New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.
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Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.

New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.

Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.

Labour Party sexual assault allegations
Andrea Vance (Stuff): How to make the Labour abuse scandal worse
Duncan Garner (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern could be forced to resign
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Nothing behind Jacinda Ardern’s words (paywalled)
Bryce Edwards (Herald): Political Roundup: Claims of a #MeTooLabour ‘cover-up’ in the Beehive (paywalled)
Danyl Mclauchlan (Spinoff): A chance for this Labour-led government to begin to redeem itself
Gordon Campbell: On Labour’s mishandling of the alleged sexual assault
Claire Trevett (Herald): Labour sex assault claims: What did PM Jacinda Ardern’s staff know? (paywalled)
Alison Mau (Stuff): Labour was warned it had a major problem before summer camp scandal
Ben Uffindell (The Civilian): The moment I found out that you found out, I acted swiftly
Herald Editorial: Labour flunks issue at heart of manifesto (paywalled)
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Jacinda Ardern’s explanations not good enough
Morgan Godfery (Metro): Incompetence or cover-up? Labour’s spectacular botch-up
Anna Whyte (1News): Labour’s new president was also on panel that investigated allegations against staffer
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Acting Labour Party president was on panel which dismissed initial complaints
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Complainant ‘shocked’ at new Labour representative after Nigel Haworth’s resignation
Stuff: A party member sent a submission on sexual assault to the Labour Party. This is what it said.
Eleanor Ainge Roy (Guardian): Ardern under pressure as staffer accused of sexual assault quits
Derek Cheng (Herald): Labour staffer at centre of sexual assault allegations resigns
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Staffer at centre of Labour abuse claims has resigned
RNZ: Staffer at centre of the Labour Party abuse allegations resigns
Zane Small (Newshub): Labour staffer at centre of sexual assault claims resigns from Parliament
Herald: Deputy Labour leader Kelvin Davis accused of calling Labour sexual assault allegations ‘rumours’
Derek Cheng (Herald): Jacinda Ardern defends her role in Labour’s botched complaints process
Jo Moir (RNZ): Labour assault complaints: Jacinda Ardern sets out when she knew details of allegations
Collette Devlin (Stuff): PM Jacinda Ardern ‘absolutely refutes’ National’s claims
Zane Small (Newshub): PM Jacinda Ardern gives ‘timeline’ of events around Labour sexual assault claims
1News: Ardern maintains she was assured complaint against Labour staffer wasn’t sexual assault allegation
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern’s credibility called into question over handling of assault allegations
Zane Small (Newshub): ‘She absolutely knew’: Paula Bennett tells Jacinda Ardern to ‘step up’
Sophie Bateman (Newshub): ‘Embarrassment’: International media reacts to Labour sexual assault scandal
Duncan Garner (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern not knowing about sexual assault allegations is massive stretch
1News: Paula Bennett calls on Govt to bring in victim specialists following alleged sexual assault by Labour Party staffer
David Farrar: Only took 513 days
David Farrar: The full Labour scandals timeline
No Right Turn: Implausible ignorance
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Compare Mike Sabin to Labour Staffer and the double standard hypocrisy of right wing media pundits

Southern Response
1News: Full interview: Southern Response CEO explains why they’re appealing court decision that found they acted in misleading and deceptive way
1News: Christchurch City councillor responds to earthquake insurer Southern Response’s decision to appeal rulings it’s been misleading
RNZ: Checkpoint: Quake-hit homeowners to fight Southern Response ‘to the very end’
Liz McDonald (Press): Southern Response to appeal High Court ruling on precedent-setting case
1News: Earthquake insurer Southern Response off to Court of Appeal over rulings it’s been deceptive, misleading

National Party
Bruce Munro (ODT): Global Insight: Populist view may bite Bridges
Robert Ayson (Incline): Did Simon Bridges Jump the Shark on China?
Michael Reddell: Hush, don’t be so explicit
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): National told to pull online attack ad, but will appeal ruling
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Advertising watchdog rules National Party ad misleading
Dan Satherley (Newshub): National to appeal after ‘car tax’ advert ruled misleading
Barry Clarke (Star News): Bridges has a lot to learn

