Politics Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – 15 December 2017 – Today’s content

Politics Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – 15 December 2017 – Today’s content Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. [caption id="attachment_297" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] The Beehive and Parliament Buildings.[/caption] Below are the links to the items online. The full text of these items are contained in the PDF file (click to download). Government’s Mini-Budget Audrey Young (Herald): Stunning impact for Government’s no surprises package Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Labour’s big ticket families package puts a stake in the ground Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): National gasping for air Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Grant Robertson’s “Mini Budget” Presents Progressives With A “Maxi-Problem” Chris Trotter (Bowalley Road): Transformational Politics Demands Transformational Economics Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Labour’s families package a massive political risk Corin Dann (1News): Labour delivers on election promises in mini-budget and keeps books in the black, although there is limited wriggle room Dene Mackenzie (ODT): Restraint evident in budget statement Dene Mackenzie (ODT): Cutting child poverty one aim of $5.5b Families Package Stuff Editorial: The mini-budget is a test of new powers Herald Editorial: Treasury expects higher growth in two years Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Treasury shrugs off plunge in confidence with rosy outlook for economy David Snell (Herald): Robertson walking tightrope between paying for policy and controlling debt Richard Harman (Politik): Government calls on private sector to help balance books Bernard Hickey (Newsroom): Analysis: Debt anchor dragging Labour into PPPs Patrick O’Meara (RNZ): Solid economy to underpin government’s spending plans Herald: Labour’s Families Package good for Maori, children and parents Claire Trevett (Herald): Goodbye tax cuts but Labour’s families package expected to halve child poverty Shane Cowlishaw (Newsroom): Good news for children in poverty Claire Trevett (Herald): Finance Minister Grant Robertson: health, education and poverty focus of Budget 2018 Brad Flahive (Stuff): Families Package: What the Best Start payment means for you Henry Cooke (Stuff): The table that shows how much each family gets in mini-budget Henry Cooke (Stuff): How the mini-budget affects five Kiwi families Jane Patterson (RNZ): Govt reveals $5bn families package: Will it affect you? Nita Blake-Persen (RNZ): Families look forward to budget boost for ‘the little things’ Andrea Vance (1News):‘Feel-good’ Budget promises to slash child poverty and make nearly 400,000 families better off by $75 a week Lloyd Burr (Newshub): Labour introduces major $5b plan to halve child poverty Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Economists cast doubt over Treasury’s ‘optimistic’ forecasts Jenee Tibshraeny (Interest): Bank economists say Treasury’s projections are ‘somewhat of a best-case scenario’ Michael Reddell (Croaking Cassandra): A few HYEFU thoughts Audrey Young (Herald): Books point to tight cost pressures ahead for new Government Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Government will start paying into the NZ Super Fund on Friday Dene Mackenzie (ODT): Govt resumes payments to NZ super fund today Sam Carran (Newstalk ZB): Sir Michael Cullen warns super fund can’t recover lost ground Herald; At a glance: half-yearly Treasury update Chris Bramwell (RNZ): Books opening shows fiscal hole real – National Jane Patterson (RNZ): Labour’s books ‘look very tight’ – National Nicholas Jones (Herald): National hits out: ‘the Grant that stole Christmas’ David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Government is saying it will keep new spending to $600 million a year NZ spy agencies David Fisher (Herald): The Big Read: How our spies got so out of control that they wound up getting Kiwi data ‘unlawfully’ David Fisher (Herald): Spies slammed by watchdog for ‘unlawful’ access of database which includes most Kiwis Chris Bramwell (RNZ): SIS unlawfully accessed Customs data for 19 years No Right Turn: NZ’s intelligence oversight is a bad joke Government