Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.
Today’s content
Francis Report
RNZ: Speaker accepts some responsibility for chaotic way rape allegations emerged
Thomas Coughlan (Newsroom): Chaos as Parliament staffer stood down
Audrey Young (Herald): Speaker Trevor Mallard sparks chaos in the midst of his mission for safer workplace (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Stuff):Parliament rape allegations: how not to investigate sexual assault
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Stalking the corridors of power
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Parliament staffer accused colleague of rape last year
Derek Cheng (Herald): Sex predator storm: Turbulent day in parliamentary workplace
Derek Cheng (Herald): Parliamentary staffer stood down after historical assault allegation
RNZ: Parliamentary service staffer stood down after sexual assault allegation
1News: Parliamentary service staff member stood down over historical assault allegation
Heta Gardiner (Māori TV): Parliament staff member stood down after sexual assault claims
Anna Whyte (1News): Speaker taking ‘appropriate steps’ over claim a rapist is working at Parliament – Jacinda Ardern
Stacey Kirk (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern, party leaders discuss Parliament rape allegations with Trevor Mallard
RNZ: Politicians respond to Parliament rape claims
1News: Paula Bennett calls for police to be involved ‘immediately’ over alleged rapist at Parliament
Jamie Ensor and Zane Small (Newshub): Paula Bennett demands clarification from Speaker Trevor Mallard on rapist comments
Stacey Kirk (Stuff): Paula Bennett says police should be involved over Parliament rape allegation
Jane Patterson (RNZ): National urges Mallard to involve police in Parliament rape claims
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Parliament ‘serial sex offender’ won’t be immediately identified
1News: Speaker says sexual assaults in Parliament were rape and offenders may still be working there
RNZ: Parliament bullying: Mallard urges rape victims to seek support
Derek Cheng (Herald): Speaker Trevor Mallard believes a rapist is working at Parliament
Stuff: Speaker Trevor Mallard believes bullying report alleges rapes in Parliament
Charles Anderson (Guardian): New Zealand speaker claims suspected serial rapist working in parliament
1News: Paula Bennett says she’s received both violent and sexual threats during time working in Parliament
RNZ: Parliament’s bullying report – recommendations made
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Speaker Trevor Mallard acknowledges his behaviour hasn’t been perfect after bullying review
1News: Speaker Mallard regrets some of his past behaviour as an MP, after report finds ‘systemic’ bullying in Parliament
Talisa Kupenga (Māori TV): Bullying and harassment systemic in parliament – Report
Gordon Campbell: On reforming Parliament’s toxic culture, and the Christian right
David Farrar: A Parliament of bullies?
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MIchael Macaulay (Newsroom): Bullying not just a Parliamentary problem
Dominion Post Editorial: Bullying a problem for society, not just our politicians
Golriz Ghahraman and David Seymour
Karl du Fresne: Ghahraman’s master-class in media manipulation
Steven Cowan: The liberal clampdown on free speech (again)
1News: Speaker Trevor Mallard says David Seymour bullied Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman
Zane Small (Newshub): Women MPs urge David Seymour to apologise for Golriz Ghahraman remarks
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): David Seymour, wider public need to be conscious of their language – Tova O’Brien
Sophie Bateman (Newshub): Guy Williams praises ‘incredibly brave’ girlfriend Golriz Ghahraman
Retirement Commissioner
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): ‘Mitigation plan’ for Maxwell as bullying claims not met
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Retirement Commissioner Diane Maxwell to return to work, having been cleared of bullying
Rob Stock (Stuff): Retirement Commissioner Diane Maxwell cleared of bullying
Jason Walls (Herald): Retirement Commissioner Diane Maxwell cleared of bullying after investigation
RNZ: Diane Maxwell cleared of bullying allegations
1News: Retirement Commissioner Diane Maxwell cleared of bullying allegations
Ministers’ diaries released
Kate Newton and Tim Watkin (RNZ): Diaries reveal how government ministers spend their days
Tim Watkin (RNZ): Ministers miss deadline to release diaries
Liz McDonald (Stuff): Canterbury MPs diaries released – what do they reveal?
