Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – January 25 2019
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.
The Beehive and Parliament Buildings.
Sarah Dowie named as MP in Jami-Lee Ross police inquiry
David Fisher (Herald): Police probe email allegedly sent from phone of MP Sarah Dowie to Jami-Lee Ross
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Sarah Dowie, the police inquiry, and the text from her phone
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): National MP Sarah Dowie under investigation by police over sent text to Jami-Lee Ross
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Sarah Dowie named as National MP investigated over text to Jami-Lee Ross
Housing
Simon Wilson (Herald): Hey Minister Twyford, housing needs to be cheap, fast and good
Bryce Edwards (Herald): Political Roundup: Is KiwiBuild now KiwiBusted?
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): The 4 reasons why KiwiBuild is an enormous failure
1News: ‘Significant changes’ to KiwiBuild will come this year, with nothing ‘off the table’ – property expert
Jason Walls (Herald): Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters still thinks 1000 KiwiBuild houses can be built by July
Thomas Coughlan (Newsroom): Government builds 273 of 1600 state houses
1News: Phil Twyford wants to ‘streamline bureaucracy’ after KiwiBuild target falls short
Herald: Kiwibuild: 47 complete, 236 under construction
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Phil Twyford, Grant Robertson out of sync on KiwiBuild 10-year target
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern and Winston Peters stand by Housing Minister and vow not to give up on KiwiBuild
1News: Winston Peters ‘not giving up’ on Government’s KiwiBuild target of 1000 homes by July
Dan Satherley (Newshub): KiwiBuild: Government ‘recalibrating’ targets for under-fire housing scheme
Alex Braae (Spinoff): Can Kiwibuild be salvaged? A building industry expert weighs in
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Duncan Garner lets rip on ‘toxic’ KiwiBuild not hitting targets
Jane Patterson (RNZ): First home buyer: KiwiBuild and HomeStart anomaly locks buyers out
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Tenant’s problem: Benefit is $384, rent is $360
Ben Leahy (Herald): Tenants given 7 days’ notice as leaky St Marys Bay apartment complex closes for repairs
Herald: Investigation uncovers glowing reviews about Quinovic on its Facebook page are fake
RNZ: Students hit hard as Wellington rent prices soar
1News: Property market 2019: ‘Look for some big drops’ in values, increases for renters
World Economic Forum, Brexit, trade
Gordon Campbell: On Ardern, Davos, and the wellbeing schtick
World Economic Forum: New Zealand will have a new ‘well-being budget,’ says Jacinda Ardern
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern pitches ‘Wellbeing Budget’ to world leaders
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Jacinda Ardern deserves a little champagne
John Morgan (Newsroom): Brexit matters – even in NZ
1News: Jacinda Ardern eager to secure $20 billion European Union free trade deal ‘as soon as possible’
Amanda Larsson (Stuff): We’re climate leaders abroad – now for back home
Kirk Hope (Stuff): Brexit poses risks for Kiwi exporters in both Britain and the European Union
RNZ: Jacinda Ardern and Prince William open up on mental health on world stage
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Prince William and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern share personal mental health experiences
Herald: Grace Millane murder: Google executives reassure Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern over accused’s name suppression breach
Laura Walters (Newsroom): PM raises Google suppression breach
RNZ: Ardern raises concerns with Google execs on suppression breach
NZ-China relations
Matthew Theunissen (RNZ): Fears New Zealanders could be targeted in China’s reaction to Huawei fallout
Zane Small (Newshub): New Zealand isn’t discriminating against Huawei, Jacinda Ardern insists
Rātana
Thomas Coughlan (Newsroom): Rātana sets political agenda for 2019
Claire Trevett (Herald): Winston Peters’ words come back to bite at Rātana
Gia Garrick (RNZ): Rātana church satisfied with the government – but warns it shouldn’t be forgotten
RNZ: Rātana: Bridges and Peters speak on actions for Māori
Henry Cooke (Stuff): National’s Simon Bridges wants all historic Treaty claims settled by 2024
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Winston Peters: PM would rather be in Rātana than ‘cold Switzerland’
