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.
Tuia 250 – James Cook commemorations
Philip Matthews (Stuff): Tuia 250: Captain Cook, hero or villain?
Tina Ngata (Guardian): Cook’s arrival was a disaster for Māori. Britain’s half-hearted apology isn’t good enough
Tom O’Connor (Stuff): Turning the clock back makes a tragedy of the present for Māori
The Hui: How should New Zealand remember Captain Cook’s legacy?
Southland Times Editorial: It’s 250 years and counting for something
Audrey Young (Herald): Highly unusual move by British Govt sets positive tone for James Cook anniversary (paywalled)
1News: Jacinda Ardern calls on New Zealanders to ‘talk about our history much more openly’ during Tuia 250
Māni Dunlop (RNZ): PM opens Tuia 250 roadshow on traditional voyaging
Eleanor Ainge Roy (Guardian): New Zealand braces for protests ahead of anniversary of Captain Cook’s landing
Ginny Fisher (Herald): Voyage to a new adventure in New Zealand history (paywalled)
Brian Easton (Pundit): ‘Why Don’t We Celebrate The Arrival Of Tupaia In New Zealand?’
Alice Webb-Liddall (Spinoff): Move over, James Cook: Māori and Pacific voices on Tuia 250
Māni Dunlop (RNZ): Tuia 250 commemorations kick off in Gisborne
Māni Dunlop (RNZ): Thousands witness start of Tuia 250 commemorations in Gisborne
Herald: Tuia 250: Jacinda Ardern’s warm welcome to French Polynesia’s President in Gisborne
Gisborne Herald: Emotional welcome at Tuia 250 commemoration in Gisborne
1News: Ships, waka, dignitaries and protestors arrive for Captain Cook commemorations
Lisette Reymer (Newshub): Thousands turn out to greet Pacific flotilla in Gisborne
Lisette Reymer (Newshub): New history truck brings learning to life for New Zealanders
1News: New mobile educational unit brings history to life for Kiwi kids as it follows Tuia 250 journey
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): James Cook and the Tuia 250 blues
Government
John Armstrong (1News): Chlöe Swarbrick slams politicians over climate change, but are the Greens benefiting from coverage of the crisis?
Max Rashbrooke (Spinoff): The great Spinoff working group stocktake
Local Government
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Rates are much lower than you think, and they’re responsible for miserable growth in cities
Michael Sergel (Herald): Revealed: The five most sought-after jobs in local politics
David Shand (Stuff): Councils need to better explain spending to ratepayers if they wish to change negative views
Lana Hart (Press): If democracy is to work, we need better information on candidates
Todd Niall (Stuff): Officials urge last-week voting push in sluggish Auckland election
Nicola Martin (Stuff): Tackling low voter turnouts at local body elections
Nicholas Boyack (Stuff): Local body elections 2019: Wellington region heading towards record low voter turnout
Eileen Foon (RNZ): Voters eschew Central Christchurch election
Alice Wilkins (Newshub): Councils concerned over low vote-returns as local elections loom
Andrew McRae (RNZ): Hamilton City throws a gauntlet on voter turnout
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Local body elections – we’re better at complaining than voting
ODT: Post voting papers today or hand deliver
Sharyn Graham Davies (Stuff): Women vote more often than men, and politicians should be paying attention
Katherine Ravenswood (Stuff): District Health Board elections: A chance to help those who care for our most vulnerable
Zane Small (Newshub): Government pours millions of dollars into helping councils promote ‘diversity and inclusion’
Alanah Eriksen (Herald): Meet the new wave of budding teenage politicians (paywalled)
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Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland’s mayoral election: Can it change the political map?
