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.
Polls
Richard Harman (Politik): Ardern now dependent on Peters
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Ardern still standing, but shaken by duo of poor polls
Claire Trevett (Herald): Polls put Jacinda Ardern and Simon Bridges in white-knuckle ride to election (paywalled)
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Worrying signs for Labour as Jacinda Ardern disowns Justin Lester
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Political polls confirm Labour Government is a lot of noise and not a lot of delivery
RNZ: PM upbeat despite polls showing drop in support
1News-Colmar Brunton poll
1News: Ardern unfazed by downward poll results – ‘We’re doing better than we did even on election night’
Jessica Mutch McKay (1News): Government that’s lost some ‘excitement’ sees voters ‘looking to National’ – Jessica Mutch McKay
Jessica Mutch McKay (1News): National and ACT have numbers to form a government in latest 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton Poll
Jessica Mutch McKay (1News): Ardern remains at top spot as preferred PM, Bridges climbs in latest 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton Poll
1News: Kiwis seeing Government ‘doesn’t know what it’s doing’ says Simon Bridges as National rises in 1 NEWS poll
Luke Malpass and Henry Cooke (Stuff): New opinion poll has National in a winning position to form government with Act
David Farrar: Latest poll
Newshub-Reid Research poll
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Voters not satisfied with Government’s progress on housing – Newshub-Reid Research Poll
Dan Satherley (Newshub):Labour might offer tax cuts if the polls are tight – Newshub political editor Tova O’Brien
David Cormack (Herald): Polls never tell the real story (paywalled)
Local government – Wellington
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern distances Labour from failed Wellington mayoral candidate Justin Lester
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Mayors need to remember they work for us
Dileepa Fonseka (Dominion Post): Lights, camera, action – Wellington’s new mayor Andy Foster no stranger to star power
Damian George (Dominion Post): Wellington’s new mayor lays out plans for major projects over the next three years
David Farrar: A tale of two Mayors
Gordon Campbell: on the local body election result in Wellington
Dave Armstrong (Dominion Post): Red cards for three city mayors
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Sir Peter Jackson calls to congratulate new Wellington mayor
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Post-election battle over Let’s Get Wellington Moving kicks off
Damian George (Stuff): Greater Wellington’s new regional councillors turn attention to selecting new chairperson
Local government – Auckland
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Auckland council-controlled organisations pay $1m in bonuses to senior executives (paywalled)
Todd Niall (Stuff): Council agency bonuses: Phil Goff claims no knowledge of $1million in payments made to executives
Christine Rose (Daily Blog): Politics, Panuku and Paying the Living Wage
Todd Niall (Stuff): Phil Goff starts ‘cabinet’ talks at start of new mayoral term
RNZ: How much support will Phil Goff get from his new council?
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Phil Goff ‘tempted’ to push for an Auckland visa
Brad Flahive (Stuff): North Shore councillors re-elected, but change aplenty for local boards
Local government
Bryce Edwards (Herald): Political Roundup: The demographic shift in local government elections (paywalled)
1News: Record number of new mayors, young people, women elected to NZ local bodies
Stephen Franks: Secret ballot, secrecy of donations
University of Auckland: Who is to blame for the crisis of voter decline in local elections?
