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 by Dr Bryce Edwards.
Corrections, Christchurch mosque shootings
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Upholding The Accused’s Right To Write
Mark Daalder (Newsroom): Corrections breaking law in terrorist letter saga: experts
No Right Turn: Nazis, prisons and mail
Press Editorial: The Christchurch Call was undermined by snail mail
Herald Editorial: Corrections needs correcting over alleged mosque shooter’s letters
Anna Leask (Herald): Letters from the inside: The rule of correspondence for NZ inmates
Katie Fitzgerald (Newshub): Corrections CEO won’t say she’ll resign if more extremist mail gets out
RNZ: Corrections department in damage control over inmate letters
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Hate speech, threats and chilling requests: Letters from Philip Arps, Robert Conchie Harris and George Baker that Corrections should have stopped
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Corrections chief has ‘no confidence’ in mail checks after Christchurch mosque accused, another prisoner’s letters
Zane Small (Newshub): Alleged mosque shooter ‘needs to be stopped spreading his hate’ – Jacinda Ardern
Derek Cheng (Herald): Corrections head office called on to vet accused Christchurch gunman’s letters
1News: Top corrections official vows to start reviewing each letter to and from accused Christchurch terrorist
Collette Devlin (Stuff): More scrutiny around Christchurch mosque attacks accused correspondence
Derek Cheng (Herald): Corrections failure despite advice from Norway’s expert Breivik team
Blair Ensor, Sam Sherwood and Collette Devlin (Stuff): Corrections faulted over mosque shooting accused’s mail
Derek Cheng (Herald): ‘Systematic failure’ led to error over alleged terrorist’s letter – Ardern
1News: National blasts Govt for ‘incompetence’ after 4chan publishes prison letter from accused mosques attacker
Sophie Bateman (Newshub): 4chan users furious alleged Christchurch shooter Brenton Tarrant no longer able to receive mail
Duncan Garner (Newshub): Corrections staff total buffoons for sending alleged Christchurch gunman’s fan mail
Andrew Dickens (Newstalk ZB): Don’t give oxygen to accused Christchurch mosque gunman
David Farrar: Corrections helping Tarrant spread his white supremacist hate
Eleanor Ainge Roy (Guardian): Christchurch attack suspect sent ‘call to arms’ letter from cell
Mel Logan and Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Christchurch shooting: Man who lost son responds to Brenton Tarrant’s letter
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Patrick Gower (Newshub): Accused Christchurch gunman Brenton Tarrant’s prison conditions at Paremoremo revealed
Carolynne Meng-Yee (Herald): Alleged gunman’s mum backs Corrections – ‘I want to thank the police’ (paywalled)
RNZ: Checkpoint: Where will accused mosque shooter’s trial be held?
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Trial of Christchurch mosque attack accused may be delayed
Mark Quinlivan, Mel Logan and Emily O’Connell (Newshub): Christchurch terror attack: Trial for Brenton Tarrant could be pushed back by up to a month
Lisa Davies (1News): Man accused of mosque attacks applying to have trial moved from Christchurch
RNZ: Trial hearing ‘just another game’, says victim
Kurt Bayer (Herald): Christchurch teen who had copy of mosque shooting video ‘incredibly disrespectful
Pacific Islands Form
RNZ: Disagreement over climate change action at Pacific Islands Forum
1News: Smaller Pacific nations’ hopes of full endorsement of declaration on climate change dashed
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern swept into trans-tasman climate spat, but it is mostly hot air
Rob Harris (Stuff): Winston Peters takes heat off Australia after PM’s climate challenge
Rebecca Gredley (AAP)O: ‘Tough struggle’ on road to Pacific Islands Forum climate communique
Jason Walls (Herald): Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama full of praise for NZ’s climate change fight
James Fyfe (Newshub): Fiji’s PM Frank Bainimarama sticks up for Jacinda Ardern after Australian radio host’s comments
Jason Walls (Herald): Aussie media red hot over PM Ardern comments on Australia and climate change
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Hot air and a bright shirt at Pacific Leaders Forum won’t address climate change
Anna Leask (1News): New Zealand giving $150 million to Pacific nations to bolster climate change resilience
Zane Small (Newshub): PM Jacinda Ardern commits $150 million to fight climate change in the Pacific
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Alan Jones accuses critics of ‘wilful misinterpretation’ over ‘sock’ comments directed at Jacinda Ardern
Sam Clench: Alan Jones walks back Jacinda Ardern comments: ‘Wilful misinterpretation’
1News: Alan Jones blasts ‘clown’ Ardern over climate, urges Aussie PM to ‘shove a sock down her throat’
Zane Small (Newshub): ‘Shove a sock down her throat’: Australian broadcaster Alan Jones blasts Jacinda Ardern
RNZ: Australia waters down Forum communique’s climate references
Jason Walls (Herald): Pacific leaders say the US needs to address the damage cause by nuclear testing
