Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – April 4 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.
Today’s content
Gun laws
Bryce Edwards (Herald): Political Roundup: Are gun laws being rushed in too fast?
Derek Cheng (Herald): Haste on gun law reform questionable, but no one’s going to lose any votes
1News: Jacinda Ardern defends speed at which Government’s pushing through new gun laws
Kate MacNamara (Stuff): Our gun laws must work for all New Zealanders
Lew Stoddard: Submission on the government’s firearms law reforms
Derek Cheng (Herald): Thousands in limbo awaiting gun buyback scheme details
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): What Government’s gun buyback scheme will and won’t cover
Craig McCulloch and Catherine Hutton (RNZ): Gun law changes: Thousands of submissions received
Katie Fitzgerald and Miriam Harris (Newshub): Gun buyers should prove their intentions – expert
RNZ: Fears guns sold before law change could be used by criminals
Collette Devlin (Stuff):20 submitters to speak on gun law at Finance and Expenditure Select Committee
Annabel Reid (Newstalk ZB): Dunne: Seymour only has himself to blame for missing vote
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): David Seymour says failure to force gun law slow-down because of lateness ’embarrassing’
1News: Paula Bennett and Shane Jones share laugh at David Seymour’s expense – ‘He made an absolute fool of himself’
Zane Small (Newshub): Rushing ‘feel-good’ gun laws just ‘causing division’ – Gun City owner
Herald: Gun City owner David Tipple takes another shot at gun-law reforms
RNZ: Police Minister rejects National’s call for tougher action on gangs with guns
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Government rejects National’s request for firearms prohibition orders in new gun law
Zane Small (Newshub): Gun crackdown: National wants bipartisan support for police raids on gang premises
Zane Small (Newshub): Gun crackdown: National wants bipartisan support for police raids on gang premises
Tallisa Kupenga (Māori TV): Gun laws: focus on gangs “fuelling the fire” says member
Christchurch mosque shootings
RNZ: Current hate speech law ‘very narrow’ – Justice Minister Andrew Little
Karl du Fresne (Stuff): Restricting one freedom to protect another doesn’t add up
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Plan for Muslim leaders to assemble in NZ
Sam Hurley (Herald): What will happen at Christchurch terror accused’s first High Court appearance?
Stuff: Christchurch mosque shooting suspect’s face staying hidden
RNZ: Christchurch shootings accused could get life without parole – Law Society
RNZ: Facebook tells Privacy Commissioner it hasn’t changed its livestreaming at all
Katie Kenny (Stuff): Facebook hasn’t improved its live-streaming service following Christchurch attacks, it tells Privacy Commissioner
Herald: Facebook admits to Privacy Commissioner it hasn’t changed its livestreaming after Christchurch attacks
Herald: Concerns at new computer game re-enacting gunman’s attack
Shane Te Pou (Stuff): After the shootings, it’s strange to feel patriotic pride – but I do
National Party’s migration petition
Henry Cooke (Stuff): ‘Emotional junior staffer’ in dispute with National Party following UN petition deletion
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): ‘Emotional staffer’ who deleted migration petition from National website claims Bridges lied to media – report
Crusaders name change
Jamie Wall (RNZ): Opinion: Crusaders name change debate becoming sinister
Duncan Garner (Newshub): Crusaders’ name change a case of ‘white man’s guilt’
Mat Kermeen and Michael Hayward (Stuff): Super Rugby: Crusaders players affected by name controversy
1News: NZ Rugby says Crusaders name and branding ‘no longer tenable’ in wake of Christchurch terrorist attack
Stuff: Super Rugby: Bosses say imagery around Crusaders name ‘no longer tenable’
RNZ: Crusaders name change: Maintaining the status quo ‘no longer tenable’
Māori TV: Crusaders seek feedback on name change
Tom Kitchin (Stuff): Christchurch mosque shooting victim backs Crusaders name change
Shane Jones and Semenoff court case
Matthew Theunissen (RNZ): Shane Jones denies conflict in comments on Semenoff Logging court case
Jason Walls (Herald): National say Shane Jones has waded into a matter before the courts – Jones says he hasn’t
Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Shane Jones steps into case between company owned by ‘my mother’s cousin’ and NZTA
Health
