Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – March 07 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.
Tax
Claire Trevett (Herald): PM Jacinda Ardern’s never-ending Capital Gains Tax headache
Bill Rosenberg (Spinoff): Our tax system is rigged. A Capital Gains Tax would help address that
Richard Harman (Politik): NZ First talking capital gains tax
Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Sir Michael Cullen debates impact of tax reform on farmers, without the politics
RNZ: KiwiSaver capital gains tax claims part of ‘hysterical’ response
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Cullen on a mission to defend the TWG report as his contract is extended
Audrey Young (Herald): Round Two of Bridges vs Ardern on capital gains tax did not begin well
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Proposed Māori land exemption from tax prompts fiery Parliament exchange
Zane Small (Newshub): Watch: Jacinda Ardern and Simon Bridges in fiery debate over Māori capital gains tax exemptions
1News: Proposed Māori land exemption from tax prompts fiery Parliamentary exchange between Ardern and Bridges
1News: Watch: Ardern accuses Bridges of ‘scaremongering and inaccuracy’ as they spar over tax recommendations
Phil Thomson (Herald): Capital Gains Tax: A blunt instrument or sharp scalpel?
Muriel Newman: The Politics of a Capital Gains Tax
Frank Newman: Fairness
Guy McCallum (International Socialists): Who gains from Capital Gains?
Pattrick Smellie (Stuff): Chasing tax dodgers out of their tax havens
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Panama among new countries IRD can get tax information from
Health
Newshub: Does our health system put Maori at a disadvantage? (video)
Kate Nicol-Williams (1News): Inquiry launched into whether Māori get the same health outcomes as other groups
Nicholas Jones (Herald): Select committee confirms inquiry into how health system treats Māori
Talisa Kupenga (Māori TV): Inquiry into Māori health inequities annouced
Māni Dunlop, (RNZ): Te reo Māori classes in high demand at Waitematā DHB
Hannah Martin (Stuff): ‘Postcode lottery’: Aucklanders twice as likely to survive bowel cancer surgery than those living elsewhere
Madison Reidy (RNZ): Philip Morris calls for tax break in switch from cigarettes to tobacco sticks
Newshub: Wellington smokefree plan should not include vaping – advocate
Nita Blake-Persen (RNZ) Checkpoint: Stroke victim forced to use public bathroom to shower
Karen Brown (RNZ): Hospital bosses want anti anti-vax campaign
Lucy Bennett (Herald): Worries over anti-vaxxers: DHBs say diseases like measles are being seen again as infant immunisation declines
Stuff: Ten confirmed measles cases in Canterbury prompts early vaccine call
Audrey Young (Herald): It’s our turn at the front of the queue, nurse tells MPs working on pay equity bill
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Dangerous that nurses can’t afford to live near hospitals, says union
Ruby Macandrew (Stuff): Nurses’ impassioned plea in favour of pay equity: ‘We can’t afford to live in the communities we work in’
Call to reform NZ dental care
Nicholas Jones (Herald): Give all Kiwis ‘comprehensive and affordable’ dental care: New Zealand Medical Association
Māori TV: NZ dental care too expensive – NZ Medical Association
Taroi Black (Māori TV): Freeing up dental care
Frances Cook (Herald): The Front Page podcast: Increasing chorus to overhaul NZ dental care
Electoral reform
Zane Small (Newshub): ‘Undemocratic’ MMP threshold ‘should be abolished’ – political analyst Dr Bryce Edwards
Zane Small (Newshub): Golriz Ghahraman: ‘We welcome waiting until after 2020 for any changes to MMP’
Newshub: Valid debate to be had about electoral system changes – Tova O’Brien
Mark Taylor
Paul Buchanan: The unwanted jihadist
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Lessons from a tragic misfit
RNZ: Kiwi jihadi Mark Taylor interviewed in jail, says he feels ‘stabbed in the back’
Jason Walls (Herald): Kiwi jihadi Mark Taylor tells journalist he is interested in starting a medicinal cannabis company
Georgia Forrester (Stuff): Mark Taylor: ‘Kiwi Jihadi’ hopes to come home to NZ and start a cannabis business
