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
Medicinal cannabis plan
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Medicinal cannabis proposals greeted with optimism and concern
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Specialist sign-off for medicinal cannabis ‘upsetting and problematic’
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): ‘We clearly aren’t their focus’: Patients feel let down by medicinal cannabis proposal
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Government not proposing THC limit for medicinal cannabis products
Anna Whyte (1News): Medicinal cannabis scheme proposals released
Zane Small (Newshub): Medicinal cannabis: Easier prescriptions proposed, edibles ruled out
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Medicinal cannabis expert calls on New Zealand doctors to upskill
Derek Cheng (Herald): Illegal cannabis seeds may be used to make legal medicinal cannabis products
Derek Cheng (Herald): Gang members could turn over a new leaf with medicinal cannabis proposals
Talisa Kupenga (Māori TV): Medicinal cannabis scheme open to public feedback
Chris Fowlie (Daily Blog): A smart approach to the cannabis referendum, and medicinal cannabis
Government
Richard Harman (Politik): Peters makes the Beehive nervous
Chris Trotter: Can Jacinda Give National The KISS Of Populist Death?
Jason Walls (Herald): The Auditor-General says Shane Jones acted appropriately in declaring a conflict of interest
Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Auditor-general clears Jones, but says he ‘confused the situation’
RNZ: Auditor-General clears Shane Jones over Footsteps of Kupe conflict of interest
Jason Walls (Herald): Outspoken NZ First Minister Shane Jones has blasted Gisborne’s Ngāti Oneone Hapū (paywalled)
1News: Labour MP Tamati Coffey and partner welcome arrival of baby boy
Kate Robertson (Stuff): Labour MP Tāmati Coffey welcomes first baby into his ‘modern family’
Rotorua Daily Post: Labour MP Tāmati Coffey and husband welcome baby boy to the world
Clean car scheme, climate change
ODT Editorial: Nudging car fleet changes
Herald Editorial: Clean cars the right road forward (paywalled)
Jason Walls (Herald): Cabinet paper reveals the Government scrapped plans for a direct $2000 subsidy for EV buyers (paywalled)
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Government considered $2000 subsidy and age limit on imported vehicles instead of feebate
Katie Fitzgerald (Newshub): Paula Bennett derides proposed high-emissions vehicle penalties
RNZ: National critical of government’s clean vehicle incentive plan
Brittney Deguara and Michael Daly (Stuff): SUVs tend to attract ‘pavement princesses’ but proposed price hikes may not deter ‘cult-like’ followers
Stuff: What motivates the biggest climate change deniers?
RNZ: ‘To make our voices heard on the Zero Carbon Bill’
Shelly Bay
Tom Hunt (Dominion Post): Decision to sell council land at Shelly Bay could be undone
Harry Lock (RNZ): Shelly Bay: Decision to sell council land to be revisited
Local government
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Local government is no joke
Brent Edwards (NBR): Local vs central government rates – ‘who’s screwing who here?’ (paywalled)
Karl du Fresne (Stuff): Remedy to more Māori representation lies with them
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Controversial trip to China to investigate trackless trams postponed
1News: Pristine lakes, rivers could become legal dumping ground for Queenstown’s sewage
Tim Brown (RNZ): Queenstown infrastructure committee hasn’t met in almost a year
Charlie Gates (Stuff): Public row erupts over who scrapped art bridge for central Christchurch
Standard: Guest post – Bucking the trend at ECAN
Lynn Williams: Child Care for Councillors
Katie Fitzgerald (Newshub): New Zealand Union of Students launches campaign to highlight young candidates
Local government – Auckland
Victoria Young (NBR): Auckland candidate John Tamihere wants to be an ‘executive mayor’ (paywalled)
Matthew Theunissen (RNZ): Chamberlain Park golf course a ‘political football’ as Tamihere, Fletcher launch campaign