Education
Press Editorial: History in schools is a welcome move
Boris Jancic (Herald): Teaching our history: Call for public debate
Don Rowe (Spinoff): Cheat Sheet: New Zealand history to be compulsory in schools
Anna Whyte (1News): New Zealand history will be taught in every school by 2022, Government announces
RNZ: New Zealand history will be compulsory in all schools by 2022
Aaron Leaman (Waikato Times): PM praises Stuff campaign to make NZ history compulsory in schools
Elena McPhee (ODT): Qualified uni support for Strike 4 Climate
Lee Kenny (Stuff): Canta editor launches petition calling for student news independence

Environment
Reuters: Climate change and inequality ‘threaten the very existence of humanity’ – UN
Boris Jancic (Herald): Environment Commissioner calls for Government to aim lower on methane
Richard Harman (Politik): Under fire but not backing down
Luisa Girao (ODT): Unexpected interest at water quality events
Jane Clifton and Sally Blundell (Listener): Should we still eat meat and dairy?
Piers Fuller (Stuff): Farmers feel New Zealand has turned its back on them
Dominic Harris (Press): Christchurch to push ahead of national carbon emissions target by five years
Rachael Kelly (Southland Times): No prosecution for Gore District Council for algal bloom discharge into Mataura River
RNZ: $50,000 in fines dished out for illegal fire
Emme McKay & Melissa Nightingale (Herald): Taranaki man’s prison sentence for blackmailing DOC over 1080 halved
Matthew Hansen (Driven): Greenpeace and more call for the ban of ‘gas guzzler’ SUVs

Fisheries
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): US seafood ban plan causes stir in NZ
Māori TV: Govt Inaction Compels Northern Iwi to Impose Rāhui

Cancer care in NZ
Katie Fitzgerald (Newshub): New Zealand’s cancer treatment needs to change across the country – cancer agency director
Karen Brown (RNZ): NZ falling behind in cancer survival rates: Pancreatic cancer lowest one-year survival rate in NZ
1News: Generous offers from locals for cancer sufferer Blair Vining’s plan for charity hospital in Invercargill 
RNZ: Encouraging response to Southland charity hospital – Melissa Vining
Laura Smith (ODT): Buoyed by support for charity hospital

Health
Carmen Parahi (Stuff): Will Māori health equity put more pressure on system?
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Vaping a serious problem in some Auckland schools – principals
Melanie Earley (Stuff): Measles outbreak: Lockdown at south Auckland men’s prison as cases confirmed
Herald: ‘Serious outbreak’ as Auckland hits 1000 cases of measles
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Measles cases in Auckland this year reach 1000
Newshub: Measles outbreak: Auckland cases rise above 1000
Dick Brunton (ODT): Public health needs well-defined boundaries
John Gibb (ODT): Funding pressure forces closure of Carers’ Society Otago
Stuff: Free, online mental health tool Just a Thought launched

Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission
Ruby Macandrew (Stuff): Government announces first stages of plan to restart Mental Health Commission, with five-person team appointed
Zane Small (Newshub): Forest & Bird boss Kevin Hague among five appointed to new mental health commission
1News: Government announces initial Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission
RNZ: Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission details revealed

Cannabis
Ross Bell (Herald): Legalising cannabis means less harm (paywalled)
Mark Quinlivan and Emily O’Connell (Newshub): ‘I may well’: Helen Clark says she would consider seeking illegal cannabis for pain relief
Scott Palmer (Newshub): The ‘green fairies’ illegally supplying weed to Kiwis with health problems
Herald: Major cannabis summit planned for SkyCity Convention Centre in 2020

Gun buyback scheme
Derek Cheng (Herald): Halfway through gun buyback and only 10 per cent of banned firearms collected
1News: Nearly 20,000 guns returned as part of buyback scheme
RNZ: National wants better estimate for prohibited firearms

Foreign affairs and trade
Brian Fallow (Herald): For trade, those were our best of times (paywalled)
Thitinan Pongsudhirak (Newsroom): Why NZ must adjust to the rise of the ‘Indo-Pacific
Euan Graham (Incline): Frigates for Venus

Immigration
Hawkes Bay Today: There are 600 jobseekers in Wairoa. Its major employer Affco meatworks wants to hire immigrants
Jessie Chiang (RNZ): Restaurant owner frustrated at Immigration New Zealand: ‘Have some emotion’