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Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Northland paper publishes concession advert for their new Mayor
Kelley Tantau (Stuff): Hauraki’s deputy mayor Toby Adams moves into district’s top job
Ellen O’Dwyer (Waikato Times): Waikato mayor defends 161 secret meetings
Stuff: Five new people elected to the Waikato Regional Council
Angela Cuming (Spinoff): Cheat sheet: The remarkable redemption of Hamilton City Council
Tom Rowland (Herald): Female quake shakes up Hamilton City Council elections
Aaron Leaman (Waikato Times): Andrew King weighs up options after losing Hamilton mayoralty
Stephanie Arthur-Worsop (Rotorua Daily Post): Rotorua Deputy Mayor Dave Donaldson calls for voting system overhaul (paywalled)
Stephanie Arthur-Worsop (Rotorua Daily Post): More votes than the mayor: How Tania Tapsell has won over the masses (paywalled)
Kelly Mikiha (Rotorua Daily Post): Rotorua councillors Dave Donaldson and Trevor Maxwell happy to scrape in (paywalled)
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Review’s terms of reference won’t be released, partly to protect staff and councillors from ‘improper pressure or harassment’
Hawkes Bay Today: ‘Fantastic’: Napier voter turnout hits 50 per cent
Sue Emeny (Hawkes Bay Today): One vote in it: Race to be Tararua councillor goes to the wire
Stuff: One vote separates two candidates for final spot on Tararua District Council
Matthew Tso (Stuff): Incoming mayor wants culture change for new-look South Wairarapa council
Christina Persico (Taranaki Daily News): New Plymouth’s re-elected mayor still deciding on key roles for new term
Christina Persico (Stuff): Taranaki District Health Board sees new faces elected
Lucy Drake (Whanganui Chronicle ): Whanganui District Health Board newcomer Josh Chandulal-Mackay wants focus on mental health
Janine Rankin (Manawatū Standard): Political parties step up their influence on the city council
Jono Galuszka (Manawatū Standard): Horowhenua District Council again forced to apologise over treatment of information
Nicholas Boyack (Stuff): Lower Hutt’s new mayor has an Olympic sized problem to deal with
Joel Maxwell (Dominion Post): ‘Let’s see what we can trim’: New Porirua mayor targets rates hikes for term
Skara Bohny (Nelson Mail): Departing Nelson City councillor to keep a ‘close eye’ on council
Paul Gorman (Press): Hairdressing future? Grey District’s first female mayor to mull it over
Dominic Harris (Press): New council faces tricky times in balancing demands across Christchurch
Tina Law (Press): Calls for continued investigation into ex Christchurch councillor’s ‘grossly inappropriate’ actions
RNZ: New councillor admits complaint lodged against him over letter
Tina Law (Press): Two experienced councillors toppled in Christchurch’s eastern suburbs
Gordana Rodden (Stuff): Christchurch candidates out of touch on public transport
Al Williams (Timaru Herald): Timaru District councillor Steve Wills making progress following stroke
Debbie Jamieson (Stuff): Queenstown Lakes could be freedom camping free-for-all after council bungle
Josie Adams (Spinoff): 10 questions with Dunedin’s new Green Party mayor, Aaron Hawkins
Newshub: Dunedin’s new Mayor Aaron Hawkins might keep hitch-hiking to work
Chris Morris (ODT): Garey tipped as deputy
ODT: Mayoral candidate ‘despondent’ after Hawkins win
Chris Morris (ODT): Final term likely for O’Malley
Jono Edwards (ODT): Not such a simple decision
University care of students
Jessie Chiang (RNZ): University pastoral care code: ‘It’s been tragic that it’s taken this’
Henry Cooke and Sam Sherwood (Stuff): New code and fines for university halls following death Government announces
Sophie Bateman and Laura Macdonald (Newshub): Government announces $100k fine for universities whose code breaches result in student harm or death
Boris Jancic (Herald): Student residences to face fines up to $100,000 as strict new rules announced
RNZ: New mandatory code for pastoral care at universities following death
Eleanor Ainge Roy (Guardian): New Zealand creates new care law after student lay dead for weeks in dorm room
Industrial relations
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Union urges Labour to ‘get on with it’ on fair pay agreements (paywalled)
AAP: Unions urge Ardern to move on industrial relations reform
Building industry
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Urgent industry change needed to combat poor construction – investigators
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Engineers call on govt intervention after shoddy construction revealed
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Hundreds of buildings missing critical structural parts – report
David Loughrey (ODT): Investigators ‘appalled’ by faulty buildings
No Right Turn: What is wrong with our building industry?
Farming and the environment
Evan Harding (Southland Times): Dairy farm fined $42k for converting indigenous vegetation to pasture
Luisa Girao (ODT: Fined for clearing indigenous vegetation
1News: Waikato farmers handed $50k fines after residents noticed streams turning green
Stuff: Farmers fined for polluting waterways
RNZ: Slew of complaints over effuent discharges
Paul Gorman (Stuff): Environment Canterbury loses crucial appeal over width of region’s river beds
RNZ: Countdown says customers moving to plant-based proteins
Environment
Extinction Rebellion: Dear Jacinda, this is a climate emergency
Christine Dann (Daily Blog): Full steam ahead for the Climate Change Corporation?