Census
David Williams (Newsroom): I offered to delay census: Simpson
Tony Burton (Spinoff): The census cock-up is no outlier. Stats NZ has become a lumbering brontosaurus
Bryce Edwards (Herald): Political Roundup: Toxic clash over census stats (paywalled)
RNZ: The Detail: Why getting the census count right was so important
Government
Jo Moir (RNZ): Two’s company, three’s a crowd? Governing parties tell it like it is
Claire Trevett (Herald): Megan Woods, the Labour Party’s Ms Fix-It (paywalled)
Parliament
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Crossing the bridge to a post-truth world
1News: Paula Bennett’s naming as National campaign chair a ‘logical move’ – Inside Parliament (video)
Rodney Hide (NBR): Twin stars line up for Simon Bridges (paywalled)
Local government, urban growth agreements
Graeme Edgeler (Spinoff): PSA: How to vote in our local government elections even if you are an idiot
Caroline Williams (Stuff): Local body elections: Last day to enrol via mail on Friday
Todd Niall (Stuff): Party affiliation boosts Auckland local election success – research
Chloe Ranford (Stuff): ‘We don’t do it for the money’, stress councillors as earnings revealed
Tom Hunt (Stuff): Wellington councillors’ plea: Don’t make Shelly Bay an election issue
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): WORLD founder Dame Denise L’Estrange-Corbet to campaign for Waitematā local board
Virginia Fallon and Joel Maxwell (Dominion Post): Porirua Deputy Mayor Izzy Ford the fourth councillor to challenge incumbent Mike Tana
RNZ: Former NZ Black Fern joins mayoralty race in Porirua
Piers Fuller (Stuff): Carterton mayor John Booth’s surprise decision not to run again
Logan Savoury (Southland Times):Southland’s ageing population to be put under spotlight as elections loom
Chris Reed (Herald): Political brew-ha-ha: Voters to decide fate of alcohol sales in Auckland
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Belinda Feek (Herald): Hamilton-Auckland ‘urban growth partnership’ to be signed off by ministers, mayors
Andrew McRae (RNZ): Councils, govt, mana whenua agree on Auckland-Hamilton development
Prisoner voting ban
Denise Piper (Stuff): Prisoners want to vote in council elections, general election
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): The CHCH White Supremacist Terrorist Letter scandal & Youth Court athlete sex fiasco highlights how politically difficult prisoner voting reform will be for Labour
Canterbury quakes
Michael Hayward (Stuff): Government to pay for failed repairs to earthquake-hit Canterbury homes
1News: EQC vows to fix ‘absolute nightmare’ for some owners of Canterbury properties on-sold since earthquakes
Mark Quinlivan, Mel Logan and Kaysha Brownlie (Newshub): How the Government will help those affected by botched earthquake repairs
Herald: Government to pay up to $300 million for shoddy quake repairs
RNZ: Checkpoint: Govt hopes $300m will fix quake-damaged onsold homes saga
RNZ: Checkpoint: EQC boss discusses govt’s onsold quake homes payouts
RNZ: Checkpoint: Test case lawyer not told of quake-damaged homes payouts
RNZ: Government grant for payouts on quake-damaged houses
Ihumātao
1News: Visit to Ihumātao ‘could detract from the process’ of finding a solution, Ardern says
Garrick Cooper (Spinoff): Ihumātao isn’t about young versus old, but new versus old-fashioned
Murray Rae (ODT): Notions of achieving justice tested
Janika ter Ellen (Newshub): Ihumātao protesters will march to PM’s Auckland office if she refuses to visit site
RNZ: Petition launched calling on Jacinda Ardern to visit Ihumātao
Katie Kenny (Stuff): The self-taught Māori artist behind the viral images of Ihumātao
Housing and health
1News: New study lays bare the cost of damp, mouldy homes on children’s health in NZ
Cate Broughton (Stuff): Colds more likely to turn deadly for babies from damp, mouldy homes: study
Karoline Tuckey (RNZ): Mouldy, damp homes linked to respiratory infection hospitalisations
Health
Stuff: Five years of redundancies: Health boards pay out $20.4 million
ODT Editorial: Plenty for new SDHB to tackle
Logan Savory (Southland Times): Health Minister says introduction of cancer radiation machine a SDHB decision
Libby Wilson (Stuff): Waikato DHB staffers out of pocket due to ‘unusual hiccup with pay’
Sophie Trigger (Stuff): New gynaecologist and obstetrician for Marlborough
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): New bottle store to open in Hastings despite opposition from DHB
Mare Haimona-Riki (Māori TV): Kōrerobro – Raising awareness around Māori male suicide
Cannabis
Ruby Macandrew and Jessica Long (Stuff): Cannabis use among teens dropping thanks to changing attitudes towards ‘risky behaviors’
1News: Cannabis use among Kiwi high school students has declined, new research finds
Don Rowe (Spinoff): Weed is going out of fashion and Māori kids are leading the way
Education
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Secondary principals abandon pay talks with Education Ministry
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Strikes possible as NZ secondary school principals vote on industrial action
