Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – December 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.
Education
Carol Anderson (Stuff): How the education reform proposals might affect schools, trustees and parents
Dominion Post Editorial: All parties must work together to fix education
ODT Editorial: ‘Stalinist’ or ‘exciting’ education change
Audrey Young (Herald): Ex-education minister Nikki Kaye signs up sitting Minister Chris Hipkins to progress bill for teaching languages
John Gerritsen (RNZ): More than 60 schools broke laws and regulations – auditor
Herald: Trips to Canada, South Korea, Gold Coast and Hawaii catch Auditor-General’s attention
Iona Holsted (Stuff): Workforce review will focus on freeing teachers so they can teach
Newshub: Should Christian traditions be taught in schools?
Virginia Fallon (Stuff): Porirua’s Mana College to get a $15 million redevelopment
1News: Major $15 million revamp for Wellington’s Mana College
Talisa Kupenga (Māori TV): Mana College gets $15mil renovation boost from Govt
1News: Visit a small King Country school that’s sadly closing for good
Kirsty Gunn (Dominion Post): A change of VUW’s title will change how I describe myself to the world
Child poverty, welfare
Ryan Boswell (1News): Welfare benefits involving children should be linked to wages – Children’s Commissioner
Dan Satherley (Newshub): New Zealand ‘rather late’ to wake up to the reality of child poverty – Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft
Māori TV: Health outcomes appalling for high-income country – CPAG
RNZ: Oranga Tamariki doesn’t collate mental illness figures
Housing
1News: Prime Minister won’t give reason why Kiwibuild boss isn’t at work, saying it’s ‘an employment issue’
Anne Gibson (Herald): KiwiBuild boss Stephen Barclay in employment dispute with Housing Ministry
Henry Cooke (Stuff): KiwiBuild head in employment dispute with Government, has not resigned
Dan Satherley (Newshub): KiwiBuild boss hasn’t resigned after all
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): KiwiBuild chief executive Stephen Barclay’s absence raises questions
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Ardern: Barclay’s absence nothing to do with KiwiBuild policy
1News: Q+A: Housing Minister tight-lipped on reported resignation of KiwiBuild chief executive
Catherine Harris (Stuff): Kiwibuild could ‘underwrite rental and social housing’
Michael Reddell: Where have real house prices risen and fallen?
Benedict Collins (1News): Wellington’s first KiwiBuild homes to be constructed next year near city’s heart
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Shared ownership home loans no silver bullet for affordability, say brokers
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): BNZ to launch shared-equity scheme for first-home buyers – but there are catches
Transport
Jason Walls (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the NZ Transport Agency had ‘dropped the ball’
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): NZTA head resigns amid review into dodgy warrants of fitness
Lucy Bennett (Herald): New Zealand Transport Agency boss Fergus Gammie resigns as review into vehicle warrants continues
1News: NZTA boss quits amid widespread problems with Warrant of Fitness assessments
RNZ: NZTA CEO resigns amid pressure over faulty warrant checks
Stuff: Embattled NZTA boss resigns
Opinion polls
Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): What the public is saying about Simon Bridges, according to Labour’s pollsters
David Farrar: Now this is dirty politics
Pete George: UMR polling history
National Party
MItchell Alexander and Tova O’Brien (Newshub): The lengths Simon Bridges went to find out who leaked his travel expenses
MItchell Alexander and Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Exclusive: Simon Bridges urged top cop to reveal expenses leaker’s identity
Newshub: Chris Finlayson reviews his career
Foreign Affairs
Richard Harman (Politik): The cynical politics of immigration
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Government will be seeking further advice before signing United Nations Global Compact on Migration
Todd McClay (Spinoff):The real reasons we oppose the UN Global Compact on Migration
MIchael Reddell: The China Council disgraces themselves and shames us
Government
Thomas Coughlan (Newsroom): Twyford under pressure as NZTA chief resigns
Lucy Bennett and Jason Walls (Herald): Government staying quiet on chief executives Fergus Gammie and Stephen Barclay
Colin James (ODT): Digging ‘wellbeing’ out of a fiscal hole
Brian Ng (Newsroom): Govt ministers to proactively release diaries
Lucy Bennett (Herald): Prime Minister rejects National’s claim of $700,000 a day spending on reviews
Alice Webb-LIddall (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern’s lowlights and highlights of 2018
Health
Linday Laird (Northern Advocate): Vaccinating Northland: The fight for ‘herd immunity’ to prevent meningococcal disease spreading wider
Cathy Stephenson (Stuff): Mental health inquiry is a step forward but many more are needed
Russell Brown: A complicated pathway to wellness
Newshub: Breast cancer sufferer fighting for life-extending drugs wants Pharmac inquiry
Natalie Akoorie (Herald): EDS sufferer Nichola Smith is fighting to get factitious disorder diagnosis deleted from her medical notes
Karen Brown (RNZ): Increase in tongue-tie cuts result of hospital rush – GP
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Board to consider outsourcing to speed up rebuild
Mike Houlahan (ODT): 66 harm-related incidents reported by SDHB
RNZ: Nine to Noon:Pacific nurses say pathway to practise too hard
Tema Hemi (Māori TV): Will campaigns like ‘Hang Tuff Don’t Puff’ be enough?