Lucy Bennett (Herald): MPs question ‘postcode pricing’ of breast cancer drugs
Karen Brown (RNZ): Breast cancer drug funding: Pharmac, pharmaceutical companies at odds
Ruby Macandrew (Stuff): Drug companies call out Pharmac for lack of transparency and timelines
Press Editorial: The Government must fully fund ambulance services
1News: St John manager says ‘our staff deserve better’ as service asks Government for more funding
RNZ: St Johns service at ‘breaking point’, says union
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): ACC may make up to 300 staff redundant
George Block (ODT): More than 100 ACC jobs for Dunedin
Herald: Survey: One in 10 New Zealanders don’t feel comfortable asking their doctors key questions
Phil Smith (RNZ): Bill to encourage more organ donations
Chris Morris (ODT): Bottle shop licence opposed after marketing changes
Drug laws
1News: Cabinet will write cannabis referendum question, Jacinda Ardern tells Parliament
Brittney Deguara (Stuff): Leading health groups work together to tackle New Zealand’s ‘outdated’ drug laws
Teresa Cowie (RNZ): Growing demand: NZ’s budding cannabis businesses
Foreign affairs, Huawei
Michael Reddell: Pandering to the PRC
John Moore: Ardern’s hugs for the Chinese Government, and silence on the mass abuses of Chinese Turkic Muslims
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): The ‘false narrative’ around China’s rise
Alex Braae (Spinoff): Actually, NZ has more leverage over China than we realise
Pattrick Smellie (Stuff): Some Spark in the China relationship over Huawei 5G network
Peter Griffin (Noted): Huawei’s 5G future now relies on its ability to clean house
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Inside the decision to scrap controversial Confucius doco
Jason Walls (Herald): Prime Minister and Opposition Leader slam controversial Aussie senator Fraser Anning
Zane Small (Newshub): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Australian Senate condemn ‘atrocious’ Fraser Anning
Michael Koziol (The Age): Islamophobic Australian senator censured for Christchurch attacks comments
NZ journalists detained in Fiji
1News: Three investigative journalists from NZ jailed in Fiji – ‘Police are being used to intimidate’
RNZ: Kiwi journalists investigating Chinese developer detained in Fiji
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Newsroom journalists jailed in Fiji
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Kiwi journalists jailed in Fiji
1News: Kiwi journalists investigating Chinese resort developer detained in Fiji – ‘This is trumped up and ridiculous’
Local government
No Right Turn: Pure sophistry
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (RNZ): Ngāi Tahu Representation Bill voted down in Parliament
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland mayors spend $417k of ratepayers’ money on secret polls
Tom Hunt and Felix Desmarais (Stuff): Iwi group consider legal action to overturn ‘unlawful’ Shelly Bay sale
Herald: Auckland Mayor Phil Goff in line for $300,000 salary if he wins a second term
Matt Shand (Stuf): Human Rights Commissioner speaks out against Tauranga’s ‘begging ban’
Joanne Carroll (Stuff):Energy company pulls pin on West Coast waste project after mayoral controversy
Brendon McMahon (Greymouth Star):Iwi seat at council table proposed
Point of Order: Another Battle of Hastings – and one in the eye for those bloody democrats
Libby Wilson and Elton Rikihana Smallman (Stuff): Hamilton City councillor withdraws bullying complaint against fellow councillor
Jono Edwards (ODT): Increase of 26.9% for ORC general rates
Parliament
Claire Trevett (Herald): David Seymour’s one-man stand, Winston Peters and dingoes
Jason Walls (Herald): Today’s Question Time will be shorter than usual after a process scuffle between Greens and National
ODT Editorial: NZ politics hostile to newcomers
Education
George Heagney (Manawatū Standard): Tomorrow’s Schools reforms want all children on a level playing field
Claire Amos (Spinoff): I’m a school principal – here’s why I support the Tomorrow’s Schools changes
Herald Editorial: Digital devices should not take over education
Jessica Long (Stuff): Schools don’t have enough room to accommodate every NCEA exam being online
Alex Baird (Newshub): School lockdown procedure to be reviewed after Christchurch terror attack
1News: Some teachers paid less than minimum wage after bureaucratic blunder
Richard Mitchell (ODT): Three future-focused alternatives
