Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – April 3 2018 – 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.
Below are the links to the items online. The full text of these items are contained in the PDF file (click to download).
Health
David Galler (Spinoff): The toxic mould and rot of Middlemore is the legacy of a crisis in values
Dave Armstrong (Stuff): Toss a healthy bit of funding at DHBs and voters will turn a blind eye to almost anything
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Major power failure revealed at Middlemore Hospital clinic
RNZ: Watch: Simon Bridges on Middlemore Hospital problems
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Hospital rot: Sewage leaks linked to 2014 outbreak
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Hospital rot was ‘fully disclosed’ to board, ministry – former boss
Phil Pennington (RNZ): DHB unable to take legal action over rotting buildings
Dubby Henry (Stuff): Rot, mould and sewage at Middlemore: Health minister ‘disappointed’ he wasn’t told
Helen King (Manukau Courier): Sewage leak adds to list of problems at Middlemore Hospital
RNZ: Middlemore nurses want answers – are we safe?
Natalie Akoorie (Herald): Executives demoted under proposed Waikato DHB leadership restructure
Florence Kerr (Stuff): Former DHB chair says PR spend on resignation was legitimate
Sarah Catherall (Listener): Why bowel cancer is a national emergency
Elspeth McLean (ODT): Bowel patients may have waited five years
Karen Brown (RNZ): Lives being saved already by bowel screening
Jennifer Eder (Stuff): Health bosses tell doctors to get ‘back to basics’ for mental health patients
Mitch McCann (Newshub): Mental illness, suicide rates among NZ firefighters on the rise
Brittany Keogh (Herald): Canterbury earthquakes: Kids born after disaster inheriting trauma from parents through DNA, schools dealing with more behaviour issues
Ryan Bowswell (1News): Ministry of Health wants more research into impact of pornography
Katie Doyle (RNZ): Ministry of Health submission says porn has become more violent
RNZ: Tobacco giant takes competitor to High Court
Damien Venuto (Herald): Trio taking $5m bet on medicinal cannabis industry that doesn’t exist yet
Caley Callahan (Newshub): St John frontline staff abused and beaten on the job – Newshub reveals
RNZ: Dunedin Hospital says they aren’t alone in struggle to recruit junior doctors
Jamie Morton (Herald): EDs asked to join screening effort for dodgy new drugs
Bevan Hurley (Stuff): Relief for sufferers of neuroendocrine cancer after Pharmac funding decision
Charlotte Carter (Herald): Whanganui projected to need 3 more rest homes by 2020 to avoid crisis, says NZ Aged Care Association
Emma Russell (Herald): An in-depth look into the End of Life Choice Bill
Daniela Maoate-Cox (RNZ): Managing tūpāpaku: accessing the dead
Media
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Top level turbulence at RNZ and the Beehive
TVNZ: Q+A: Fallout from Carol Hirshfeld meeting unlikely to impact RNZ funding, says Clare Curran
Richard Harman (Politik): Cabinet Secretary says Curran has not breached Cabinet Manual
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Broadcasting Minister Clare Curran stands by RNZ+ plan in wake of Hirschfeld controversy
Herald: Broadcasting Minister Clare Curran says there was no point in publicly correcting error over breakfast meeting
Derek Cheng (Herald): Departure tarnishes glittering career of Carol Hirschfeld
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): PM’s protection rug has a gaping hole
Bryce Edwards (Herald): Political Roundup: Can Broadcasting Minister Clare Curran survive Carol Hirschfeld fallout?
John Roughan: Lobbying today oils the wheels of power for the better
Anna Connell (Newsroom): When ‘open government’ becomes a joke
Glenn Barclay (Spinoff): Clare Curran and co must take more care not to put public servants at risk
Newshub: ‘Weak, indecisive’: RNZ Hirschfeld scandal a Govt botch-up – Bridges
Greg Presland (The Standard): The manufacturing of a narrative
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Don’t believe me that the NZ media are feral on the Clare Curran story? Here’s the evidence
RNZ: Online broadcasting ‘wild-west’ could be tamed, says expert
Mark Jennings (Newsroom): TV bosses combine to fight global giants
Government
Audrey Young (Herald): Ardern Govt not on the ropes yet but not match fit after just one round
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): What goes up must come down? Jacinda Ardern’s popularity tested
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Labour looks like a general in control of a mutiny
Liam Hehir (Stuff): A tough month, but it may not have hurt the Government
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): The buck stops with Jacinda Ardern
Duncan Garner (Stuff): Government’s Easter report a B minus and increasingly worrying
The Listener: Does NZ First not realise it’s now part of the privileged elite?
Stacey Kirk (Stuff): Government comedy of errors belies serious questions of credibility
Eleanor Ainge Roy (Guardian): Jacinda Ardern on life as a leader, Trump and selfies in the lingerie department
Amanda Hooton (Stuff): 48 hours with Jacinda: warm, earnest, accessible – is our PM too good to be true?