Katie Fitzgerald (Newshub): ‘Kiwi Jihadi’ Mark Taylor wants to start medicinal marijuana business in New Zealand – journalist
Marc Daalder (Spinoff): Kiwi jihadi Mark Taylor doesn’t belong in Kurdish jail. He belongs behind NZ bars
1News: Kiwi jihadist has ‘disgraced the name of Aotearoa’, Paula Bennett and Shane Jones agree
Justice, corrections
RNZ: Minister: No prosecutions over CTV building deaths after law change
Mark Dawson (Whanganui Chronicle): Editorial: Inmates’ votes are a part of their rehab
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Victim notification laws set for shake up
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Ministry of Health fails to show up at crime victims’ workshop
Tommy Livingston (Stuff): Former naval officer Hayley Young loses appeal to sue British government in NZ for alleged rape
Herald: Navy rape victim loses another appeal to have case heard in NZ
Doug Laing (Herald): Fears in Hawke’s Bay town of Otane over facility to help Māori women reintegrate after prison
Scott Palmer (Newshub): ‘They are targeting me’: Rouxle le Roux slams Corrections after charge dropped
RNZ: Home detention breach charge against hit and run driver Rouxle Le Roux dropped
Brad Flahive (Stuff): Hit-and-run killer Rouxle le Roux spared court for home detention breach
Stuff: Sex offender removed from Bay of Plenty town due to fears for his safety
Census
Bryce Edwards (Herald): Political Roundup: The absolute debacle of the 2018 Census
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Stats Minister James Shaw yet to take advice on key Census 2018 risks
Housing
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Huapai KiwiBuild homes had already been for sale on open market
Alex Loo (Stuff): Housing NZ cops flak over waste as Palmerston North building material heads to dump
Jonathan Mitchell (RNZ): NZ regional town house prices getting unaffordable – mayors
Tess Brunton (RNZ): Queenstown residents decry housing boost without infrastructure
Animal Evacuation NZ
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Damien O’Connor accused of threatening Animal Evac’s funding to shut down criticism
Gia Garrick (RNZ): Animal Evacuation NZ clashes with MPI over Nelson emergency response
Lucy Bennett (Herald): Animal Evac NZ head Steve Glassey says MPI had no plan to look after animals during Nelson fire
Local government
Joel MacManus and Michael Daly (Stuff): Several mayors ‘unsure’ whether human activities contribute to climate change
David Hargreaves (Interest): We all need to be getting much more interested in local government
Stephen Forbes (Interest): Campaign to improve local democracy kicks off
Joanne Carroll (Stuff): MP calls for urgent briefing into West Coast mayor’s actions
Brendon McMahon (Greymouth Star): Mayor, councillor unmoved by report
Herald: High profile Aucklanders pen open letter opposing the Queens Wharf extension
Nicole Lawton (Stuff): Auckland Santa Parade secures $45,000 funding from council to run again
Todd Niall (Stuff): Who really saved Auckland’s Santa Parade?
Sophie Bateman (Newshub): Auckland Council funding Santa Parade 2019 after ATEED withdraws
Logan Savory (Southland Times): Stewart Island businessman claims bullying in relation to jetty deal
Matthew Littlewood (Timaru Herald): Timaru mayor says rates rise will be kept below 7.5 per cent
Media
Māori TV: Māori Television face the Māori Affairs Select Committee
RNZ: Māori Television’s finances panned in select committee
David Farrar: University won’t reveal how much it gives a news site
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Newsroom laughs off Stuff takeover rumour
Bryan Bruce (Daily Blog): My conversation with Nicky Hager – video interview
Herald: Herald’s #NotForSale campaign with World Vision nominated for two Global Media Awards
Michael Jackson dropped from NZ radio
Duncan Garner (Newshub): Banning Michael Jackson ‘dangerous and weak’
1News: The ‘moral minefield’ of taking Michael Jackson off-air, amid scandalous new documentary alleging child molestation
Rachel Stewart (Herald): Can we separate the art from the artist?