New parties
Liam Hehir (Spinoff): Take it from a Christian conservative: a Ngaro splinter party is a terrible idea
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Destiny Church launching political party – again
1News: Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki to launch political party tomorrow
Jason Walls (Herald): Destiny Church’s Brian Tamaki to announce new political party tomorrow
RNZ: Church leader Brian Tamaki to launch political party
Lessons from Australian election
Stephen Mills (Spinoff): There are lessons for NZ from the Aussie election miracle, and they’re mostly bleak
Claire Trevett (Herald): Australian PM Scott Morrison sets Simon Bridges on hunt for quiet New Zealanders (paywalled)
Poverty
RNZ: Government stands by targets to reduce child poverty
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Government sets official targets to help break cycle of child poverty
1News: Government targets set to help break cycle of child poverty
Jessie Chiang (RNZ): Food parcel demand rises: ‘Food can become a discretionary item’
Child welfare, child abuse in state, church care
Katie Kenny and Blair Ensor (Stuff): Supernanny-like social workers could be living in at-risk homes as part of new social services
Amanda Saxton (Stuff):$26 million in payouts for victims of historical abuse nowhere near enough, lawyer says
Jo McKenzie-McLean (Stuff): Survivor advocate Toni Jarvis ‘over the moon’ to be appointed on advisory group
Chris Morris (ODT): Paedophile priest defrocked
Blair Ensor and Katie Kenny (Stuff): Mothers, fathers and step-fathers are the most common killers of children
Operation Burnham inquiry
Thomas Manch and Andrea Vance (Stuff): New Zealand Defence Force conducting untruthful ‘PR job’ at Operation Burnham inquiry – Hager
RNZ: Operation Burnham Inquiry: Hager accuses Defence Force of spin and lies
Vita Molyneux and Grace Cocker (Newshub): Two-day hearing looking into allegations of NZ SAS killing civilians in Afghanistan begins
Lucy Bennett (Herald): Operation Burnham hearing into 2010 SAS raid in Afghanistan continues
Health, euthanasia
Guyon Espiner (RNZ): Pharmac Investigation: The NZ Buyer’s Club
1News: Euthanasia bill ‘goes against the ethics of our profession’ – Medical Association chair says
Alex Loo (Stuff): Married couple forced apart after 39 years because of husband’s worsening dementia
Alan Kenyon (1News): Ardern calls Bridges ‘brazen’ for criticising lack of St John funding after he ‘didn’t seek to resolve issue’
RNZ: Nicky Stevens’ family hope DHB will stop inquest challenge
Kate Nicol-Williams (1News): Mum of mental health patient Nicky Stevens, who died while in care, has positive meeting with ‘sincere’ Jacinda Ardern
RNZ: Family of Nicky Stevens says meeting with PM worthwhile
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Auckland DHB tracking $13 million over budget as end of financial year looms
Katie Todd (RNZ): Inside Chch Hospital’s $483m Acute Services Building
Denise Piper (Stuff): Whangārei MP Shane Reti calls for inquiry into Northland meningitis outbreak
Rachael Kelly (Southland Times): SDHB surprised by missing maternity equipment in Southland
1News: Kiwi nurse says she moved to Australia because she was ‘burnt out’ and ‘underpaid’
Kate MacNamara (Stuff): Medicinal cannabis businesses in for a marathon not a sprint
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Legalising cannabis makes no sense (paywalled)
Police
1News: Police Minister won’t say whether police paid for return of guns stolen from Palmerston North station
Jason Walls (Herald): Police Minister Stuart Nash and the police won’t say if they paid to recover stolen guns
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Opposition claims police bought back guns stolen from Palmerston North police station
Newshub: Police haven’t ruled out buying back guns stolen from them
Christchurch mosque shootings
Newshub: Alleged Christchurch gunman shouldn’t face terrorism charge – legal expert
Herald: Terrorism charge will give accused Christchurch shooter ‘megaphone’, law professor says
Keiran Hardy (Spinoff): Charging the Christchurch attacker with terrorism is risky but important
Herald Editorial: Was Christchurch Call a tipping point for corporate conscience? (paywalled)
Brittney Deguara (Stuff): Australian artist uses iconic Jacinda Ardern image to spread ‘warmth and acceptance’
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Massive Jacinda Ardern image painted in Australia
SkyCity to launch online gambling
Don Rowe (Spinoff): SkyCity ignores government, signs deal to open online casino
Aimee Shaw (Herald): Minister questions SkyCity’s plans to launch online casino, operated from Malta (paywalled)
John Anthony (Stuff): SkyCity to launch Malta-based ‘skycitycasino’ online gambling site in mid-2019
RNZ: SkyCity launching online gambling service
Education
1News: NZ lecturer says half of international students in their class failed for cheating, universities turning blind eye
Brittany Keogh (Stuff): ‘Eye-watering’ loans leave students feeling sick and anxious about future
Jessica Long (Stuff): Education Minister Chris Hipkins tells teachers to expect ‘disappointment’
1News: Other schools expected to follow suit on smartphone ban at Hamilton secondary school
Stuff: Female teacher accused of sexual relationships with pupils hires top lawyer
Pike River
Joanne Carroll (Press): Pike River mine re-entry will take months
Melissa Nightingale (Herald): Pike River re-entry timeline: Recovery team has broken through the mine seal but what happens next?