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Calls for better education as half of girls get their period before high school
Alex Casey (Spinoff): Teaching girls about periods should start at primary school, new data suggests
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Uni wraps up investigation into Hong Kong protest
Jessie Chiang (RNZ): Auckland Uni needs to prove ‘they are protecting freedom of speech’ – student
Transport
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): NZTA doubles comms team after difficult years, while state highways face ‘significant funding pressure’
Clive Matthew-Wilson (Spinoff): Why OpenTheBooks is taking aim at Auckland Transport
Emma Hatton (RNZ): Dangerous wait: Locals want action on Paekākāriki road
National Party and Upper Harbour seat
1News: ‘Who knows if he will?’ Paula Bennett on whether she thinks Christopher Luxon will contest Upper Harbour seat for National
Derek Cheng (Herald): Vernon Tava and Sustainable NZ not eyeing up Upper Harbour seat – for now
Climate change
Simon Wilson (Herald): Auckland councillors’ new climate denialism: ‘Like going on a diet and eating the cake’ (paywalled)
Paul Gorman (Stuff): Ngai Tāhu says big changes ahead for its businesses due to climate change bill
Georgia Forrester (Stuff): The power of a poem: Kiwi scientist boils down IPCC climate change report in haiku
Rebeca Black (Stuff): ‘Allow my daughters a future’: Farming dad’s plea to the Prime Minister
Electric vehicles
Zane Small (Newshub): The 29 projects sharing multi-million-dollar grant for low emission transport ideas
1News: Government, private sector invests $16.5 million to boost electric vehicle usage
Michael Hayward (Stuff): Electric vehicles on NZ roads nearly triple in two years
Environment and conservation
1News: New $2.24 million community recycling centre to be set up in Auckland’s Onehunga
Joanne Carroll (Stuff): Waste-to-energy plant opponents want Westland not Wasteland
Māori TV: Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē locals want temporary ban on commercial fishing activity
Alice Angeloni (Stuff): The rat-trapping vegan: He’s doing it for New Zealand
Melanie Earley (Stuff): Waitākere Ranges rats at record level, leading to fears for endangered kōkako
RNZ: Mount Pirongia kōkako conservation plan receives funding boost
Michael Neilson (Herald): Nests to boost critically-endangered tara iti/fairy tern at Waipu north of Auckland
1News: Aotearoa’s most endangered birds receive three new man-made nesting sites
Jono Edwards (ODT): Penguins cause for concern
Matthew Littlewood (Timaru Herald): Dr Phil Driver wants ECan to deal with the ‘hard issues’ on protecting the environment
Monetary policy, economy
Brent Edwards (NBR): Hip-pocket politics will decide election (paywalled)
Brian Fallow (Herald): Economic failure is food for political extremists (paywalled)
Gyles Beckford (RNZ): Yield curves, fear indexes – the drivers of market mayhem
Paul Goldsmith (Herald): The puzzling problem with the economy (paywalled)
Trade
1News: David Parker says looming global economic woes will hit NZ exports
RNZ: European Union wants to keep produce names like ‘feta’ and ‘gruyere’ cheese for itself
Collectively owned land
Tony Wall and Florence Kerr (Stuff): Moses Peihopa, a former dairy farmer, is living in a motel after being evicted from his land
Laura James (1News): ‘We only survive on this land’ – Māori landowners fight back after council claims they own $18m in rates
Productive land and housing
RNZ: Condos or corn? Govt proposes protection for arable land
Chris Morris (ODT): Rules to protect soils welcome
Immigration
Chelsea Boyle (Herald): Afghan-Kiwi’s plea to finally bring his family to New Zealand (paywalled)
Michael Cropp (RNZ): Local shortage: Hospitality sector reliant on transient foreign staff
Other
Nikki Mandow (Newsroom): Council leaves whistleblowing homeowners out in the cold
Kay Brereton (Stuff): Benefit rates need to rise… and now, for people and the economy
Herald: Hospices call for more protection in euthanasia law
Newshub: Police don’t want rules changed after fleeing suspect steals their guns
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Inland Revenue under fire for psychometric testing use in recruitment
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Leadership needed to fix Fonterra (paywalled)
RNZ: $3.88M from Provincial Growth Find for youth training in Northland
Chris Hutching (Stuff): Construction bosses trusts to be repaid ahead of unsecured tradies owed $5m
Marta Steeman (Stuff): Big construction contractors oppose licensing of their builders working on commercial buildings
Nick Truebridge (Stuff): Beggars branded ‘pretty evil’ criminals by Newmarket business leader
Dan Satherley (Newshub): NZ won’t reach 5 million milestone this year
Māni Dunlop (RNZ): Pressure mounting for Aviation Security to review policy on Māori taonga
David Cohen (RNZ): Trust survey: New Zealanders are generally a religiously easygoing people
Benn Batgate (Stuff): Oranga Tamariki and state care of children has “failed” says Minister
RNZ: Checkpoint: Ellis case ‘a witch-hunt against victims’ – complainant’s aunt