Brianna McIlraith (Stuff): CanTeen’s Taranaki branch to close down by the end of the week
Lucy Bennett (Herald): Medicinal cannabis bill expected to pass third reading today
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): ‘It is not enough’: Campaigner blasts Government’s medicinal cannabis bill as weak, clueless
ACC
Lucy Bennett (Herald): Government to reduce ACC work levies for businesses and self-employed
Zane Small (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern confirms ACC levies won’t increase, some will drop
RNZ: ACC lowers work levy, scraps vehicle risk rating
1News: ACC levies will not rise, Work Levy to decrease
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Government vetoes ACC’s proposed motor vehicle levy hike, reduces work levies and scraps the vehicle risk rating programme
Thomas Coughlan (Newsroom): Government says no to ACC levy increase
Parliament
Bevan Rapson (North & South): Finally, a trio of chunky referendum issues to spice up the next election
Liam Hehir (Stuff): We can still elect small parties, if we want to
Mitchell Alexander (Newshub): Ticked Off: The Speaker of the House
Primary industries
Tony Wall (Stuff): The Government has slammed the forestry industry over its response to phasing out methyl bromide
Heather Chalmers (Stuff): MPI optimistic on M. bovis progress, despite three new Canterbury farms
Angie Skerrett (Newshub): Numbers of M Bovis restricted farms dropping
Angie Skerrett (Newshub): Primary sector exports on track for record growth, says new report
Sally Rae (ODT): Leaders discuss sustainable farming
Andrea Fox (Herald): Fonterra shocks farmers with milk advance payment clawback
Employment
Scott Simpson (Stuff): No reason to cheer bad employment relations reform
Esther Taunton (Stuff): Court rules locked out Affco workers must be paid lost wages
Consumer and small business protection
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Government to consider tightening business and consumer protections
Jason Walls (Herald): Government Ministers concerned small businesses are being treated unfairly
RNZ: Govt to consult public on commercial sharp practice
Zane Small (Newshub): Government targets ‘unfair’ business tactics in new proposal
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Govt considers crackdown on ‘unfair commercial practices’
Environment and conservation
Tina Law (Stuff): Council considers pushing for changes to ‘crazy’ water bottling rules
David Williams (Newsroom): Council’s surprise snub of rare shrub
Lois Williams (RNZ): Company surrenders resource consents after court challenge
Aaron Leaman (Stuff): Waikato mining company fined $60k for polluting Wainui Stream
No Right Turn: Climate Change: Punching above our weight
Stuff: A Kiwi scientist’s haiku version of the latest global warming report
Tracy Neal (RNZ): ‘Negative impacts’ of climate change on NZ freshwater explored
Skara Bohny (Stuff): Freshwater conference embraces Māori values as it looks to the future
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Owner of land at centre of Te Mata Peak track debacle says he’s still waiting to hear from the mayor
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): Hastings District Council to foot Te Mata Peak bill
Newsroom: Bird with wonky bill inspires big project
Warren Gamble (Stuff): Tōtaranui suggested as alternate Māori name for Abel Tasman National Park
Air NZ
Dan Lake (Newshub): Union says Air NZ is releasing ‘misleading information’ ahead of Christmas strike
Jessie Chiang (RNZ): Air NZ strike would be ‘almost unprecedented’ – travel agent
Debrin Foxcroft (Stuff): Negotiations between Air New Zealand and workers could go on for days
1News: Urgent talks begin between Air NZ and unions to try to avert engineers’ strike
1News: Shane Jones’ criticism of Air NZ chair not New Zealand ‘way’ – Sir John Key
Poverty and inequality
Eva Corlett (RNZ): City Mission to double efforts for Christmas due to unprecedented demand
Tom McRae (Newshub): ‘Very, very disturbing’: Auckland City Mission food parcel demand soars
David Cormack (Herald): Poorness charges interest
Christmas
TVNZ: Marae: Māori Santa recounts ‘shocked look on the faces of’ Pakeha during Nelson parade