and 2017 in review Toby Manhire (Herald): Ardern’s year beyond a shadow of doubt Jane Patterson (RNZ): Govt tracking to hit its 100-day goals Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Winston Peters’ KiwiSaver dream a step closer Herald: Greens win extra safeguard in waka-jumping bill Herald: Coalition agreement to stay secret after Ombudsman Peter Boshier’s ruling RNZ: Ombudsman rules coalition document outside OIA Laura Walters (Stuff): Ombudsman says Prime Minister entitled to refuse release of coalition document Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Ombudsman backs Govt over coalition document in final ruling David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Which Associate Ministers actually have a proper job? International relations Terence O’Brien (Dominion Post): Money, military keys to Aussie foreign policy Ged Cann (Stuff): Protesters stand for Manus Island refugees with a classic Aussie barbecue Eric Frykberg (RNZ): Peters aims to tackle diplomatic ‘inexperience’ Workplace safety Kurt Bayer (Herald): Ex-Marsden Point Oil Refinery worker with cancer wants compensation, claiming lead poisoning James Paul (Stuff): The nature of deaths in the forestry industry is changing, worrying WorkSafe NZ Euthanasia Sinead Donnelly (Herald): Palliative medicine uses morphine with care Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Why I do not welcome euthanasia in New Zealand 1News: David Seymour says three quarters of Kiwis would support voluntary euthanasia in referendum No Right Turn: Passed Health Cecile Meier (Stuff): Opinion: Electric shock therapy without consent is a disgrace Craig Hoyle (Stuff): Medicinal cannabis users pen open letter to new government, pleading for law change Karen Brown (RNZ): Departing DHB head: ‘We have to be super-efficient’ Education Herald: Education Minister Chris Hipkins announces review of NCEA Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (RNZ): Mainstream schooling failing rangatahi, says former teacher Dominion Post Editorial: Karori Campus: Asset or liability? Environment Jamie Morton (Herald): NZ’s glaciers have shrunk by a third in area Kate Pereyra Garcia (RNZ): Officials refusing to release foam contamination info Johnny Moore (Stuff): Belfast water bottling rort shows we undervalue our most precious natural resource Defence Gordon Campbell (Werewolf): On Defence spending, Alabama, and Dolly Parton Keith Locke (Daily Blog): $639 million upgrade poses question of whether we need frigates Herald: Ministry of Defence shields previous Govt from $148m blowout Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Defence takes blame over frigate cost blowout Housing Nicholas Jones (Herald): Housing constrained by lack of builders, lending: Treasury John Anthony (Stuff): Housing New Zealand has nearly 4000 Auckland state homes worth more than $1m Stephen Selwood (Herald): Housing needs big investment in the future CTV building collapse Michael Wright (Stuff): CTV families vow to ‘keep fighting’ following police meeting over criminal charges 1News: Families looking for answers over deadly CTV buildng collapse to meet with police and justice minister Media Colin Peacock (RNZ): Prime time presenters call it quits John Drinnan (ZagZigger): Weatherman Sam To Take Over From Hosking Herald: John Campbell and Hilary Barry: Could this be the new face of Seven Sharp? Herald: Mike Hosking, Toni Street to leave TVNZ’s Seven Sharp RNZ: Hosking, Street step down as Seven Sharp hosts John Drinnan (Herald): Maori news unit to boost te reo? Karl du Fresne (Stuff): ‘Dinosaur’ v dominatrix: Don Brash didn’t stand a chance Guy MacGibbon (Stuff): MPs are more compelling when they look like a Renaissance painting America’s Cup Todd Niall (RNZ): Council chooses preferred option for America’s Cup village Newshub: America’s Cup: Auckland Council votes for Wynyard Basin site Auckland Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Phil Twyford’s big challenge for Auckland’s success Tony Garnier (Herald): 2018 will be a defining year for Auckland Michael Barnett: (Herald): God save Auckland Other Amber-Leigh Woolf (Stuff): Government ponders Auckland backup for Beehive emergency management centre ODT Editorial: Can cattle disease be contained? RNZ: No pay cut to top public servants’ existing salaries]]>