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
Thomas Coughlan and Luke Malpass (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern feted abroad, but Emissions Trading Scheme extension in trouble at home
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): The new NZ-US relationship – devil will be in the detail
Audrey Young (Herald): There’s a time when the Leader of the Opposition should just button it (paywalled)
1News: In UN address today, Jacinda Ardern to focus on Christchurch terrorist attack, climate change
Derek Cheng (Herald): Donald Trump ditches gun reform a day after quizzing Jacinda Ardern about it
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Ardern hails ‘warm’ meeting with Trump
Derek Cheng (Herald): New Zealand’s biggest day at the UN, but not because of Trump (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Ardern’s Call heard on day of diplomatic frenzy
Press Editorial: Jacinda Ardern’s big day in the Big Apple
Herald: ‘Wonderful meeting!’ Trump tweets about face-to-face with Ardern
Stuff: Donald Trump tweets about ‘wonderful’ meeting with Jacinda Ardern
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern ‘looking good’ on world stage, but not walking the talk – Simon Bridges
1News: Simon Bridges gives low mark for PM Jacinda Ardern’s ‘substance’ on UN trip
Zane Small (Newshub): Winston Peters hails ‘stellar’ Ardern-Trump meeting as Simon Bridges says she ‘copped out’
Boris Jancic (Herald): Simon Bridges accuses PM Jacinda Ardern of climate hypocrisy after Donald Trump meeting
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): Ardern ‘falls short’ in UN climate change speech
Sophie Bateman (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern seated at Donald Trump’s UN Summit lunch table
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern snubbed from Donald Trump Twitter video
Luke Malpass (Stuff): The moment US President Donald Trump met Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
Jane Patterson (RNZ): PM Jacinda Ardern’s meeting with Donald Trump discusses tourism, terror and trade
Derek Cheng (Herald): Jacinda Ardern in New York: What she discussed with Donald Trump
Laura Gambino (Guardian): Trump showed interest in New Zealand gun buyback program, Ardern says
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warns world on climate prisoners’ dilemma
Steven Cowan: Jacinda Ardern: Ignoring Greta’s message
AP: Climate experts say they hear talk at UN but not much action
Christchurch Call
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Donald Trump warns about social media platforms ‘acquiring immense power’
Katie Kenny (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern’s ‘Christchurch Call’ has made strides, but is worth much more than the paper it’s written on?
Alex Braae (Spinoff): Four months on from the Christchurch Call, small signs of meaningful change
Sophie Bateman (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern should get angry like Greta Thunberg – KiwiSaver provider
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Christchurch Call grows louder, but Facebook won’t apologise
Derek Cheng (Herald): Facebook regretful but not sorry over March 15 terrorist attack footage
1News: Ardern touts Christchurch Call at UN, announces Google to hold crisis response exercise in NZ
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Christchurch Call: Tech leaders to release anti-terror algorithms, terror crisis plan formulated
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Christchurch Call: Tech companies overhaul organisation to stop terrorists online
Derek Cheng (Herald): Christchurch Call update: Social media giants join forces to fight extremism
Climate change
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Draft emission trading scheme stalls, fails to make it to Cabinet
RNZ: Emissions Trading Scheme details to be revealed
John Gibb (ODT): Native trees preferred as carbon sinks
David Surveyor (ODT): Bill will impact farming sector significantly
Jason Walls (Herald): Acting PM Winston Peters says children better off in school than marching in Friday’s climate change protests
Katy Jones (Stuff): Businesses and unions support schools climate strike
Andrew MacFarlane (1News): Student climate march organisers expect biggest turnout yet as adults invited to join
Emily Brookes (Stuff): I want my daughter to be Greta Thunberg
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Climate change a ‘health emergency’ for New Zealanders, says medical association
Christopher Tenisio and Ernest Gibson (Newsroom): Pacific people on the front lines for climate
1News: New climate change campaign encourages Kiwis to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
RNZ: Saturday Morning: Tim Flannery: 20 years in climate activism a ‘colossal failure’
Marta Steeman (Stuff): The New Zealand Green Building Council calls for new buildings to be rid of gas and coal
Education
Liz Gordon (Daily Blog): The school decile debate
Simon Collins (Herald): Axing deciles will create winner and loser schools
Simon Collins (Herald): School deciles to be scrapped from 2021-22; Education Minister Chris Hipkins unveils new ‘equity index’
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Decile rating to go, schools to be scored between 1 and 200
Henry Cooke (Stuff): School decile funding system will be scrapped by 2021 or 2022
1News: Govt announces school decile system to be abolished in two years to ‘reduce the stigma’
Lucy Warhurst (Newshub): School decile system: ‘Stigmatisation’ concerns lead to new Equity Index
Herald Editorial: Decile scheme scrapped, time to meet the new kid (paywalled)
Brian Rudman (Herald): History move will fill in our missing pieces (paywalled)
Tim Newman (Stuff): Nelson teacher shocked by Novopay overpayment bill
Jim Flynn: My Book Defending Free Speech Has Been Banned
Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
Katie Fitzgerald (Newshub): Tracey Martin doesn’t have confidence in royal commission after paedophile attendance
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): Royal Commission: Calls for commissioner Paul Gibson to step down
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Tracey Martin considers action after royal commission blunder
RNZ: Checkpoint: Martin seeks advice on removing abuse inquiry commissioners
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Sex offender in inquiry meetings: Minister says her hands are tied
1News: Outrage follows revelation sex offender allowed contact with survivors as part of Royal Commission into Abuse in Care
Jason Walls and Boris Jancic (Herald): Children’s Minister Tracey Martin ‘horrified’ a child sex offender allowed in abuse meetings
Zane Small (Newshub): ‘I’m horrified’: Minister Tracey Martin wants answers over paedophile’s presence at meetings
RNZ: Royal Commission: Minister’s confidence ‘has been shaken’
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): ‘It made me feel sick’: State abuse victims shocked over paedophile at Royal Commission of Inquiry gatherings
Local government
Jean Drage (Stuff): Local elections: Do some research and vote. This matters.