1News: ‘So happy to see the smiles on the families faces’, Recovery Agency boss says of Pike River re-entry
RNZ: Pike re-entry a significant step but so much work still to do – agency boss
Charles Anderson (Guardian): First images emerge from New Zealand’s Pike river mine
Building safety
Martin van Beynen (Stuff): Engineers’ design dispute raises questions about other buildings
Phil Pennignton (RNZ): Real estate agent says he was kept in dark about concerns over Christchurch building
Martin van Beynen (Stuff): Engineer rejects scathing report on design for Christchurch multi-storey building
Environment and conservation
Kate Gudsell (RNZ): ‘It’s not a quick fix to revive these ecosystems’
Matthew Littlewood (Stuff): Thermal imaging surveys reveal further South Island glacial retreat
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): Zero Carbon Bill passes first reading
Virginia Fallon (Stuff): Kāpiti Coast poised to become third council to declare a climate change emergency
Kapiti News: Will Kāpiti declare a climate change emergency
No Right Turn: Climate Change: We are not prepared for this
Brittney Deguara (Stuff): School students strike for climate change: What you need to know
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): Rangatahi take strike action again for climate change
Eric Frykberg (RNZ): Moth plant beetle approved for New Zealand to control noxious weed
1News: Call for recycling refund scheme for soft plastics
Primary and extractive industries
John McKenzie (1News): Calls for Government to protect fossil-rich Otago area from being dug up for animal food
Heather Chalmers (Stuff): Forestry is not taking over sheep and beef farms, says Forestry Minister Shane Jones
Heather Chalmers (Stuff): Lobby group 50 Shades of Green calls for pause on blanket forestry
Guy Trafford (Interest): The first major indication climate change extremes are going to start hurting consumers in the pocket’
RNZ: Shane Jones apologises again for ‘moaning farmers’ comment
Housing
Charlie Gates (Stuff): Govt buys unsold Kiwibuild homes in Auckland, Canterbury
Katarina Williams (Stuff): Welcome Home Loan rule ‘out of date’ for Wellington buyers
Luke Appleby (1News): Many rental agencies may be breaching Privacy Act according to new guidelines on tenant applications
John Anthony (Stuff): Privacy rules to protect renters are ‘concerning’, Real Estate Institute says
Transport
Amanda Cropp (Stuff): WOF recalls surpass 54,000 as the Transport Agency checks on vehicle checkers
Herald: NZTA and SkyPath Trust in bid to repair relationship: Protest march across Auckland Harbour Bridge cancelled following meeting
1News: NZTA’s plan for shared bike and walking path over Auckland Harbour Bridge revealed
Nicole Lawton (Stuff): SkyPath plans scrapped as NZTA releases new design for Auckland Harbour Bridge walkway
Katie Fitzgerald (Newshub): New Auckland Harbour Bridge shared path design announced, construction could start next year
RNZ: Auckland Harbour Bridge cycling and walking path design released
Bike Auckland: NZTA reveals new design for a path across Auckland Harbour Bridge
Nicholas Boyack (Stuff): Designs revealed for long-awaited Ngauranga to Petone shared pathway
Kawe Roes (Māori TV): First peek at new Hamilton to Auckland train
Todd Niall and Mandy Te (Stuff): Pets to ride on Auckland trains with their owners from as early as June
RNZ: Free rides on Auckland’s public transport for children start in September
Local government
Simon Wilson (Herald): Auckland Council’s new budget is a marvel. Or is it? (paywalled)
Nikki Preston (Herald): Higher costs for councils after Waikato DHB’s election cancelled
Mark Thomas (Stuff): We need to collaborate, not move Port of Auckland
Industrial relations
Duncan Garner (Newshub): Disabled workers need to be paid minimum wage
Peter Cullen (Stuff): Redundancies in harsh times: are they ever fair?