Todd Niall (Stuff): Calling in the ref for election campaign spats
Damien Grant (Stuff): Southern and Molyneaux free speech case highlights our unwillingness to confront bullies
Steve Braunias (Herald): Steve Braunias’ great Mayoral ping-pong challenge: A smashing success (paywalled)
John Roughan (Herald): Why the Auckland local body elections are like Hong Kong
Aaron Leaman (Stuff): Paula Southgate tipped to win Hamilton mayoralty, undecided voters hold balance
Aaron Leaman (Stuff): Big works plan to double Hamilton’s debt
Deena Coster and Stephanie Ockhuysen (Stuff): Consent snags sees New Plymouth District’s food scraps sent 300kms north
Jim Tucker (Stuff): One council prosecuting another seems ‘daft’
Jimmy Ellingham (Manawaū Standard): Horizons Regional Council chairman Bruce Gordon’s alarming judgment
Virginia Fallon and Joel Maxwell (Stuff): Porirua Mayor Mike Tana’s ‘unusual’ card transactions prompt council boss to contact police
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Pressure on Porirua mayor to release petrol card transaction information
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Crackdown on alcohol, finish time at Wellington City Labour candidates celebration
Dileepa Fonseka (Dominion Post): ‘Wellington has gone backwards’: Dissatisfaction with councils as Town Hall work ‘rescheduled’
Dominion Post: Wellington Report 2019: Letters on the past, present and future from three residents in the region
Jendy Harper (Press): Dates with Christchurch’s top three mayoral candidates
Louis Day (Star News): Elections: Feeling of frustration, interest waning
Tim Miller (ODT): How Dunedin city councillors voted over the past term
Jono Edwards (ODT): Candidates say water will be major issue
Jono Edwards (ODT): Honest appraisal of ORC’s achievements
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Candidate fined over signs on own building
Blair Jackson (Stuff): Sir Tim Shadbolt goes on holiday as mayoralty challengers line up to defeat him
“A Hard Place to Be Happy” – report into secure youth care homes
1News: Children’s Commissioner calls for urgent changes to state care of children and young people
Jessie Chiang and Katie Doyle (RNZ): We’ve dropped the ball with about 100 kids in New Zealand’ – children’s commissioner
Thomas Manch (Stuff): A hard place to be happy: Children locked away in residential care facilities tell their stories
Boris Jancic (Herald): Setting us up to fail’: Children’s stark account of secure homes
Alice Neville (Spinoff): ‘Setting us up to fail’: Kids in state-run care speak out in damning new report
James Fyfe and Perry Wilton (Newshub):Children’s Commissioner report reveals ‘distressing’ conditions in state care
Climate change
Brent Edwards (NBR): How climate change protesters could affect 2020 election (paywalled)
Julie Iles (NBR): National MP blames Coalition for slow climate change action (paywalled)
1News: Extinction Rebellion climate change protest underway in Wellington
James Fyfe (Newshub): Extinction Rebellion climate protest aims to bring Wellington to a standstill
RNZ: Extinction Rebellion block off street in central Wellington
1News: Week of Extinction Rebellion climate change action kicks off with Wellington protest
Sea Rotmann (Spinoff): Pardon the interruption, but the planet is way more important than your morning commute
Virginia Fallon (Stuff): Inside the climate rebels’ training camp ahead of ‘serious disruption’ plan
Felix Desmarais (Stuff): Wellington will be first city targeted for ‘disruption’ in worldwide climate change protest
RNZ: Extinction Rebellion prepares for widespread civil disobedience in Wellington
Giles Dexter (Newshub): 80yo great-grandmother to lead Extinction Rebellion protests in Wellington
Nikki Macdonald (Stuff): Physicist Shaun Hendy maps the lows, highs and sleepless buses of a no-fly year
Shaun Hendy (Stuff): How to cope when you’ve given up air travel but still need to see people