1News: Winston Peters predicts Simon Bridges won’t last the year as National leader – ‘He’s got no cut through’
Claire Trevett (Herald): Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters says jobs priority as political year kicks of at Ratana
Moana Makapelu Lee (Māori TV): PMs absence defended at Ratana Pā
Newshub: Jacinda Ardern’s Ratana absence no ‘snub‘
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Winston Peters denies hypocrisy amid Jacinda Ardern’s absence from Rātana
Fire Service
RNZ: Firefighter doubts bullying will be stopped at Fire and Emergency
Katie Fitzgerald and Jared McCulloch (Newshub): Fire and Emergency praised for response to bullying review
Melissa Nightingale (Herald): ‘Insidious’ bullying culture at Fire and Emergency NZ must change
Meriana Johnsen (RNZ): Bullying and harassment at all levels of Fire and Emergency – review
Alice Webb-Liddall and Sam Farrell (Newshub): Fire and Emergency New Zealand releases ‘confronting’ bullying and harassment review
Taxpayers’ Union funded by British American tobacco
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Tobacco ties undermine Taxpayers’ Union
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Taxpayers’ Union backed by tobacco giant
No Right Turn: Who’d have thunk it?
Health
Karen Brown (RNZ): DHBs preparing for second strike after mediation with junior doctors fails
Nicole Lawton (Stuff): Doctors union accuses DHBs of ‘pestering’ members about intention to strike
Katarina Williams (Stuff): Mediation fails to avert second junior doctors’ strike next week
RNZ: Junior doctors strike to go ahead as mediation fails
Herald: Resident doctors to go ahead with strikes after mediation with District Health Board fails
Kanoa Lloyd (Newshub): Paramedics break their silence over poor pay and work conditions
Kendall Hutt (Stuff): Northland DHB pharmacists, technicians to strike over collective agreement issues
Danielle Clent (Stuff): Auckland woman says anaesthetist called furniture store during emergency c-section
1News: New study suggests New Zealanders have a higher risk of stroke than previously thought
RNZ: Study links mental health issues to childhood lead exposure
Te Kuru o te Marama Dewes (Māori TV): Tokomaru Bay community call for liquor ban
John Gibb (ODT): Campaigner hopes ‘gagging’ issue will be resolved
RNZ: New head of NZ midwives union
Rachael Kelly (Stuff): Details scarce on where the Te Anau maternity hub will open
Electoral reform
Gia Garrick (RNZ): Govts often abuse Electoral Act to stay in power – Nick Smith
Zane Small (Newshub): National MP Nick Smith wants foreign political donations banned
No Right Turn: Banning foreign donations
Whaleoil: How do we stop foreigners financing NZ political parties?
Education
Mānia Clarke (Māori TV): Call for govt to support ending “voluntary” school donations
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): School drops donations, provides stationery to pupils
Media
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Red Noise: Should RNZ Be Promoting “Progressive” Causes?
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Will Corin Dann leave TVNZ for new job on RNZ’s Morning Report?
Environment and conservation
Katie Todd (RNZ): Kiwis fill ranks of global radical environmental action group
Jamie Morton (Herald): Record-hot summer a taste of climate change
Jamie Morton (Herald): Climate change a driver in NZ’s warming oceans
Paul Gorman (Stuff): If you think New Zealand is getting sunnier, you’re right
LIstener Editorial: Why anti-plastic zealotry could be harmful to the environment
Herald: Man pleads guilty to blackmail over DoC threats
Eric Frykberg and Maja Burry (RNZ): Foreign car firms say stink bug measures need strengthening
RNZ: Tree facing the axe as Dutch elm disease strikes Auckland again
Charlie Dreaver (RNZ): Gene editing research highlights challenges in using CRISPR for pest control
Inequality
Brian Fallow (Herald): Wealth gap widens as economic growth leaves poorest Kiwis behind
Newshub: Auckland City Mission has its greatest ever demand for food parcels
Bryan Bruce (Daily Blog): A Progessive Economics Lesson from 2000 years ago
Employment
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): No room for individual contracts in Fair Pay Agreement proposals
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Why we need to stop looking for get-rich-easy jobs
Herald: Man sacked from Whitehouse Builders for sharing salary details wins $30K
Justice, corrections
Rosemary McLeod (Stuff): Where’s the justice in sex abuse cases?