Local government
ODT Editorial: Councillors and codes of conduct
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Could Tamihere win Auckland?
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Another fiesty debate for Auckland mayoral candidates
Josie Adams (Spinoff): Race briefing: Great Barrier Island, home to the highest voter turnout in Auckland
Tom Rowland (Herald): Huntly mum’s council dream crushed as nomination form ruled invalid
Leah Tebbutt (Rotorua Daily Post): ‘Let’s stick ’em in a barn’: Rotorua Lakes Council candidate John Rakei-Clark slammed over homeless comments (paywalled)
Christina Persico (Taranaki Daily News): New Plymouth candidates share their views at election meeting
Robin Martin (RNZ): Aspiring councillors say they’ve been left in the dark about pipe upgrades
Laura Dooney (RNZ): Young candidates in local elections: ‘There’s real urgency
Louis Day (ODT): Minto has east in his sights
Dominic Harris and Tom Kitchin (Press): Christchurch mayoral contenders Darryll Park, Lianne Dalziel, moving to CBD
Anan Zaki (RNZ): Christchurch residents celebrate after $35m leisure centre gets go-ahead

Christchurch mosque shootings
Sam Hurley (Herald): Judge changes date of Christchurch terror trial to avoid Ramadan clash
Conan Young (RNZ):Closed until further notice – a life on hold after the mosque attacks

Te reo Māori
Meng Foon (Stuff): Learning te reo Māori comes with responsibility
Whaimutu Dewes (Newsroom): Fifty years of success for te reo Maori
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): Gift of ‘Paekākā’ to Wellington Botanic Garden triggers councillor stoush over ‘unreasonable’ te reo use

Rua Kēnana pardon
RNZ: Legislation to pardon Tūhoe prophet Rua Kēnana in Parliament for first reading
1News: Parliament considers bill to pardon Tūhoe prophet Rua Kēnana for wrongful arrest in 1916 raid
Herald: Tears and song in Parliament over pardon for Tūhoe leader
Newshub: Minister Nanaia Mahuta tears up in speech over historic ‘wrongful arrest’ of Rua Kēnana
James Perry (Māori TV): Rua Kenana Pardon Bill passes first reading in parliament

Transport
Pattrick Smellie (Herald): Reviving rail: The main working to get NZ back on track (paywalled)
Alex Braae (Spinoff): Everyone says they’ll fix Wellington’s buses. Easy-peasy. Right?

Air NZ
Tini Molyneux (Māori TV): Air New Zealand faces backlash after seeking “Kia ora” trademark
Eleanor Ainge Roy (Guardian): Māori anger as Air New Zealand seeks to trademark ‘Kia Ora’ logo
RNZ: Air NZ trying to trademark Kia Ora logo ‘overreaching’
Jihee Junn (Spinoff): From kia ora to kimono: the trademarks accused of ‘cultural appropriation’

Police
1News: Police’s second Tasering of man already on the ground unjustified, IPCA says
RNZ: Second tasering unjustified, IPCA says

Port Otago
Brent Melville (ODT): Port unions lift wage claim to match CEO
Jono Edwards (ODT): Port Otago staff dismissed over positive meth tests

Tongan Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva has died
Keith Locke (Spinoff): A democratic giant of Tonga – a tribute
Asia Pacific Report: Media associates pay tribute to ‘Akilisi Pohiva
Jamie Tahana (RNZ): Late Tongan PM ‘Akilisi Pohiva remembered as ‘beacon of democracy’
Jamie Tahana (RNZ): Tongan PM ‘Akilisi Pohiva dies, aged 78
Bronson Perich (Māori TV): Tongan Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva passes away in Auckland

Other
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Underestimate a referendum at your peril
Emma Espiner (Newsroom): Courts no place for fetal alcohol victims
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Ministers grilled at construction forum
Mike Houlahan (ODT): NZ lagging on disability rights
Debrin Foxcroft (Stuff): Z Energy accused of raising prices before offering a discount
1News: National response to youth homelessness problem needed, frontline worker says
RNZ: Ngāti Hine needs to go through official channels for mandate funding – Little
RNZ: The Pacific, Australia and New Zealand’s meth highway
No Right Turn: Yes, the SIS is subject to the Public Records Act
Grant Bradley (Herald): All Blacks, Jacinda Ardern front Rugby World Cup campaign to thank Japan – and sell NZ (paywalled)
Emma Espiner (Newsroom): Māori boy
Jamie Tahana (RNZ): Eyewitness: The Polynesian Panthers:  Melani Anae:’We said we weren’t going to take it anymore’
Michael Neilson (Herald): Comedian Jim Gaffigan promotes Moriori, Māori myth in Amazon Prime special

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