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.
Foreign affairs and trade
Derek Cheng (Herald): Jacinda Ardern to take climate change stage in New York, but is her record strong enough? (paywalled)
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): PM Jacinda Ardern arrives in New York for UN General Assembly
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Sideline meeting at UN a whole new ball game‘
1News: Jacinda Ardern’s meeting with Trump to be a ‘main attraction’ of UN General Assembly
1News: NZ-Japan partnerships signed on biofuels, renewable energy, AI, robotics
1News: Jacinda Ardern to push NZ tourism in Tokyo before cheering on All Blacks at RWC
Emma Cropper (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern cashes in on Rugby World Cup to strengthen trade ties with Japan
Zane Small (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern and Japanese PM Shinzō Abe want to simplify exchange of classified info
Herald: Jacinda Ardern greets All Blacks ahead of Rugby World Cup 2019 opening ceremony
1News: Jacinda Ardern tells reporters SBW asked her if she’s planning on ‘expanding her family
Zane Small (Newshub): China’s Xinjiang Muslim ‘detention camps’: Documents show what PM Jacinda Ardern knows
Jamie Tahana (RNZ): Once a stronghold, Taiwan’s presence in the Pacific wanes
Week in politics
John Armstrong (1News): Labour is now very much on notice, while Bridges’ Christchurch Call politicking may persuade voters he’s not fit for highest office
Peter Wilson (RNZ): Week in Politics: Sex scandal, Ihumātao linger as PM sets off for Japan, US
Brent Edwards: The week in politics: Dunne picks Coalition will buy Ihumatao land (paywalled)
Claire Trevett (Herald): Beehive Diaries: A triumph over Australia, Winston Peters’ prophesy bears fruit (paywalled)
Parliament, election, voting age
Daily Blog: Pub Politics 8pm TONIGHT: Lucy Lawless, Bishop Brian Tamaki, Matt McCarten, Mike Treen
Brent Edwards (NBR): Voters should be more critical of campaign promises (paywalled)
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Children’s Commissioner backs campaign to lower voting age
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Of course we should lower the voting age to 16 (and 5 other ways to make NZ Democracy better)
Felix Desmarais (Stuff): If 16-year-olds want to vote, who are we to say no?
Mair Gibbs and Ruby Vidgen (Stuff): ‘Politics is everything’: Two teenagers make the case for lowering the voting age
Harry Lock (RNZ): Teens campaign to lower voting age to 16
Lauren Paddy and Dan Satherley (Newshub): Voting by post too hard for youth – study
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Parliament orders 400 personal duress alarms for staff and MPs
Labour Party
Chris Trotter: Protect The King!
Steve Elers (Stuff): Politicians treating Labour Party sexual assault allegations as a game when it deserves gravitis
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern not ‘shielded’ from sex allegations scandal – Grant Robertson
Newshub: The Nation: Simon Shepherd Interviews Grant Robertson (transcript)
Andrea Vance (Stuff): The Labour Party is ‘allergic to women’
Damien Grant (Stuff): The pendulum has swung too far against the presumption of innocence
NZ First
Audrey Young (Herald): Winston Peters returns with a sharper focus on survival (paywalled)
ODT: NZ First appoints Jude Patterson acting president
Local government and climate change
Charlie Mitchell, Felippe Rodrigues and Andy Fyers (Stuff): The Voting Climate: Results from Stuff’s survey of council candidates
Charlie Mitchell (Stuff): The things councillors can do to address the climate crisis
Amber-Leigh Woolf (Stuff): Wellington and Wairarapa council candidates put economic growth before climate change
Emma Hatton (RNZ): Council defends leasing wetlands to farming company
Dominic Harris and Charlie Mitchell (Stuff): South Island political hopefuls ‘doubt’ impact of humans on climate change
Mike Watson (Stuff): Climate change questionnaire brings surprising results from Taranaki candidates
Cherie Sivignon (Stuff): Nelson-Tasman council candidates have say on climate change
Katy Jones (Stuff): Rising seas flow into hard conversations on climate change response
Local government – Christchurch
RNZ: Christchurch mayor bans councillor from events involving young people after complaints
Sam Sherwood (Press): Mayor knew for months about councillor allegations
RNZ: Christchurch mayor breaks silence over complaints about councillor
Conan Young (RNZ): Christchurch City Council under fire over time taken to probe complaints about a councillor
Stuff: Christchurch City Councillor allegedly sent teen sexually explicit meme
Ben Uffindell (Press): Lianne Dalziel: I’m the only candidate with the experience of currently being mayor
Local government
Tim Miller (ODT): STV voting: what it is and how to use it
Brenda Harwood (ODT): STV system ‘really fair’
Elspeth McLean (ODT): Posting your vote
Bryce Edwards (Herald): Political Roundup: Diversity problems and solutions in local government (paywalled)
RNZ: What younger voters think of local body elections
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1News: Meet the community board candidate using kumara to educate voters
Todd Niall (Stuff): Can Auckland’s voting turn out really fall further?