Zoë Prebble (Newsroom): Is the system failing victims in #MeToo historical cases?
Bridgette Toy-Cronin (Spinoff): As we wait for true legal reform, what can we do for women like Mariya Taylor?
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Mariya Taylor’s costs should be paid by taxpayers – Mark Mitchell
Benn Bathgate (Stuff): Home detention for high-risk child sex offender
David Farrar: Does the Law Commission need gender equality
Arthur Taylor to be released from jail
Sam Hurley (Herald): Notorious ‘jailhouse lawyer’ Arthur Taylor granted parole after some 40 years behind bars
Catrin Owen (Stuff): Veteran criminal Arthur Taylor will be released from prison
RNZ: Career criminal Arthur Taylor to be released from jail next month
Sophie Bateman (Newshub): Long-serving prisoner Arthur Taylor granted parole
Tourism
Grant Bradley (Herald): New Zealand risks more divided communities if tourism not sustainable
RNZ: Sherpa Tenzing’s sons travel through Aotearoa
Transport and roading
RNZ: Auckland train services resume on restricted basis after signal fault
1News: All trains across Auckland network at a standstill, some passengers stuck in carriages
Herald: Editorial: Auckland now has good public transport. Try it
Todd Niall (Stuff):Auckland’s Generation Zero launches petition against public transport fare rises
Sophie Bateman (Newshub): Thousands sign petition to ‘freeze fares’ after Auckland Transport hikes prices
Megan Harvey (Herald): Backlash over Auckland Transport price increase: Petition calls for freeze on fares
RNZ: NZTA dumps Peka Peka interchange
Matthew Tso (Stuff): Highway to hell: Expressway used by pests to expand territory
Primary industries
Keith Woodford (Interest): Transforming dairy to be environmentally friendly is possible, but existing debt will be a big constraint
Alice Angeloni (Stuff): Looming heatwave a worry for Marlborough Sounds marine farmers
National anthem
Alice Webb-Liddall (Newshub): Hinewehi Mohi reflects on 20 years since iconic Māori anthem performance
ODT Editorial: Anthem argument
Other
John Armstrong (1News): Cannabis referendum National’s opportunity to open fresh front against Labour
Jason Walls (Herald): The Govt can exit the $10m loan deal with Westland if there is a major ownership change
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): T20 cricket tickets, champagne and cheese boards among gifts to finance watchdogs
No Right Turn: The Taranaki Oil & Gas Security Group
Jonathan Mitchell (RNZ): Vision of military’s future to be set out
Antoinette Spicer (Stuff): United States government plane touches down in Wellington
RNZ: CCC confident of management despite injuries from falling branches
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Auckland community Hill Park aiming to get officially named
RNZ: Investigation launched after boy left trapped in council van
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Temporary work visas need overhaul – farmers
Nikki Mandow (Newsroom): Accountants criticise capital gains tax draft
Jamie Gray (Herald): Window on NZ economy set to open with the start of the reporting season
RNZ: Waitangi Treaty Grounds pegged for NZ’s first historic landmark
Martin Johnston (Herald): Anniversary weekend gift to Auckland: Library puts historic 300-page ‘birthday card’ online
Karl du Fresne:It’s true then – the past is a foreign country
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): New film promotes Pasifika female empowerment
RNZ: NZX and FMA to review markets
Liam Hehir: Lighting a candle for Rob Hosking
RNZ: Defence releases video explaining Aloysius Pang’s fatal military incident