Georgia Forrester (Stuff): Climate change campaign Gen Less kicks-off to a positive start
Bryan Cadogan (Stuff): Turns out I needed that Thunberg jolt
Tracy Neal (RNZ): Neal How climate will change the way homes are built
Marta Steeman (Stuff): Regulation needed to push owners to reduce fossil fuels in buildings, expert says
Parliament
Andrea Vance (Stuff): The golden rule of political campaigns: the most successful ads exploit truth
Claire Trevett (Herald): Beehive Diaries: Stuart Nash’s ‘secret’ fundraiser and Jacinda Ardern plays Caesar (paywalled)
Peter Wilson (RNZ): Week in Politics: Money, money, money
Newshub: Backstory: Paul Goldsmith (video)
Refugees and immigration
Anna Whyte (1News): ‘Totally unacceptable’ refugee policy’s removal was long overdue – Meng Foon
Zane Small (Newshub): Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon ‘relieved’ National’s ‘racist’ refugee policy dumped
Anna Whyte (1News): New Zealand’s ‘racist and discriminatory’ Africa and Middle East refugee policy scrapped
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Govt scraps discriminatory policy for Africa, Middle East refugees
RNZ: Government scraps refugee policy labelled as racist by migrant advocates
Zane Small (Newshub): Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway dumps National Party’s refugee quota policy
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Government set to remove ‘racist’ refugee policy, increase quotas from Africa and Middle East
Madeleine Chapman (Spinoff): Cheat sheet: overdue change to refugee policy announced
Katie Fitzgerald (Newshub): Government doesn’t have a number to aim for with immigration
RNZ: New visa scheme for parents of migrant workers
Electricity reforms
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Government’s electricity reforms are a joke (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Grey Power to meet minister over abolition of low-use electricity plans
Katie Fitzgerald (Newshub): Government’s proposed electricity changes could see low power users paying more
Donal Curtin: Good stuff
Foreign forestry companies NZ’s biggest landowners
Kate Newton and Guyon Espiner (RNZ): Green Rush: Foreign forestry companies NZ’s biggest landowners
RNZ: The Detail: Forestry companies buying vast amounts of New Zealand’s land
University free speech debates
Lincoln Tan (Herald): AUT investigation finds no evidence student election posters are racist or aggressive
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): White supremacist stickers ‘objectionable’ but not illegal – expert
Herald: Auckland University students stage sit-in to protest alleged racism on campus
Lydia Lewis and Ella Prendergast (Newshub): Hundreds of Auckland University students protest over white supremacist materials on campus
Grant Shimmin (Stuff): Our kids’ safety is more important than profit, or free speech
Matthew Rosenberg (Stuff): White supremacists at Auckland Uni: Academic takes stand as ‘human poster’
Felix Desmarais (Stuff): Petition for Massey Uni to cancel ‘Feminism 2020’ gathers steam
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Auckland Uni students stage sit-in protest over white supremacist posters
Felix Desmarais (Stuff): Petition for Massey Uni to cancel ‘Feminism 2020’ gathers steam
Housing
Isaac Davison (Herald):‘South Auckland is where all the action is’: Investors target public and emergency housing (paywalled)
Carmen Hall (Herald): Rotorua motels making millions from emergency housing
1News: Rottenomics author says leaky buildings saga has cost New Zealand $47 billion
Dale Husband (E-Tangata): Jade Kake: Māori by design
Banking
Guyon Espiner (RNZ): Adrian Orr: The Reserve Bank governor taking on the Aussie banks
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Adrian Orr is locked in a deepening battle with the banks. Where will it end?
