Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – October 11 2018

Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – October 11 2018 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="640"] The Beehive and Parliament Buildings.[/caption] Government surplus Jane Patterson (RNZ): Robertson faces the curse of the surplus Claire Trevett (Herald): Money not a gas for Finance Minister Grant Robertson Moana Makapelu Lee (Māori TV): Govt surplus ‘fictitious’ says economist Ian Ball (Newsroom): NZ’s fiscal position better than you think Herald Editorial: Labour cannot relax debt reduction now Peter Dunne: Triumph means government now faces greatest challenge Jason Walls (Herald): Finance Minister Grant Robertson: IMF numbers show why Govt needs a ‘rainy day’ fund No Right Turn: “Surplus” David Farrar: A good surplus Point of Order: And when he has spent the $5.5 billion surplus – will James Shaw simply ask taxpayers for more? Covert expenses leak inquiry, National  Henry Cooke (Stuff): Trevor Mallard and his staff cleared of Simon Bridges’ expenses leak Anna Bracewell-Worrall and Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Speaker quietly ordered inquiry into Simon Bridges’ expenses leak Audrey Young (Herald): Speaker Trevor Mallard says he ordered secret inquiry into leak because Simon Bridges was blaming him for it Jo Moir (RNZ): Bridges’ expenses inquiry narrows down possible leakers 1News: Speaker Trevor Mallard cleared of any involvement in leak of Simon Bridges’ expenses Greg Presland (The Standard): The leak inquiries Peter Dunne (Newsroom): One word may decide Bridges’ fate Petrol prices Jason Walls (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern pours cold water over calls to ease petrol prices Herald: Kiwis spend higher percentage of salaries on fuel than most developed world ODT Editorial:A glimpse of things to come Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Many factors behind petrol price rises – despite PM’s comments RNZ: Checkpoint: Wellington petrol prices some of the highest in NZ Luke Kirkness (Herald): Fuel fury: Increasing petrol prices starting to hit home for many New Zealanders Herald: The sacrifices Kiwis are making to afford petrol Herald: More people driving off from petrol stations without paying for fuel amid high prices Jamie Gray (Herald): Higher fuel costs ‘siphoning money out of consumers’ wallets’ Consumer protection, loan sharks Sarah Robson (RNZ): ‘We don’t know where it will end’ RNZ: Interest rates to be capped on high cost loans as govt targets loan sharks Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Government announces fresh measures to target loan sharks 1News: Government set to crack down on loan sharks with fines of up to $600k for lenders who break rules Herald: Government cracks down on predatory lenders with fines up to $600k Talisa Kupenga (Māori TV): Govt to cap interest rates on high-cost loans BusinessDesk: Faafoi announces loan shark clampdown Stuff: Lender allowed borrower to take more loans to repay debt Rob Stock (Stuff): ‘Do not knock’ sticker victory means we can keep the salesman from our door Herald: Mobile traders who ignore ‘do-not-knock’ house stickers risk $10K fines under law change Rob Nicholls (RNZ): Why you might have paid a higher airfare than the person next to you Environment and conservation Jim Salinger (Herald): We have to reduce our methane emissions Pattrick Smellie (Stuff): Businesses cannot ignore climate change Jamie Morton (Herald): Q&A: Climate change and the price of inaction Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Time to change: Hopefully, fuel prices will ignite changes the climate needs Debrin Foxcroft (Stuff): Council blames traffic for missing Auckland air pollution targets Newshub: Calls for Government to spend surplus on zero carbon goal Thomas Coughlan (Newsroom): Oil drillers underinsured Whanganui Chronicle: Iwi adds cross-appeal on seabed mining off South Taranaki Mike Watson (Stuff): How ready is Taranaki for an offshore oil spill? Leonid Sirota (Stuff): Oil and gas bill missing out on important and orderly scrutiny David Williams (Newsroom): Fishing faithful gear up for trout fight Police Katie Doyle (RNZ): Nine police staff disciplined over sexual harassment Derek Cheng (Herald): Police Minister says the idea of stoned officers is ‘horrifying’ Matt Stewart (Herald): Police Association asks, what if cops can legally use weed? Alex Baird (Newshub):‘A bit unusual’: Police grapple with possibility of cannabis legalisation Derek Cheng (Herald): Cannabis to be