Nikki Preston (Herald): Ex-Wintec chief executive who took six months sick leave goes on overseas break
Corrections
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Corrections criticised over its de-radicalisation programme focus
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Jailhouse lawyer’s study ambitions hit snag
Catrin Owen (Stuff): Ex-prisoner Arthur Taylor wins court costs for prisoner voting rights case
Troy Dubovskiy
Sam Sherwood (Stuff): Ex-soldier and Nazi fanatic Troy Dubovskiy supported the actions of Christchurch terror suspect, police say
Patrick Gower (Newshub): Troy Dubovskiy supported alleged Christchurch gunman, was a ‘significant threat’ – police
Kurt Bayer (Herald): Christchurch’s Troy Dubovskiy supported the actions of accused mosque gunman, say police
RNZ: Dead Ukrainian migrant ‘supported actions’ of mosque attacker accused
Environment, conservation
Jamie Morton (Herald): Report card on NZ’s vanishing nature: Must try harder
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): A lot of this climate change talk is just hot air
No Right Turn: Climate Change: The problem of gerontocracy
Primary industries
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Conservationists win battle over Government’s ‘fishing whoppers’
Gerard Hutching (Stuff): Fonterra to crack down on below par farmers but no milk premium for the best
Maja Burry (RNZ): Farmer confidence lifting but concerns over policy remain
Angie Skerrett (Newshub): Rise of veganism threatens NZ dairy and meat industry, says report
Angie Skerrett (Newshub):‘Grasping at cliches from videos on Netflix’: Federated Farmers reacts to veganism study
Poverty inequality, well-being
Leigh-Marama McLachlan (RNZ): Māori statistics benchmark to ‘hold the government to account’ – Māori Council
Bryan Bruce (Daily Blog): The Very, Very Slow Fix
Employment
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Restaurant owner: Requiring median wage could force us out of business
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Rule changes around workers’ breaks have been made ‘with big business in mind’
Herald: Research shows at least 18 Kiwi companies have embraced the four-day week
RNZ: Heinz Wattie’s fined $281k over boiling brine injury
Housing
Rowan Quinn (RNZ):Homebuyers in Hobsonville special housing charged extra for vital features
Mark Price (ODT): KiwiBuild a `developer welfare scheme’
Nicholas Boyack (Stuff): An inner city Lower Hutt KiwiBuild could be yours for $500,000 – or less
Ashley Church (Herald): Three things the Govt can do now to solve NZ’s housing crisis
Eric Crampton: Hard to short housing
RNZ: More Auckland Council staff to keep up record home consents
Kristin Edge (Northern Advocate): Homeless more visible since day centre opens in Whangārei
West Coast
Emma Hatton (RNZ): West Coast rubbish wash-out could be biggest eco-disaster since Rena spill – Forest and Bird
Laura Mills (Greymouth Star): Leaders at loggerheads over flood-damaged river
Online scams
Stephen Forbes (Interest): Netsafe says a new central government agency is needed to address the massive growth in online scams and fraud
Other
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Hit & Run and the secret plans to exit Afghanistan
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Immigration New Zealand let Karel Sroubek in after overstaying
Peter Dunne: Political discourse has degenerated into nothing more than “an exercise in tribal outrage”
Ross Meurant (Daily Blog): Who rules this country?
Graham Adams (Noted): Euthanasia debate: Why the Catholic Church hides its face
1News: Bridges cites ‘eight jobs created by Provincial Growth Fund’ in exchange with Ardern as illustration of Government’s poor economic policy
Steven Cowan: Cuddly Centrism
Troy Bowker (Herald): Why argument of Capital Gains Tax fairness is based on unreliable data
BusinessDesk: Ambitious renewable targets will require infrastructure – Wood
Grant Bradley (Herald): The Big Build: How Auckland Airport’s $5 billion spend-up will change the way we travel
BusinessDesk: MBIE knocks back NZ Steel’s dumping complaint
Robin Martin (RNZ): Māori academic encourages businesses to ditch ‘Naki’ branding
Simon Collins (Herald): Muslim prayer at Anzac Day service upsets veterans
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Government puts cap on wheel-clamping fines in crackdown on ‘cowboys’
Katie PIckles (Stuff): Rebuild Christ Church Cathedral as an interfaith hub
Adam Burns (ODT): Leaders welcome help for heritage buildings
