensure it happens in reality, not just on paper. The government has been crowing about crime statistics being at their lowest point in decades. This report leaves a question mark over that," she said.

Compulsory Te Reo?

Meanwhile, Labour appeared on Tuesday to be backing away from reports that it wanted to make Maori compulsory in all schools in the long run.

"We've made a clear commitment that te reo Maori will be compulsory in our schools," Labour's Maori Affairs spokeswoman Nanaia Mahuta was quoted as saying in Gisborne last month.

Today she said it was only an aspirational goal and Education Spokesman Chris Hipkins said he wouldn't use the word "compulsory" for the policy.

"I would certainly like to make sure all kids have the option and there is availability of te reo Maori in all schools. Whether in fact that was compulsory, that's a discussion for another day," Hipkins was quoted as saying.

(Updated with comments from Internet Party Leader Laila Harre and Labour's comments on compulsory Maori language education)

I'll keep updating this through the day.