Mandy Te (Stuff): Auckland local body elections: How to vote, what you are voting on and key dates
Laura James (Newshub): Auckland’s Formosa Golf Resort gets another Insanitary Building notice
Heidi O’Callahan (Greater Auckland): Good Density
Herald Editorial: Bermageddon averted by common sense (paywalled)
Firearms
Thomas Mead (1News): Can AR-15 owners avoid the gun ban with pump-action modifications? Not even police know
Ella Prendergast, Dan Satherley (Newshub): Gun conversion kits not in the ‘spirit of the law’ – gun control advocate
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Gun owners crowdfund to take legal action against Government’s firearms laws
Derek Cheng (Herald): Gun lobby campaigns for hundreds of thousands to fight for ‘fair compensation’ in firearms buyback
Zane Small (Newshub): Hundreds of gun licences granted in New Zealand despite convictions in Australia
Suicide
1News: Latest suicide data shows highest rate among males and Māori
RNZ: Suicide rate among Māori men rises to highest in decade
RNZ: Number of suicides reaches 10-year peak, new data reveals
Health
Guyon Espiner (RNZ): Big Tobacco targeting Māori with e-cigarettes
Katie Fitzgerald (Newshub): New Zealand ‘about done’ with upping tobacco tax – Paula Bennett
Nicki Jackson (Newsroom): Corporations vs communities in local alcohol policy
RNZ: Terminally ill petitioner for national cancer care agency meets with David Clark
Rodney Hide (NBR): Segregated funding won’t help Māori healthcare (paywalled)
Mike Houlahan (ODT): NZ may get higher ranking
Michelle Cooke (RNZ): Checkpoint: Parents of NZ heart kids ‘petrified’ system can’t cope
Bonnie Flaws (Stuff): Even no-alcohol beer can be harmful to kids, expert says
TVNZ: Te Karere: NZ College of Midwives’ first Māori president hopes to increase connection with rural areas
Education
Megan Harvey (Herald): Former students, parents angry after Government scraps unpaid NCEA fees
Janika ter Ellen (Newshub): Parents angry after Government scraps unpaid NCEA fees
Māori TV: 150,000 students to benefit from NCEA fee write-off
Anna Leask (Herald): Twenty-plus school teachers struck off after sex-crime convictions over five years (paywalled)
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Cost of school holiday childcare putting strain on families
Luisa Girao (ODT): Green MP says local autonomy a merger must
Stuff: Former prime minister Jim Bolger retires from Waikato University council
RNZ: Ex-PM Jim Bolger retires from Waikato chancellor role
Meng Foon appointed Race Relations Commissioner
RNZ: Meng Foon appointed Race Relations Commissioner
Stuff: Race Relations Commissioner announced as Meng Foon
Transport
Amanda Cropp (stuff): Damning report canes Transport Agency team for “weak” and “lax” financial management
Boris Jancic (Herald): Govt won’t budge on Business Council’s demand for roads: Twyford
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): New Zealand public transport system ‘not good enough’ – infrastructure chief executive officer
Todd Niall (Stuff): $1.3m subsidised rideshare in Devonport attracts mostly walkers, bus users
Ian Breeze (ODT): Immediate reduction of speed limit the only logical response
Police
1News: Police ‘clarifying’ social media policy after Children’s Commissioner slams them for posting photos of handcuffed teens following helicopter pursuit
RNZ: Officer used police database to find driver blocking his car
Stuff: Wellington off-duty police officer used computer to find driver who blocked his car
Poverty, inequality
Bryce Edwards (Herald): Political Roundup: What’s changed for welfare beneficiaries? (paywalled)
Sandra Conchie (Bay of Plenty Times): Winter blues: Tauranga Salvation Army, support services inundated with ‘working poor’ needing help
Kyle MacDonald (Herald): Why you’re inclined to think ill of the poor (paywalled)
Provincial Growth Fund
Brent Edwards (NBR): Get moving on growth fund grants, frustrated Jones says (paywalled)
Te Kuru o te Marama Dewes (Māori TV): “Stay here in the East Coast” – Jones at Tairāwhiti PGF announcement
Regional airports