RNZ: Taxi firm directors liable for drivers’ $100,000 loss
Aimee Shaw (Herald): Retail workers at Farmers strike for fair pay
1News: Farmers retail workers to wear stickers on uniform in pay protest
Rugby
Dave Di Somma (Newshub): Crusaders’ ‘independent investigation’ cynical or sensible?
Stuff: Man alleging homophobic behaviour by Crusaders grows frustrated with CCTV footage wait
Paul Cully (Stuff): Use All Blacks to stamp out rugby’s gay slur culture, expert urges
Paul Cully (Stuff): ‘It’s rife’: Rugby’s big problem with homophobic language
Martin Devlin (Herald): Why nothing will happen to under-fire Crusaders Richie Mo’unga and George Bridge
Steve Hepburn (ODT): Woman leading Otago rugby
Animal welfare, population control
Annabelle Tukia (Newshub): Rabbit virus to be administered to rabbit red-zone to control wild population
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): SPCA working with Canterbury property owner to prevent more than 70 chickens being shot
Brooke Jenner (RNZ): Le Chat No: Hamilton’s strays headed for snip
Gerald Piddock (Stuff): Huntly man banned for life from owning animals after botched tail dock
Trade Me sells “It’s OK to be white t-shirts”
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Trade Me sells ‘It’s Okay To Be White’ T-shirts
Herald: Controversy as Trade Me sells ‘It’s ok to be white’ T-shirts
Skara Bohny (Stuff): Nelson trader sells racially charged ‘ok to be white’ shirts on TradeMe
Media
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Television channel three owner MediaWorks rules out buying Stuff
Damien Venuto (Herald): MediaWorks financial results: Loss narrows to $5.5m
Nikki Mandow (BusinessDesk): MediaWorks breakeven stymied by radio
Diana Wichtel (Listener): John Campbell sits down for Breakfast, with nothing to eat
Telecommunications
Chris Keall (Herald): MBIE names the worst industry for customer satisfaction
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Expats give NZ high marks for digital life but ‘mediocre’ broadband score puzzles
RNZ: Huawei NZ: ‘No need to panic’ about phones after Google move
Other
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Third chair for Parliament’s foreign interference inquiry
RNZ: Abortion debate: Does Crimes Act make women feel like criminals?
Te Kuru o te Marama Dewes (Māori TV): Ngāti Porou one step closer to Takutai Moana settlement
Gerogina Campbell (Herald): Wellington braces for another debate over brutalist-style architecture
Brent Edwards (NBR): NZ First proposes SOE dividends pay for infrastructure (paywalled)
Campbell Jones and Baz MacDonald: Outside the Bunker: A Conversation about Capitalism, Crisis and Cruelty
RNZ: New Zealand’s billionaire doomsday preppers
Charles Finny (Herald): Making sense of the US-China dispute (paywalled)
Sophie Trigger (Stuff): Government’s seniors package of ‘little benefit’ to retirees in small town NZ
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Dunedin student quarter’s ‘Hour of Power’ electricity use prompts deal rethink
Katie Bradford (1News): LVR restrictions improve financial stability during hot housing market – Reserve Bank
RNZ: Cut to OCR may not be needed as house prices set to rise – Westpac
Julie Iles (Dominion Post): Funding boost creates first sexual violence services for ethnic communities
RNZ: Vanuatu PM salutes partnership with NZ
Kyle Swenson (Washington Post): Pacific nuclear waste site was put under a dome – and the dome is cracking
RNZ: Aotea Centre faces delays and cost overruns replacing cladding
Phil Smith (RNZ): Nuk Korako says e noho rā
1News: National’s first female Pacific MP juggling motherhood with new career
ODT Editorial: Justice system needs addressing
RNZ: Death in Japan
Ali Jones (Stuff): A chance to make sure things are better next time
Collette Devlin (Stuff): National MP Simeon Brown’s synthetic drug dealer bill voted down