Tim O’Connell (Nelson Mail): Nelson Santa parade fallout ‘pretty tough’ on man who was Hana Kōkō
Local government
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Engineers warned council over quake-damaged building’s design
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Powered parks for the privileged? Wellington City Council moots EV carparks for the suburbs
Chris Morris (ODT): DCC investigating suspected fraud cases
RNZ: Decision looms on Lancaster Park’s fate
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Super yacht ‘oligarchs’ to be charged for America’s Cup close-up
Gary Farrow (Waikato Times): Cambridge train still a possibility as part of Hamilton-Auckland Growth Corridor Plan
Meriana Johnsen (RNZ): Hapū welcomed as refurbished Martinborough town hall reopens
Deena Coster (Stuff): Hapū call out council for lack of action over ‘health hazard’ houses near cliff
Media
Bryan Gould: Public television
Duncan Greive (Spinoff): The edge of the cliff: inside the major NZ media companies in 2018
Duncan Greive (Spinoff): TVNZ in 2018: the public broadcaster finally remembers who owns it
Newshub: MediaWorks and QMS confirm merger details
BusinessDesk: QMS to pocket $35m in merger with MediaWorks
Tourism
TVNZ: Q+A investigates: Is over-tourism in Aotearoa causing locals to be ‘crowded out?’
Annabelle Tukia (Newshub): Tourism New Zealand rolls out instructional video for freedom campers
Police
David Fisher (Herald): Inquiry finds police failures during investigation into teacher’s relationship with former student, 13
1News: IPCA finds flaws in Police’s handling of inappropriate student-teacher relationship case
Justice, name suppression
Chelsea Boyle (Herald): Police warning to social media users on Millane accused: Breaching court ordered name suppression is against the law
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Grace Millane murder-accused ‘innocent until proven guilty’ – law expert
Jamie Ensor (Stuff): Grace Millane: PM Jacinda Ardern won’t support Millane’s alleged killer being granted secrecy
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Victims’ advocate slams Grace Millane case name suppression
PM on death of Grace Millane
RNZ: Domestic violence: ‘There’s a huge amount of work that needs to be done’ – PM
Catrin Owen (Stuff): Grace Millane: PM Jacinda Ardern apologises on behalf of New Zealand for death
1News: Watch: Jacinda Ardern fights back tears as she apologises to family of Grace Millane on behalf of NZ – ‘overwhelming sense of hurt and shame’
Sophie Bateman (Newshub): Watch: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern chokes up while apologising to Grace Millane’s family
Derek Cheng (Herald): PM Jacinda Ardern chokes up about Grace Millane death: ‘On behalf of all NZers, I’m sorry’
Herald: PM addresses media following Cabinet meeting
RNZ: PM apologises to family of dead British backpacker Grace Millane
Other
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Recruitment bill skyrockets at Maxwell’s commission
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): 600,000 questions about this Whānau Ora payout
1News: Tax expert warns of ‘teething issues’ as IRD face major changes affecting thousands of Kiwis
David Farrar: Simmons wins easily
RNZ: Ngāpuhi lawyer says govt was warned mandate would not fly
TVNZ: The Story with John Campbell: The Pride Divide
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): How a poor credit score can cost you thousands
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Kiwis unsure how much to save for retirement – survey
RNZ: Tahiti keen on business ties with NZ’s Tainui
Eva Corlett (RNZ): Migrant women’s refuge struggling to stay afloat
John Jones (Gisborne Herald): Cannabis battle lines being drawn
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Feeling rich? Kiwis’ household assets hit $1.5 trillion
BusinessDesk: Is this the calm before a storm of credit card thrashing?
1News: Sir John Key defends ANZ’s $2b profit, regional branch closures
RNZ: Failed construction company Corbel owes $4.5m
RNZ: Firefighters extinguish blaze at Callaghan Innovation
1News: Watch: Take a sneak peek at Wellington’s earthquake-proof Transmission Gully roading project