legal in Canada, where police unions do not support prohibition for officers Lucy Bennett (Herald): Police to gain access to name changes under new proposal Katie Doyle (RNZ): Doubts about police recruitment after misconduct allegations 1News: Allegations of inappropriate behaviour at Police College raise questions about calibre of recruits Herald: Two police recruits under criminal investigation, police confirm Martin Johnston (Herald): Police and ESR scientists’ illegal-drug tests of wastewater to expand to 80 per cent of New Zealand 1News: Police to begin nationwide drug-testing of waste water Stuff: Police to test wastewater nationally to better understand drug consumption RNZ: Drug tests on wastewater to be carried out across NZ Laura Walters (Herald): Police union recommends pay offer Government Richard Harman (Politik): Plans for new ministry leaked Lucy Bennett (Herald): Government working groups and reviews could cost $250 million or more, says National Mānia Clarke (Māori TV): Opinions split over first year Labour-led government Jason Walls (Herald): Minister Shane Jones wins inaugural Taxpayers’ Union award for ‘wasteful spending’ Newshub: ‘I got strangled’: Golriz Ghahraman opens up on surviving domestic violence Melissa Nightingale (Herald): Police Minister Stuart Nash falls victim to credit card fraud Housing Henry Cooke (Stuff): Wait-list soars: More than 9000 families are waiting for public housing Matthew Rosenberg (Stuff): Foul’ water and a whistling draught: Life inside New Zealand’s emergency housing Jessie Chiang (RNZ): Influx of homeless with mental health problems Michael Daly (Stuff): ‘Rogue operators’ bring all property managers into disrepute, Government told Maria Slade (Spinoff): Housing minister dismisses calls to rein in rogue property managers Catherine Harris (Stuff): Property managers prepare for possible regulation Ben Leahy (Herald): Homeless crisis easing, but far from over, support groups say Mere McLean (Māori TV): Māori Development Minister launches Housing First in Rotorua Alice Guy (Rotorua Daily Post): Rotorua’s homeless to benefit as Housing First announced for the city Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): World Homeless Day offers a new direction Eva Corlett (RNZ): Homeless count in Auckland doesn’t paint a full picture – yet Anne Gibson (Herald): NZ house sales at eight-month low, Auckland stuck at $850k median for 18 months: REINZ Health Ruby Macandrew and Damian George (Stuff): Kiwi health organisations calling for mandatory pregnancy warning labels on alcohol Oliver Lewis (Stuff): ‘Don’t write us off’: Advanced breast cancer patients lobby for access to drugs Karen Brown (RNZ): Funding for eye drug decreases wait times and treatment costs 1News: Health expert slams Health Star system, wants it disbanded – ‘It’s worse than useless!’ 1News: Terminally ill Kiwi mum forced to pay nearly $6500 a month for unfunded drugs for her lung cancer Danielle Clent (Stuff): Auckland man kicked out of shop for being in a wheelchair Joanne Carroll (Stuff): Teacher’s complaint against employer following HIV disclosure ‘closed’ RNZ: Euthanasia bill: $75k spent to find 700 submissions 1News: Jacinda Ardern uses Mental Health Awareness Week to encourage Kiwis to be more ‘open’ regarding struggles Supermarket competition Jason Walls (Herald): PM Jacinda Ardern ‘would not be surprised’ if supermarkets were looked into by regulator Henry Cooke (Stuff): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern doesn’t rule out supermarkets as next target for competition probe Sophie Bateman (Newshub): Food prices could be next after fuel price crackdown – Jacinda Ardern Business 1News: New Colmar Brunton research finds business confidence is politically biased John Boynton (RNZ): Indigenous business leaders eye free-trade agreement Regan Paranihi (Māori TV): Mahuta opens WIBF conference in Rotorua Stuff: Auckland office rents in world’s top 50 priciest Primary industries Zac Fleming (RNZ): Checkpoint: Massive NZ feedlot non-compliant for months RNZ: NIne to Noon: The New Biological Economy: Sustainability, economy and adding value to primary industry commodities Newshub: ‘Too much of a talkfest’: Richard Loe blasts state of wool sector Mike Watson (Stuff): Cold calling dairy farm monitoring regime presents “positive picture” for regional council Local government Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Stadium-for-stadium deal mooted by secretive consortium Meghan Lawrence (Herald): Long-standing opposition against plans for Auckland waterfront stadium