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Local elections 2019: Labour politician switches side in a tense battle for the Whau ward (paywalled)
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland mayoral debate: Tamihere’s Nazi slogan moment made as voting begins
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Auckland Council senior staffer accused of aggressive behaviour
Catrin Owen (Stuff): Auckland local election papers sent out with incorrect candidate photos
Herald: Electoral Board blunder puts wrong candidate photos on Auckland booklets
RNZ: Youngest local body election candidate in Auckland says youth ‘neglected’
Rikihana Smallman (Waikato Times): Hamilton City Council report card, 2016-2019
Aaron Leaman (Stuff): Hamilton’s mayoral candidates try to win over youth
Aaron Leaman (Stuff): Hamilton mayoral contenders Mike West, Angela O’Leary step onto the Hamilton Soapbox
Robin Martin (RNZ): Causing a stink: Will New Plymouth’s emoji ads encourage people to vote?
Stratford Press: Give a S**T and vote – says New Plymouth District Council
Christina Persico (Taranaki Daily News): New Plymouth District Council aims for younger voters with ‘poo’ emoji campaign
Georgia May (Dominion Post): Local elections 2019: Hawke’s Bay Regional Council candidates
Sean Hogan (1News): Napier community speed dates council candidates ahead of elections
RNZ: Court of Appeal rules on Napier Council RiskPool claim
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): Havelock North walkers’ and bikers’ stoush to be discussed by the council
Dileepa Fonseka and Damian George (Dominion Post): Greater Wellington Regional councillors reportedly briefed on 15 pc rates hike within next financial year
Dileepa Fonseka (Dominion Post): Local elections 2019: Nine candidates bid to lead the capital
Nicholas Boyack (Stuff): Local elections 2019: The more unusual and lower-profile candidates chasing council spots
Dileepa Fonseka (Dominion Post): Local elections 2019: Wellington City Council Onslow-Western ward candidate profiles
Nicholas Boyack (Stuff): Naenae Pool a $52 million headache for Lower Hutt ratepayers
Cherie Sivignon (Stuff): Electors urged to vote in Tasman District Council electoral system poll
Joanne Carroll (Stuff): All-male West Coast Regional Council faces major shakeup
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Survey finds Waitaki DC rated as acceptable
Brenda Harwood (ODT): Mayoral candidates mull place of arts in city life
Luisa Girao (ODT): Voice lost on health concerns
Water
Jamie Morton (Herald): Why NZ’s rivers are still in a worrying state
RNZ: New Zealand rivers degrading in quality – study
Dave Goosselink (Newshub): Increasing levels of pollutants found in New Zealand’s freshwater rivers despite improvement – report
Will Harvie (Stuff): Fencing rural NZ streams not enough to improve water quality
1News: High nitrate levels in Canterbury rivers causing concern for some locals
Brent Edwards (NBR): Shane Jones warns Feds to stop the fireworks (paywalled)
Katie Doyle (RNZ): Farmer lobbying for river protection after collecting 400kg of rubbish
Piripi Taylor (Māori TV): Urgent Action Needed to Stop Further Deaths from Contaminated Water
Climate change, environment, conservation
Newshub: The Nation: Simon Shepherd Interviews James Shaw (transcript)
Rod Oram *Newsroom): “We know what is happening and what we need to do”
Simon Wilson (Herald): The climate crisis: What about we fix this thing? (paywalled)
Jim Salinger, Blair Fitzharris, Trevor Chinn (Herald): ‘Land of the short white cloud’: NZ’s vanishing glaciers
Jamie Morton (Herald): Climate change: How hard will extreme weather hit NZ?
Jamie Morton (Herald): Covering climate now series: Facing a ‘medical emergency’
Paul Duignan (RNZ): Climate change: Are we getting into emergency mode?