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): ANZ ‘willing to engage’ with Reserve Bank over its concerns about John Key’s roles
Bernard Hickey (Newsroom): Banks on notice over ‘No Paywave’ dysfunction
Economy
Bernard Hickey (Newsroom): It’s time Robertson became Adrian Orr’s mate
Rod Oram (Newsroom): Reasons to be cheerful
Liam Dann (Herald): Remembering the golden age of business gloom (paywalled)
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Come on Robertson, become the coach (paywalled)
Aaron Drew (Stuff): Here’s why we might not be able to spend ourselves out of recession
Brent Melville (ODT): Economist says NZ needs plan
Moving Auckland Port to Northland
Bernard Hickey (Newsroom): MMP’s biplanes will shoot down Jones’ King Kong
Andrea Fox (Herald): Shifting ports: Getting the cars out of Auckland is the easy part (paywalled)
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland Port’s future: study chair tackles Goff criticism
Universities and student care
Hamish Cardwell (RNZ): Universities say they lack resources to cope with mental health support
Oliver Lewis (Stuff): Student suicide numbers increasing, groups warn of more mental distress
Sam Sherwood (Stuff): Canterbury student now likely to have been dead four weeks before discovery
Sam Sherwood and Blair Ensor (Stuff): Victoria University student who lay dead for three days was a ‘brilliant philosopher’
Media
Bruce Munro (ODT): Behind the bold headlines
Jeremy Rose (RNZ): Mediawatch: The fire this time: reporting climate now
Bishop Charles Drennan resigns
Paul Mitchell and Jono Galuszka (Manawatū Standard): Disgraced Palmerston North bishop Charles Drennan subject of earlier complaint
Paul Mitchell (Manawatū Standard): Palmerston North parishioners process Bishop Charles Drennan’s shock resignation
RNZ: Cardinal: ‘Bishop Drennan’s behaviour was completely unacceptable’
RNZ: Pope accepts resignation of NZ bishop over unacceptable sexual behaviour
RNZ: Royal Commission: Pope accepts resignation of NZ bishop
Guardian: New Zealand Catholic bishop resigns over sexual allegation
Herald: NZ bishop resigns over ‘unacceptable’ sexual relationship
Herald: Pope accepts resignation of NZ bishop over unacceptable sexual behaviour
AP: Pope Francis accepts resignation of New Zealand bishop over ‘unacceptable’ sexual relationship
Katie Fitzgerald (Newshub): Palmerston North bishop Charles Drennan resigns after ‘unacceptable’ behaviour
Health agency data breach
David Fisher (Herald): Hack attack puts health details of one million New Zealanders at risk
Karoline Tuckey (RNZ): Patients’ fears on the rise after health agency hack – advocate
RNZ: PHO hack: More data breaches found involving up to a million patients
1News: Private medical data of one million people potentially breached after hacking of Tū Ora Compass Health’s website
Katie Fitzgerald and Mitch McCann (Newshub): Cyber attacks leave up to a million North Island patients medical data compromised
Tom Hunt (Stuff): Up to 1 million New Zealand patients’ data breached in criminal cyber hack
Joel MacManus (Stuff): Ministry of Health fronts as cyber attack leaves patient data exposed
Health
Samantha Gee (Stuff): Concern proposed bill may make cancer medication unaffordable for Kiwis
RNZ: Record number of nurses working in NZ – Minister
Newshub: Kiwi medicinal cannabis scheme designers should learn from overseas – experts (video)
ODT: Synthetic cannabis problem at Wakari
Harry Locke (RNZ): Kāpiti Coast fundraiser to help pay for youth counselling services
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (RNZ): Dementia from a Māori worldview
RNZ: New Zealand adults consume ’40 percent more sodium’ than recommended
Emma Hatton (RNZ): ACC says taxi service ‘satisfactory’ despite complaints
John Gibb (ODT): Disabled access good for all
Employment
Steve Kilgallon (Stuff): How the liquor store industry is riddled with worker exploitation
Melanie Earley (Stuff): New Zealanders working multiple jobs to survive
Education
Deena Coster (Stuff): The realities of working on curriculum’s cutting edge
Susan Bates (Herald): Urgent need to address ratios at early childhood centres
Reed Fleming (Spinoff): A short list of people who’d be fined under National’s school leaver policy
Dominion Post Editorial: Fines for parents of school drop-outs is a Bridges too far
Colin Craig
Graeme Edgeler: Vexation, or Something Too Long for Twitter
Bridgette Toy-Cronin (Newsroom): Not easy to end Craig’s legal omnishambles