Todd Niall (Stuff): Mystery private stadium plan for Auckland waterfront 1News: Private consortium’s plan to fund new national stadium on Auckland’s waterfront Imogen Neale (Stuff): Six trips, three hours, one day: stage one of Auckland helipad plan gets go-ahead Stuff: Māori appointments to council committees ‘a long time coming’: Mayor. Dominic Harris (Stuff): Christchurch quits Water New Zealand over chlorination ‘agenda’ Liz McDonald (Stuff): Council hunting for quake-prone buildings putting people at risk Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Council weighs up public good vs. private good in deciding who pays for seawall RNZ: Man charged over breaking Len Lye sculpture 1News: Man charged with wilful damage after $300,000 Len Lye sculpture in Wellington broken Aaron Leaman (Stuff): Tenants push back against council plans to demolish inner-city buildings Rachael Kelly (Stuff): Regional council boss orders review of management of staff interests Phil Pennington (RNZ): Change of council wanted by Horowhenua group Consumer spending Rob Stock (Stuff): Credit and debit card spending spikes, and petrol prices are to blame 1News: Big rise in retail card spending, but sky-high petrol prices only the second biggest contributor Paul McBeth (BusinessDesk): NZ card spending up across the board in September Electricity Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Claim Tesla batteries worth ‘millions’ gathering dust at Vector 1News: Commerce Commission taking Auckland power lines company Vector to court over excessive outages Matt Chatterton (RNZ): Commerce Commission takes legal action against Vector Tina Law (Stuff): Faulty smart meter to blame for $1100 power bill Transport Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Will the future of airport link come down to political vanity? Zane Small (Newshub): ‘Ignoring the obvious’: Transport expert implores light rail rethink Mike Price (ODT): Govt wary of picking airport site Jarred Williamson (Stuff): Calls for body cameras as stop-go workers face verbal abuse and thrown objects Education Simon Collins (Herald): A kick in the teeth’: Grandmother stuck on $59,000 after 43 years teaching Simon Collins (Herald): Court orders protesters to leave Hato Petera College site RNZ: Protesters occupying school ordered to leave Tarannum Shaikh (Stuff): Māori land occupiers forced to leave beleaguered Auckland school Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Te puna kōrero): Māori education in 2018 Jessica Long (Stuff): Government axes combined polytechnic council in attempt to address financial woes Alex Davis (Herald): Universities are not giving us unbiased knowledge MItchell Alexander (Newshub): Revealed: The university halls that have kicked out the most students Employment Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Minimum bedroom space rule applies to some seasonal workers, but not others Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Kiwis a nation of lunch-skippers, data shows Refugees and migrants Clench Enoka (Spinoff): We’ve increased the refugee quota, now make it fair RNZ: Pregnant mother flees to NZ to avoid forced abortion John Tamihere (Herald): New Zealand First’s talk of NZ values prompts thinking Other RNZ: Niue defends accounting issues, blaming NZ Auditor General Janine Rankin (Stuff): Defence forum shuns ‘arms fair’ claims Stuff: Defence Force investigates RNZAF plane’s ‘belly landing’ drama at Manawatū base Mark Longley (Newshub): Smacking kids is not acceptable, it’s barbaric Laura Walters (Newsroom): Quality issues with new prison units Deena Coster (Stuff): Legal history made in Taranaki with admission ceremony conducted in Te Reo Māori Regan Paranihi (Māori TV): Ngāti Pikiao hapū secure funding to extend urupā Te Kuru o te Marama Dewes (Māori TV): East Coast role models inspiring, listening to youth Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): Paralympic athletes to receive same financial support as Olympians Michael Neilson (Herald): Top sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke ‘humbled’ to receive top honour Herald: New Zealand passport ranked the 8th ‘most powerful’ in the world Tess Brunton (RNZ): Kiwi aid workers staying put in disaster zone Lucy Bennett (Herald): Indonesian Government orders some international NGOS to leave Morgan Godfery: Hapū question “superficial” inquiry into the Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board RNZ: Helen Clark gets behind Sir Edmund Hillary trust’s work in Nepal RNZ: Holiday accommodation has bumper year to August]]>