Andrew Tait (Stuff): Why there is cause for hope on climate change
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Climate change Bill keeps MPs on their toes
Joel MacManus (Stuff): Dave Lowe found measurable proof of climate change 50 years ago – he’s watched in horror ever since
Peter Griffin (Stuff): Geothermal energy critical if NZ is to reach carbon-zero by 2050
Ruby Porter (Spinoff): Predicting the future of New Zealand with the rising sea
Josephine Ripley (Stuff): Why our school students are striking for the climate
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Let’s be brutally honest – those Vegan protestors are right and why confrontational protests are the future
Tracey Roxburgh (ODT): Extinction Rebellion promising ‘counter-conference’
Yvette McCullough (RNZ): Indonesia to send contaminated recyling back to NZ
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Taranaki eels could be affected by firefighting foam contaminants for years
Maureen Howard (ODT): Hoiho: All at sea
Defence
David Fisher (Herald): The full story of the New Zealand Defence Force’s extraordinary incompetence on display at the NZSAS raid inquiry (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Former SAS commander quiet on handling critical report after inquiry revelation
Dominion Post Editorial: We can handle the truth; can the NZ Defence Force?
David Fisher (Herald): RSA under fire as modern veterans lose key support (paywalled)
Ihumātao
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): All roads out of Ihumātao are blocked for Government (paywalled)
Boris Jancic (Herald): Finance Minister Grant Robertson meets with Fletchers about Ihumātao
Harrison Christian (Stuff): Ihumātao’s fate still uncertain as mana whenua return to a stalemate with the Crown
Simone Kaho (E-Tangata): Ihumātao feels like how I wish Auckland felt
RWC streaming
Jason Walls (Herald): Acting PM Winston Peters takes Spark to task over the streaming issue in AB’s game
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Spark Sport is crap, they’ve failed abysmally
Luke Kirkness (Herald): Spark Sport stream shocker: Buffering screens, lag and glitches hamper Rugby World Cup viewership
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Sparks fly over streaming the RWC
Chris Keall (Herald): A huge, possibly mortal blow for Spark’s streaming ambitions (paywalled)
Duncan Greive (Spinoff): All the winners and losers of Spark’s ‘abject disaster’ of a weekend
Damien Venuto (Herald): ‘Pretty disastrous’: Marketing expert on the damage to the Spark brand
RNZ: Spark to simulcast today’s RWC matches live on TVNZ’s Duke channel
Dubby Henry (Herald): Rugby World Cup free-to-air today after Spark streaming fail during All Blacks-Springboks game
1News: Spark Sport CEO says company ‘learning’ and ‘adapting’ to new technology after Rugby World Cup streaming issues
Media
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Chinese NZ Herald under Chinese state ‘control’ – experts
Alex Braae (Spinoff): Pay-for-play accusation as Māori TV offers mayoral candidates $500 interview
Colin Peacock (RNZ): “Disinformation in the DNA of PR” warns expert urging ethics upgrade
Jeremy Rose (RNZ): Petrol price ‘horror’ trumps horror of war
Immigration, migrant workers
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Surge in fraudulent eVisas sparks Immigration New Zealand investigation
Jason Walls (Herald): A surge in visa fraud cases behind spike in the number of Chinese denied entry to NZ
Southland Times Editorial: A more workable work visa system
June Ranson (RNZ): Work visa changes: the devil is in the detail
Maia Hart (Stuff): Labour shortage has growers seeking quick boost to overseas worker cap
Esther Taunton (Stuff): Growers warn of jobs losses unless immigration decision comes soon
Transport
Dan Satherley (Newshub): ‘Very annoying’ light rail money will probably be spent on roads – James Shaw
RNZ: Govt should ‘look seriously’ at congestion charges – NZIER
BusinessDesk: Researcher: It’s time for congestion pricing
RNZ: Ōtaki to Levin highway should get freed up funds, supporters say
Sarah Robson and Jessie Chiang (RNZ): Bus company Ritchies fined for fatal Christmas Eve crash in 2016
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Life-saving motorcycle technology to become mandatory in New Zealand from April
Housing
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Government’s rental law changes missing in action
Tim Brown (RNZ): Housing affordability crisis deepens in Queenstown Lakes
RNZ: Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago housing affordability ‘biggest issue’
RNZ: Crown Entity Kāinga Ora-Homes and Communities legislation passes final reading
Anuja Nadkarni (Stuff): Trade Me censors racist flatmates listings in Rotorua and Christchurch
Greg Ninness (Interest): Falling interest rates push house prices further out of reach for first home buyers