Max Rashbrooke (Stuff): My plea to council candidates: more openness, ASAP
Tim Muller and Logan Penniket (Spinoff): The true impact of New Zealand’s wildly uneven voting statistics
John Hawkes (Herald): Democracy in New Zealand is outdated (paywalled)
Simon Wilson (Herald): Local elections 2019: The battle for the Shore (paywalled)
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland waterfront stadium projected cost rises to $2.4 billion
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland Mayoral race: John Tamihere’s $80m council building up-sell allegation rejected
Samantha Motion (Bay of Plenty Times): Tauranga City Council revokes decision to give Elms neighbour 11 Mission St to Ōtamataha Trust
Sam Kilmister (Manawatū Standard): Mayor suggests her role is too demanding for working parents
Jono Galuszka (Manawatū Standard): Mayoral candidate suffering from clinical psychosis, delusion
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): $23.9m paper deficit on Wellington city council’s books after $50.9m write-down of civic assets
ODT: Election Expectations – ECan
Joanne Carroll (Stuff): West Coast council’s bullying and misspending complaints concern Minister
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Dunedin mayoralty a ‘raffle’ thanks to Single Transferable Vote system
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): No cents meets common sense: Dunedin mayoral candidate’s zero spend campaign
Tess Brunton (RNZ): Dunedin mayoral candidates speed date their constituents
Chris Morris (ODT): Collegiality in question at council
Chris Morris (ODT): Cull backs Garey, Hawkins
Abbey Palmer (ODT): Pleasantries before business at Invercargill City Council’s last meeting
Local government – Christchurch
Sam Sherwood and Tina Law (Stuff): Christchurch City councillor Deon Swiggs taking ‘short break’
Tina Law (Press): Christchurch councillor accused of ‘grossly inappropriate’ messages absent from council meeting
Thomas Mead (1News): Christchurch councillor accused of inappropriate conduct no show at meeting
Mel Logan and Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Christchurch councillor Deon Swiggs accused of sending ‘inappropriate’ messages to young people absent from meeting
Josie Adams and Hayden Donnell (Spinoff): Race briefing: Christchurch, where misconduct allegations are derailing the election race
Transport
Jason Walls (Herald): New NZTA board appointee refuses to apologise to Winston Peters for insulting tweet
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Winston Peters tells NZTA board to get on with the job, or they’ll be sacked
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Minister reveals details of CAA bullying review
RNZ: The Detail: E-scooters – should we ban them or embrace them?
Charlotte Cook (RNZ): Relief as new Manawatū Gorge highway announced
Sam Farrell (Newshub): Government green-lights $620m new Manawatu Gorge highway
RNZ: Manawatū Gorge replacement highway gets go-ahead
1News: Government invests in $620m Manawatū Gorge replacement highway
Stephen Forbes (Interest): NZTA will outline reallocation of Auckland light rail funding this week
Amanda Saxton (Stuff): Auckland public transport scam: Impostors with ‘borrowed’ SuperGold Cards
Census
Infometrics: Insights from the 2018 census (so far)
RNZ: Māori have no measure of success following botched census
Isaac Davison (Herald): ‘Lock and leave’ apartments blamed for high number of empty homes in Auckland CBD
Scott Palmer (Newshub): ‘No religion’ overtakes Christianity in latest Census results
1News: ‘No religion’ officially overtakes Christianity in New Zealand Census stats
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki eviscerates ‘ludicrous’ Census
Stephen Forbes (Interest): Winston Peters criticises quality of immigration data
Duncan Garner (Newshub): Immigration debate sorely needed
Gun laws
Katie Fitzgerald and Heather McCarron (Newshub): Second tranche of gun law changes won’t make public safer – National
1News: National and ACT vote against Government’s latest gun laws
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Aim for gun reform to be law by first anniversary of Christchurch shooting
Boris Jancic (Herald): Gun register bill passes first reading in Parliament
Laura Andelane (Newshub): Police warn ‘time is running out’, thousands of prohibited firearms yet to be handed in
RNZ: Police spend $45 million in gun buy-back scheme
Business, economy
Jacinda Ardern (Herald): My hope – a rising tide that will lift all boats (paywalled)
Tim McCready (Herald): Mood of the Boardroom: Winston Peters viewed as ‘the voice of reason’ (paywalled)
Herald: Mood of the Boardroom: Is Grant Robertson delivering credible economic and fiscal management for NZ? (paywalled)