Herald: How cool are you? I give you a 9/10. PM’s OIA gets a laugh
International relations and trade
John Armstrong (1News): Ardern’s declaration that NZ lacks Russian spies as farcical as Austin Powers, but nowhere near as funny
Press Editorial: The Government’s Russian dilemma
ODT Editorial: A contrary stance on Russia
Ben Uffindell (The Civilian): Government to ban vodka in desperate attempt to look like it’s doing something about Russia
Steve Braunias (Herald):Secret diary of Russian spies
Benedict Collins (RNZ): NZ spy agencies ‘oblivious’ says National Party
Lucy Bennett (Herald): Foreign Minister’s interest in Russia questioned
Michael Reddell (Croaking Cassandra): A double standard…or not
Victoria University (Newsroom): Two gorillas in the room: China and Trump
Simon Draper (Stuff): Tale of two presidents speaks volumes about New Zealand’s attitude to Asia
Scott Brown (Herald): Pacific’s neighbourhood watch
Edward Gay (RNZ): Embassy staffer keeps name suppression for now
Rhys Jones and David Menkes (Newsroom): Trade agreement may affect people’s health
National and Northcote by-election
Steve Braunias (Herald): The great political ping-pong tournament: National leader Simon Bridges returns home for a beating
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): When will the Northcote by-election be?
Andrew Young (Herald):Former Green activist Vernon Tava seeking National nomination in Northcote
Jo Moir (Stuff): Race to replace National MP Jonathan Coleman begins with by-election nominations opening
Stacey Kirk (Stuff): National Portrait: Jonathan Coleman – Doctor, Health Minister, quiet achiever
Gia Garrick (Newstalk ZB): Taxpayers Union says Coleman’s resignation shows lack of honour
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Joyce’s valedictory
Parliament
Bryce Edwards (Newsroom): An unprotected and risky revolving door
Michael Cox (Herald): Rule out honours for sitting MPs – ban a gong, get it on
RNZ: Tūhoe youth encourage peers to sign up to Māori roll
Phil Smith (RNZ): 3-D grammatical chess
Stuff: Below the Beltway: A week in politics
Employment
Newshub: Minimum wage increase: Will it really cost jobs?
Nicole Barratt (Herald): More money for New Zealanders as some wages and benefits rise: What to expect from today
Amber-Leigh Woolf (Stuff): Beneficiaries say accommodation supplement boost won’t be enough
RNZ: Boost to minimum wage takes effect
Megan Gattey (Stuff): Minimum wage workers set for 75 cents an hour pay rise
1News: Shots fired over Government’s labour law reform – puts in place ‘compulsory unionism’ Business NZ says
RNZ: Business NZ slams proposed changes to employment law
Alex Braae (Spinoff): Workers are missing out on their share of growth, and they’re mad as hell
Rob Stock (Stuff): Perpetual Guardian’s four-day working week trial going well
ODT Editorial: Bullies’ days are numbered
Alison Mau (Stuff): Only by exposing harassment will we make workplaces safer for our kids
Economy and wellbeing
Jason Walls (Interest): It will be a world first and the Treasury is already hard at work developing a wellbeing framework. But what should it include?
Ganesh Nana (Stuff): Govt’s focus moves past balance sheet
Shamubeel Eaqub (Stuff): Social cohesion depends on more than just money
NZ Herald editorial: Reserve Bank not reined in by new charter
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Govt firm on budget responsibility targets
John McCrone (Stuff): The future of everything: Why the third industrial revolution is a risk to NZ
Inequality
Carmen Parahi (Stuff): Inequality depriving Māori and the economy of $2.6b every year
Joel Ineson (Stuff): Burden falls on charities as South Island Work and Income clients face food grant decreases
Rob Stock (Stuff): WINZ advocate blasts the benefits system as dehumanizing
Education
Simon Collins (RNZ): Charter schools that may never open were paid $3.4m
Simon Collins (Herald): Teachers: $300m ‘communities of learning’ have flopped
Terry Sarten (Herald): Bill to change school decile system missing the point
Brittany Keogh (Herald): Blockhouse Bay Intermediate board of trustees plans $20,000 teachers’ trip to Cook Islands on same day as it hikes school donations for parents
Alex Baird (Newshub): School reaches crisis point over lack of funding for high needs students
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Need for gun safety kit for under-fives questioned
Elena McPhee (ODT): No Ngai Tahu research veto, university says
Brendan Hokowhitu (Spinoff):Ka muri, ki mua: The vital role of a critical academic voice
Amanda Saxton (Auckland Now): Auckland University law school clamps down after investigation reveals ‘slut-shaming’ and social media sexism
Natalie Akoorie (Herald): Axed Wintec Press Club resurrected with help of new sponsor
Environment
RNZ: Many regions long way from hitting water quality targets – report
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Making our rivers swimmable comes at cost of $217million a year
Jamie Morton (Herald): The cost of making our rivers swimmable
RNZ: Northland and Auckland found to have dirtiest rivers in NZ
Elizabeth Macpherson, Erin O’Donnell and Felipe Clavijo Ospina (Stuff):Meet the river people: who speaks for the rivers?