RNZ: Anti-money laundering laws costing real estate industry ‘multi-millions’
Economy
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Finance Minister Grant Robertson says it’ll take decades to improve NZ’s productivity
Dan Satherley and Juliet Speedy (Newshub): IMF praises New Zealand economy
RNZ: Tick of approval from IMF for NZ’s economy
Dan Satherley (Newshub): GDP growth constrained by low unemployment – economist
Health
RNZ: Call for govt action on unhealthy food ads aimed at children
ODT Editorial: Acting locally on health
Oliver Lewis (Stuff): Neonatal units under pressure for years, but crucial report still not released
James Fyfe (Newshub): Wellington High School warns unimmunised students to stay home following measles scare
Women’s safety, domestic violence
Josephine Franks (Stuff): ‘I pull out my hair in taxis to leave DNA’: Women feel unsafe at night
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Why I feel safe as a woman after dark
Virginia Fallon (Stuff): ‘If we get it wrong someone dies’: A day on the frontline of the Women’s Refuge
Cannabis
1News: NZ psychiatrists stress potential harm of cannabis ahead of 2020 referendum
Alison Mau (Stuff): Ahead of the 2020 cannabis referendum, beware the disinformation campaign
David Slack (Stuff): Inhale, exhale, take a deep breath and hold a referendum
Christchurch mosque attacks
Derek Cheng (Herald): The Christchurch Call: From horrific beginnings to ‘misty-eyed’ meetings to new collaboration (paywalled)
Jason Walls (Herald): Christchurch mosque shootings: NZ Ambassador asks Ukraine to crack down on sale of terror manifesto (paywalled)
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): Teen who shared mosque attack videos discharged without conviction
Firearms
Laura Wiltshire (Hawkes Bay Today): ‘Almost in tears’: Behind the scenes at a gun buyback event in Hawke’s Bay
Martin van Beynen (Press): Gun lobbyist’s frailty of character prevents him being lawyer
Cook commemorations
Tom O’Connor (Stuff): None have a sole claim on our story
ODT Editorial: A Momentous NZ milestone
Education
Jessica Long (Stuff): Education minister Chris Hipkins shakes up New Zealand’s school curriculum
Astrid Austin (Hawkes Bay Today): Police investigation into Te Aute College assault claims ends with no charges
Lee Kenny (Stuff): Rudolf Steiner school’s name change dilemma
RNZ: Climate change woes could hit international student numbers
Erin Gourley (Critic): University Reveals How the New CCTV Policy is Being Used
Tuia 250 privacy breach
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Tuia 250 data breach review to probe relationship between Ministry and IT provider
Zane Small (Newshub): National MP has ‘questions’ for Jacinda Ardern as scope of Tuia 250 digital privacy breach widens
Yvette McCullough (RNZ): PM faces more questions following privacy breach
Other
Paul Buchanan: The rot at the top.
Ben Strang (RNZ): Bullying in the police: Victim asked if she had ‘period troubles’
AAP: Simon Bridges says he’s learnt ‘lessons’ from triumph of Aussie PM Scott Morrison
Dave Goosselink (Newshub): Invercargill Licensing Trust returns $180 million to community
Steve Kilgallon (Stuff): Pokies, or Peking Duck? The restaurant where the gaming machines span so fast inspectors called it a ‘mini casino’
Liam Dann (Herald): If tax breaks work for film, why not other industries? (paywalled)
David Chaston (Interest): Foreign ownership fears should be receding
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Here are common ways you might miss out on holiday pay
RNZ: District Court addressing backlog of prisoners awaiting sentencing
Mike O’Donnell (Stuff): Government digital inclusion plans cursed by hui rather than doey
Catrin Owen (Stuff): Farmers banned from owning livestock for mistreating animals on the rise
Lauren Paddy and James Fyfe (Newshub): More resources needed to promote and maintain New Zealand Sign Language
Newshub Nation: Backstory: Jan Logie
1News: Most fish oil supplements sold in NZ not true to label, study finds – ‘We all need to be concerned’
Lee Kenny (Stuff): It’s time for Māori Language Month says Christchurch te reo advocate Anton Matthews
RNZ: Water safety education in te reo Māori aims to reduce drowning deaths
Phil Taylor (Herald): Angry locals threaten to protest Erebus memorial ceremony at Parnell Rose Gardens (paywalled)
Martin van Beynen (Stuff): Destiny Church PR man Jevan Goulter’s company in financial trouble over unpaid $4500 debt
Tess Brunton (RNZ): Government, councils gearing up for a busy summer of freedom camping
Jo Moir (RNZ): Shock jock Alan Jones ‘did not intend violence’ towards PM Jacinda Ardern
RNZ: Nelson people to be asked views on earthquake prone buildings
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Life insurers accused of not keeping a close enough eye on deaths (paywalled)
RNZ: The Detail: Changing names without changing places