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Sean Plunket slams New Zealand radio stations after Michael Jackson gets dropped
Herald: Why you won’t hear Michael Jackson on NZ radio anymore
Kate Robertson (Stuff): New Zealand radio stations drop Michael Jackson
Monika Barton (Newshub): MediaWorks radio stations drop Michael Jackson’s music
1News: Michael Jackson songs dropped from New Zealand radio stations
Katie Todd (RNZ): Michael Jackson’s music dropped from major NZ radio stations
Employment
Aine Kelly-Costello (Newshub): ‘Time for an honest discussion’: Disability a perceived barrier to career opportunities, research shows
Herald: Auckland sweet shop owners found guilty of migrant exploitation
Alison Mau (Stuff): How to be a better boss for victims of domestic violence
Kate Hawkesby (Newstalk ZB): What’s the point in joining a union these days?
Susan Hornsby-Geluk (Stuff): When is defacing an ambulance not a firing defence? When it’s done by staff taking industrial action
Victoria University: Open to the future of work
Victoria University: Leader or follower? Lines set to blur in future of work
Parliament
Daniela Maoate-Cox (RNZ): Parliament’s to do list: Wednesday 6 March 2019
Daniela Maoate-Cox (RNZ): Debating the Budget Policy Statement
Phil Smith (RNZ): I hope you like numbers – a financy week at Parliament
Police
1News: Arming NZ cops would be an unnecessarily ’emotional’ move, former top crisis negotiator says
RNZ: Pregnant woman injured when police wrongly road spiked car
Ben Leahy (Herald): Incorrect use of road spikes caused teens in stolen car to injure pregnant woman: Report
RNZ: Police accept fault after woman in custody self harmed
Transport
Damian George (Stuff): Kāpiti expressway needs $25 million worth of repairs just two years after opening
Catherine Hutton (RNZ): KiwiRail struggles to meet upgrade funding goals
Stephen Forbes (Interest): Fixing Northland’s rail network to relocate the Ports of Auckland will come with a hefty price tag
Todd Niall (Stuff): Light rail tunnel under Auckland harbour could be best option to cut traffic, report says
Phil Pennington (RNZ): NZTA WOF crackdown hurting commercial operators – truck welder
Lime scooters
John Tamihere (Herald): Why Lime’s rollout is tough to swallow
Brad Flahive (Stuff): E-scooter firm Lime dodges questions about its action on safety concerns with NZ fleet
1News: Lime scooters back on Auckland and Dunedin streets tomorrow after brakes glitch
Edward O’Driscoll and Dan Satherley (Newshub): Lime scooters roll back onto Auckland and Dunedin streets
Foreign affairs and trade
Liam Dann (Herald): US/China trade war truce holds risks for NZ
Josie Pagani (Stuff): Don’t let the spooks decide our trade policy with China
Michael Reddell: Shipley and the China Council
Cook Islands, James Cook
Press Editorial: Navigating through difficult histories
Nalini Mohabir (Guardian): Renaming the Cook Islands would be a vital step towards true independence
Regan Paranihi (Māori TV): Removing Cook’s legacy – Cook Islands seek name change
Jamie Ensor (Stuff): Cook Islands’ name change proposed to reflect its Polynesian culture
Jonathan Pearlman (Telegraph): Cook Islands to change name to remove any association with Captain Cook
Education, vocational training
Aaron Leaman (Stuff): Waikato principals urge radical changes to schooling system amid growing inequity
1News: David Seymour says Tomorrow’s Schools shake-up will ‘undermine’ what is already working
Rachael Kelly (Southland Times): Private school proposed for Gore
ODT: Confirmation for site of new school
Rachael Comer (Timaru Herald): Geraldine High School instructed to introduce zoning to manage roll
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Student loan border arrests to stay, for now
Herald Editorial: Hipkins needs to rethink his tertiary shake-up
Rino Tirikatene (Southland Times): Govt intends SIT to have input, and a form of control, from community
Emma Hatton (RNZ): Victoria University faces human rights complaint by Canadian student Kristin Legault
George Block (ODT): Measure of support from SIT for Ker’s proposal
Pat Veltkamp Smith (Southland Times): The wearing of the Orange
RNZ: Employment hearing finishes at School of Music
School students’ climate change strike
Steven Cowan: The kids are coming and they have something to say