Jamie Morton (Herald): Hawke’s Bay’s Lake Tutira: The lake that lost its breath
Grant Miller (Manawatu Standard): Defence Force silence about water contamination not good enough
Tess Nichol (Herald): Food for thought: How to secure New Zealand’s food supply in the face of a changing climate
Herald on Sunday editorial: Cities encroaching on our best soil
Eloise Gibson (Newsroom): Changing our diets to save the world
Dominic Harris (Stuff): Climate change is a global problem – and one we can all help tackle
RNZ: Forest and Bird ditch ANZ over fossil fuels
RNZ: Why scientist Shaun Hendy has grounded himself
Peta Carey (North & South): Birds in the bush and in the hand: The challenges of making NZ predator-free
Farah Hancock (Newsroom): Auckland’s carbon-riddled trees for sale
Justice
Chris Trotter (Stuff): Racism and colonisation are inseparable twins
Audrey Young (Herald): Homosexual convictions can be wiped under law Parliament set to pass
Audrey Young (Herald): It took a move to Opposition for Chris Finlayson to make progress on contempt law
Blair Ensor (Stuff): Christchurch Men’s Prison staff gave inmates cellphones
Dominion Post Editorial: Keeping the New Zealand public safe from sex offenders
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Rough justice for cricketers Steve Smith and David Warner
Auckland Now: Name of man shot by police not to be released until after his funeral
Ryan Boswell (1News): Sensible Sentencing Trust criticised for ‘disgusting’ comments on fatal police shooting
Housing
Dene Mackenzie (ODT): Will houses be affordable?
Stuff: Get cracking on affordable homes – Minister tells mayor
Susan St John (Daily Blog): The huge white elephant landlord in the tax living room
Kate Newton (RNZ): Property managers frustrated by negligent landlords – study
Rob Stock (Stuff): Rents will rise or landlords will get out if property tax plan proceeds, landlords say
John Anthony (Stuff): Rents will rise if government proposal to tax landlords more goes ahead, investor group says
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Government pauses all checks for current state housing tenants
Transport and road safety
Caroline Shaw (Spinoff): How can councils cut the number of people dying early? Be more like Wellington
Charlie Dreaver (RNZ): Wellington could lead sustainable transport – Climate Minister
Rob Maetzig (Stuff): Is 100kmh too fast? Landmark report wants 70kmh open road speed limit
Alastair Lynn (Newshub): Bus drivers’ union slams overseas migrants plan
Emma Hurley (Newshub): ‘Get used to walking’: Unions threaten to block Wellington buses
Grant Shimmin (Timaru Herald): What to do about our rising road toll?
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Fuel tax possible around the country – National Party
Child welfare
Sarah Robson (RNZ): Record number of children in state care – more than 6000
Stephen Winter (Newsroom): Abuse inquiry must act on compo
Herald: Royal Commission of Inquiry seeks your views on historical state-care abuse terms of reference
RNZ: Submissions sought on state abuse inquiry’s terms
Stephanie Mitchell (Taranaki Daily News): Taranaki child support staff affected by Plunket Central Region restructuring
Animal welfare
RNZ: Animal welfare regulations need more enforcement – SAFE
RNZ:Animal welfare system strengthened
Gender politics
Chester Borrows (Herald): Don’t worry – there is always an old white guy to blame
Bill Ralston (Listener): Julie Anne Genter is right, let women do the work
Paul Little (Herald): When minorities get a foot in the door, majorities slam it
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Bridges says Genter is virtue signaling
Simon Arcus (Stuff): Boardroom diversity is also measured by the impact of women on top boards
Matt Stewart (Stuff): ‘At least one non-male’: Wellington venue knocks back metal band in the name of diversity
Insurance industry
Rob Stock (Stuff): Insurers’ secret spy powers
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Insurer to charge more for high risk earthquake prone homes
Primary industries
Andrea Fox (Herald): Tests show beef sector so far free of serious disease affecting dairy animals
Keith Woodford (Interest): The complexities of Mycoplasma decision-making when nothing is certain
Brian Gaynor (Herald): Does big pay bring big results?
Other
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): $3.8m of superannuation ‘overpayment debts’ wiped over 5yrs
Whena Owen (1News):‘This is a new form of authoritarianism’ – Free speech or just plain offensive? Q+A investigates free speech
Nick Truebridge (Press): Regenerate Christchurch spends $6.8 million on consultants in two years
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Team NZ all smiles at its Cup home
RNZ: Councillors back $212m America’s Cup village plan
Madison Reidy (Stuff): Immigration rules out tit-for-tat social media vetting of visa applicants
Kirk Hope (Stuff): There’s more scope to undertake PPPs than currently being utilised
Matt Nippert (Herald): Mystery bill for stomach stapling op at core of probe into Maori King’s office spending
John Boynton (RNZ): Tūhoe’s post-Treaty settlement woes evident in wake of festival
Shannon Haunui-Thompson (RNZ): Insight: NZ Wars – A Day to Remember?
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): His father left them penniless; Chris Liddell tells of his path to White House power
Audrey Young (Herald): Sports Minister Grant Robertson on Commonwealth Games, Joseph Parker and cricket
Marianne Elliott (Spinoff): Why deleting Facebook isn’t the answer
Rob Stock (Stuff): Easter trading laws are a messy political cop-out