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Rural communities could be cut off from health services if their airports close
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Regional Economic Development Minister Shanes Jones concerned by regional airports underfunding
Press Editorial: Flights of fancy in zombie towns
Environment and conservation
RNZ: Kauri dieback: Ten tracks to shut in Bay of Islands to protect trees
Kendall Hutt (Stuff): Bay of Islands walking tracks to close amid kauri dieback fears
Harry Lock (RNZ): Rare Wellington snails under threat from mountain bikers
1News: Timaru Council want funding to help protect the world’s smallest penguin
Piers Fuller (Stuff): Native mudfish move costs $160,000 with very few survivors
Rikihana Smallman (Stuff): Take a mental health break, plant 10,000 trees
Ollie Rusden (Spinoff): Five things to ban next for a greener New Zealand
Census
Kaitlin Ruddock (1News): Nelson man fined $300 for failing to fill out census forms
Samantha Gee (Stuff): Fine for Nelson man ‘not interested’ in completing census
IRD
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Accountants criticise Inland Revenue’s ‘unfair’ new interest rates for taxpayers
RNZ: IRD botches tax assessment for some BNZ customers
Primary industries
Andrea Fox (Herald): Minnow political party hits out at plans to sell Westland Dairy to Chinese firm
Al Williams (Stuff): Waimate and Waitaki districts unite to help farmers get through M bovis
Mike Watson (Stuff): Taranaki export log industry meet to work together over price drop
Mare Haimona-Riki (Māori TV): “It hasn’t quite bitten yet” – NZ forestry Industry braces for impact
Immigration
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Reports on restructures at Immigration New Zealand show warnings
Lincoln Tan (Herald): Cancer mum’s anguish for her eight kids as deportation looms for partner (paywalled)
Banks
Liam Dann (Herald): Bank profits rise while new mortgage lending falls (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Stuff): Kiwibank executive’s emails over kitchen dispute prompts internal bank investigation
Coalition NZ
Herald: Coalition New Zealand campaign manager Jevan Goulter raises death penalty plan with Hannah Tamaki
1News: ‘Euthanise the bastards’ – Hannah Tamaki’s campaign advisor suggests we ‘end the lives’ of paedophiles
Zane Small (Newshub): ‘Euthanise paedophiles’: Hannah Tamaki’s campaign advisor Jevan Goulter makes policy plea
Other
Peter Lyons (Herald): No nation becomes wealthy from its houses (paywalled)
Andrea Fox (Herald): Mainfreight boss asks should profit sharing with staff be essential part of capitalism?
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): The terrible misreading of political populism as white supremacy in the Trump & Brexit results & why Bishop Brian Tamaki will fail to make it happen in NZ
Pattrick Smellie (Herald): Where to now for labour market reforms? (paywalled)
Martin van Beynen (Stuff): Engineers oppose new government body to regulate their profession
Brian Easton (Pundit): How Important Is Local Knowledge?
Herald: Name suppression database comes with dangers, lawyers warn
Jody O’Callaghan (Stuff): Cook arrival to Aotearoa event ‘encourages awkward conversations’, MP says
Paul Cully (Stuff): All Blacks are simply taking from the islands by picking Sevu Reece
Catherine Hutton (RNZ): NGOs struggle to retain social workers after Oranga Tamariki pay rise
Ben Strang (RNZ): Father forced back to Australia with no legal aid under Hague Convention
RNZ: NZ Oil & Gas majority owner aims to take over company
Simon Hartley (ODT): New Zealand Oil and Gas under takeover offer
Lincoln Tan (Herald): Kiwis now know more about Asia: Survey
Joanna MacKenzie and Liu Chen (RNZ): Social media, music behind NZers’ growing knowledge of Asia
Jay Kuten (Whanganui Chronicle): MPs displaying arrogance
No Right Turn: Did NZDF lie to Ministers?
Steven Cowan: All upset about a little meme
Ross Meurant (Daily Blog): Why I penned this book
Paul Little (North & South): When Sir Bob Jones once put himself at risk of becoming the Prime Minister of NZ
Mare Haimona-Riki (Māori TV): 34 years later – Remembering the Rainbow Warrior