RNZ: Former Conservative Party leader Colin Craig heads back to court
Primary industries
RNZ: Contract milker and farming business fined for mistreating cattle
Damien O’Connor (ODT): Water plans will protect farmers’ global reputation
Transport
Jordan Bond (RNZ): Auckland fuel sales both fall by 7 percent since tax introduced
Paul Mitchell (Stuff): Solution to Capital Connection woes move a little further down the line
RNZ: Transport Agency warns over unsafe child safety seats
Abortion
Samantha Olley (Herald): Abortion ‘worst form of child abuse imaginable’ – Bay of Plenty doctor (paywalled)
Samantha Olley (Herald): Rotorua’s abortion bill submitters – parents, teachers, health staff (paywalled)
Daniele Maoate-Cox (RNZ): The House: Deciding on abortion law
Rise in gang numbers
ODT Editorial: Gang numbers up
1News: Drugs a main factor in rise of gangs in New Zealand, police say
Jason Walls (Herald): Growth in gang numbers prompts National Party’s new crackdown policies
Yvette McCullough (RNZ): National: ‘Soft on crime’ govt has led to gang recruitment
Katie Fitzgerald and Ella Prendergast (Newshub): Government’s ‘soft on crime’ approach leading to huge rise in gang numbers – Simon Bridges
Collette Devlin (Stuff):Patched gang members increase: Opposition says Government soft on crime
Testing drugs
1News: Political parties divided over testing drugs at NZ music festivals and events
Newshub: ACT leader David Seymour throws support behind drug testing at music festivals
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Winston Peters the voice of reason in a Government soft on drugs
Andrew Gunn (Stuff):If we help people when they’re silly, where will it end?
Power of Inclusion summit
Zane Small (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern revisits ‘cringe’ moment she was mistaken as MP’s secretary
Laine Moger (Stuff): New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was mistaken for a secretary in her early career
Laine Moger (Stuff): PM Jacinda Ardern: Women still face discrimination in film industry
Jessie Chiang (RNZ): Where to for Me Too, conference asks
Alison Mau (Stuff): New Zealand’s stunning gender pay gap in the arts is plain wrong
Oranga Tamariki
Tema Hemi (Māori TV): Māori Women’s Welfare League want to be included in decision making
Tommy Livingston (Stuff): National Portrait: Top lawyer for Oranga Tamariki Erin Judge’s unlikely rise
Other
Boris Jancic (Herald): NZ First leak: Members say they felt ‘exploited’ over donations (paywalled)
Alex Braae (Spinoff): The buzziest data points from the new NZ election-data bonanza
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Where to next for the CPTPP trade deal?
Geoff Simmons: Speech relaunching TOP
Peter Lyons (ODT): Evolutionary could be revolutionary for public policy
Peter Griffin (Stuff): New Zealand’s weather data shouldn’t be a competition
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Dowie positives outweigh any residual negatives
Brian Gaynor (Herald): The rise and rise of Kiwi household wealth (paywalled)
Trevor Richards: The ugly decade
Elena McPhee (ODT): University unmoved on forced swim test
Bob McCoskrie (Stuff): Free school lunches will feed the problem
Chris Chang (1News): French Polynesian President calls for ‘revival’ of language and relationship between Tahiti and NZ
Holly Carran (Newshub): Grey District’s Tony Kokshoorn on the moment he heard about Pike River explosion
Jonathan Mitchell (RNZ): Defence Force veteran helpline cuts back services
Steve Braunias (Herald): The secret diary of Don Brash and Colin Craig (paywalled)
Dianna Vezich (Newshub): Mt Erebus Crash memorial continues to cause division
Mitch McCann (Newshub): Women’s Refuge calls for Government to target primary school children to curb family violence
Sharon Harvey (Stuff): Fewer than half of Asian-Kiwis feel safe in their area after dark
Brittany Keogh (Stuff): ‘Shocking’ rate of strangulation by young men could be linked to violent pornography
Kate Nicol-Williams (1News): Trend towards digital reading negatively affects concentration, research finds
Natasha Jojoa Burling (Herald): Attacks on police rose in the past year; 350 assaults recorded
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): You need to adapt’ – the gun owner who received almost $100k as part of buy-back scheme
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): ‘To know we’re not alone,’ Indigenous Canadian filmmaker visits Ihumātao