Amber-Leigh Woolf and Adele Redmond (Stuff): Students who strike for climate change will be marked as truants, principals say
Bryan Bruce (Daily Blog): Planned Student Protest Gets My Vote
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Warehouse Stationery reckless to promote protests and kids wagging school
Newshub: Listen: Sean Plunket takes on Climate Strike ‘wag’ leader
Environment
Charlie Mitchell (Stuff): Bottom trawling for fish causing ‘permanent damage’ to deep sea forests
Gavin Evans (Herald): Govt open to changing goalposts on 100% renewable target – Shaw
Bjørn Lomborg (Interest): Faking it on climate change
Andrea Vance (Stuff): The planet’s last stand: Why these climate change activists are ready to break the law
Jamie Morton (Herald): Scientists struck by New Zealand’s vanishing postcard glaciers
Alex Loo (Manawatū Standard): Provincial Growth Fund invests in Manawatū River Loop
Katie Fitzgerald (Newshub): Fourth Queensland fruit fly, third Facialis fruit fly found in Auckland
Brooke Jenner (RNZ): Two more foreign fruit flies found in Auckland
Lee Kenny (Stuff): Wellington is the world’s least-polluted capital city, according to new air quality report
Nelson Mail: Better public access attained to river as Murchison paper road opens for walkers
Primary industries
Gerard Hutching (Stuff): EPA proposes to ban some lethal herbicide paraquat sprays
Brianna McIlraith (Stuff): Years of work ahead to eradicate M. bovis, programme director says
Guy Trafford (Interest): Sheep and beef industry should hire more qualified local women rather than call for more immigrants. The WRA drives for innovative water solutions
Matti Wilks (Spinoff): Think lab-grown meat is gross? Wait till you hear about factory farming
Herald: Govt rustles up new laws to crack down on stock thefts
NZ Post
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Why NZ Post has to keep increasing its prices
Bonnie Flaws (Stuff): NZ Post hikes letter price as volumes plunge 60 million in a year
RNZ: NZ Post raises cost of sending a letter
1News: NZ Post puts up price of sending a letter
Annette King
1News: Dame Annette King on Jacinda Ardern, politics and her new top job in Australia
Claire Trevett (Herald): Annette King gives insider’s look at the rise of Jacinda Ardern and dealing with Winston
Herald: Book exract: Inside the Coalition talks: How that deal between Jacinda and Winston came about
Giles Dexter (Newshub): Dame Annette King lifts the lid on her political career in new book
Drugs
MIchael Morrah (Newshub): MDMA is purer, more readily available than ever in New Zealand
Jamie Morton (Herald): A cat and mouse game’: Is science keeping up with NZ’s designer drug problem?
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Sport anti-doping agency to keep cannabis on prohibited list
Other
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Jacinda’s Magic Politics
Matthew Theunissen (RNZ): M47: Stateless former child slave in indefinite detention in Australia
Karl du Fresne (Stuff): Lessons from the new Little Red Book of ideological correctness
Rob Stock (Stuff); Lessons from string of lending scandals
Alice Webb-Liddall (Newshub): The astounding profit Australian banks make in New Zealand every hour
Arun Chaudhari (Stuff): New Zealand’s a long way from losing our dependency on the oil and gas industry
Gavin Evans (Business Desk): Gas certainty needed for emission-reduction efforts – Fonterra
Rachael Kelly (Stuff): Cat ban looks unlikely for Omaui residents
Tapu Misa (Herald/E-Tangata): Conversations: Naida Glavish and the fight for a Māori voice that started with ‘kia ora’
Jonathan Mitchell (RNZ): Inquest for Singaporean actor, soldier Aloysius Pang ruled out
Carmen Parahi (Stuff): Survey finds Māori have strong affinity with Asian countries, people and cultures
Matt Shand (Stuff): Tauranga Pride all about inclusion no matter what uniform you wear
RNZ: Convicted NZer was director of company while bankrupt
Kelvin McDonald (Māori TV): My Māori name – Readers share their experiences of discrimination
Wikitōria Day (Māori TV): A kuia’s life-long devotion to caring for tamariki
Leighton Smith (Herald): Podcast: Talking kids skipping school to protest and corporate leadership
Samantha Motion (Bay of Plenty Times): Mainzeal ‘shortcuts’ blamed for Baywave’s up to $4 million repair bill
1News: Kiwi retailers turning their backs on Paywave due to high transaction costs