Richard Harman (Politik): The surprising factor causing business confidence to fall
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Mood of the Boardroom: How CEOs ranked Cabinet on performance (paywalled)
Tim McCready (Herald): Mood of the Boardroom: CEOs score Greens’ ministers (paywalled)
Tim McCready (Herald): Mood of the Boardroom: Goff or Tamihere – CEOs pick their preferred Auckland mayor (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): Support for Adrian Orr in banking battle (paywalled)
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Mood of the Boardroom: Banks’ shrill response decried by CEOs (paywalled)
Brent Melville (ODT): NZRB to publicise regulatory breaches
Duncan Bridgeman (Herald): Mood of the Boardroom: Staffing a big issue for executives (paywalled)
Business conduct and consumer protections
Jason Walls (Herald): Government outlines plans to crack down on businesses taking consumers for a ride
Zane Small (Newshub): ‘Verbally abused and blacklisted’: The ‘unconscionable’ business practices targeted in Government crackdown
RNZ: Govt proposes changes to protect against ‘poor commercial conduct’
Ihumātao
Nicola Short & Dave Veart (Herald): Ihumātao challenges how we view heritage (paywalled)
Boris Jancic (Herald: Finance Minister Grant Robertson tight-lipped about Ihumātao meeting with Fletchers
Lucy Mackintosh (Guardian): Why Ihumātao truly is a piece of New Zealand’s soul
Environment
Jono Edwards (ODT): ORC may delay rules on discharges six years
Tema Hemi (Māori TV): Ngāti Ruanui Fight to Protect their Environment
RNZ: Appeal to mine off Taranaki coast wraps up first day incourt
Phil Pennington (RNZ): ‘Crunch time’ for NZ’s quarries as aggregate price soar
Marae
Māori TV: Wikitōria Day, Te Ao with Moana: Update: A hapū’s quest to save their marae
Māori TV: Te Ao with Moana: The survival of a sinking marae
Māori TV: Te Ao with Moana: Marae can plan 10 to 50 years ahead with specialist advice
Māori TV: Te Ao with Moana: Whānau of marae destroyed by fire determined to rebuild
Parliament
Alan Kenyon (1News): Peters claims Bridges dodging him in question time as ‘nobody likes to get beaten up in the first round’
Katie Fitzgerald (Newshub): Winston Peters reveals ‘infection’ delayed return to work after operation
Herald: Winston Peters says serious infection after ‘serious operation’ kept him away from Beehive
RWC streaming
Thomas Manch (Stuff): All Blacks on free-to-air? Winston Peters hasn’t given up on the dream
1News: ‘We’re a first world country’ – Winston Peters lashes out at ‘circus’-like RWC streaming issues
Hamish Bidwell (RNZ): Opinion: Spark sells New Zealand a lemon
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): In defence of Spark Sport at 2019 Rugby World Cup (paywalled)
Chris Keall (Herald): Anatomy of a streaming meltdown: What went wrong for Spark Sport on Saturday night (paywalled)
Health
1News: Measles alert for Tongan community after woman with disease attended ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s Auckland memorial service
RNZ: Measles warning for those who attended late Tongan PM’s memorial service in Auckland
Charlotte Cook (RNZ): Calls for minimum standard of care for all bereaved parents
1News: Transgender and non-binary people suffer high levels of mental health and discrimination issues, report finds
Sophie Bateman (Newshub): Half of transgender and non-binary Kiwis victims of attempted rape – survey
Karen Brown (RNZ): Radiographers, sonographers, psychologists to walk off the job
Euthanasia
ODT Editorial: Euthanasia concerns remain
1News: Controversial euthanasia bill back before Parliament today
Other
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Risks for Kiwibuild programme revealed
Peter Cordtz (Interest): Why women enter retirement worse off than men
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): It takes a village to heal this struggling suburb
Hamish Cardwell (RNZ): Half of NZ’s worst drunk drivers not made to get vehicle immobilisers – report
Laura Walters (Newsroom): No change to child welfare without everyone on board
Deena Coster (Stuff): Employment action taken against Oranga Tamariki residential staff after grievances upheld
Bryan Gould: The value of balance in news treatment by our media
RNZ: Tahitian va’a brings spirit of Tupaia to Tuia voyage
Yvette McCullough (RNZ): Millions poured to ensure mānuka honey is a NZ only product
AAP: Government supporting industry push to trademark manuka honey in China
Zac Fleming (Spinoff): Warnings raised that legalising cannabis could contaminate food supply
Nicholas Boyack (Stuff): Single-use plastic bags return to Lower Hutt market despite ban
Stuff: Official name change for Manawatū-Whanganui region gets a macron and an extra letter
Heather McCarron (Newshub): One in four people getting out of jury service