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Maruia Mining allowed sediment-laden runoff into Otago waterway
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Blessing marks beginning of final chapter in Te Mata Peak track saga
Online extremism
Paul Spoonley (Stuff): Will the ‘Christchurch Call’ be enough to stop white supremacist material spreading online?
Derek Cheng (Herald): $17m for new team to tackle online violent extremism
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Government doubles funding for censorship office and moves to strengthen laws
RNZ: Government announces $17 million to target violent extremist content online
1News: New team created to crack down on terrorist and violent extremist online content
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Government contemplating methods to stamp out online terrorist content in New Zealand
Newshub: Terrorist and extremist online content to be treated like child sexual exploitation material
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Government to boost efforts against online extremism
Salvation Army’s Debt Collection and Repossession report
Rob Stock (Stuff): Stop deductions from benefits to payday lenders, Salvation Army says
1News: Salvation Army calls on Parliament to take action on debt collection and repossession law
Shane Jones’ Facebook gun photos
Jason Walls (Herald): PM Jacinda Ardern stops short of telling NZ First’s Shane Jones off over Facebook gun photos
Herald: Watch: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern responds to Shane Jones shooting banned AR-15 on holiday
Boris Jancic (Herald): Government Minister Shane Jones says use of AR-15 gun banned in New Zealand ‘international research’
RNZ: AR-15 rifle holiday photos no reflection on Cabinet position – Jones
Health
Cate Broughton (Stuff): Breast cancer patient faces burning skin from radiation – unless she pays
Amber-Leigh Woolf (Stuff): Almost half of CCDHB’s shifts insufficiently staffed as nurses cope with ‘stressful’ job
Oliver Lewis (Stuff): ‘It’s not acceptable’: 18-month wait for children with suspected autism
1News: Two long-term contraception devices to be made available at no cost, Pharmac announces
RNZ: More women to get free access to IUD contraceptives
Sophie Bateman (Newshub): Pharmac announces funding for Mirena and Jaydess contraceptives
Jennifer Crowley (Newsroom): An area where we can’t neglect nutrition
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): Hui aims to raise rate of Māori organ transplants
Rachael Kelly (Southland Times): Southland MP Hamish Walker critical of government response to measles
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Access to X-rays, scans still available for those in need
Che Baker (Stuff): Man fighting ACC clause relating to trauma suffered by abuse
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Wakari practices to be examined
Oliver Lewis (Stuff): New Greymouth hospital opening already more than a year late
Foreign affairs
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Chinese Embassy hits back after US Ambassador to New Zealand’s criticism of China
Mackenzie Smith (RNZ): Solomons’ deal with Chinese developer sparks ‘concern’
Sports broadcasting
Haydn Green (RNZ): What does the Sky-NZR partnership mean for consumers?
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Bold new deal for five more years of rugby on Sky
Tom Pullar-Strecker & Anuja Nadkarni (Stuff): Sky shares jump after it extends rugby rights for 5 years
Steve Hepburn (ODT):Financial security in deal: Tew
KiwiSaver
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Interim Retirement Commissioner supports KiwiSaver withdrawals for investment property
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Should you be allowed to buy an investment property with KiwiSaver?
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): KiwiSaver could be used to buy rental properties
Women’s Refuge report
Bess Manson (Stuff): ‘I’m going to die without you’: Stalkers’ reign of terror
Wilhelmina Shrimpton (Newshub): Calls for better protection for women being stalked by an ex-partner
Immigration
Mitchell Alexander (Newshub): Immigration Minister grants residency to another convicted criminal after Karel Sroubek
Darius Shahtahmasebi (Stuff): Immigration to New Zealand: Guilty until proven innocent
Other
Chris Trotter: Losing Labour’s Mills-Tone
Derek Cheng (Herald): Defiance of Speakers’ ruling could lead to imprisonment or a $1000 fine
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Operation Burnham: Two pieces of evidence that explain claims of an SAS cover up
1News: Western Sahara refugees in NZ to urge Government to ban imported phosphate
Bay of Plenty Times: Tauranga sailor Stuart Pedersen dies after yacht sinks north of Cape Brett
Zane Small (Newshub): More ‘big names’ expected to run for National alongside Christopher Luxon
RNZ: Overseas Investment Office aware of rape allegation against Matt Lauer
1News: Current laws may make it difficult for prosecutors to charge NZ’s ‘bumbling jihadi’, law professor says
Regan Paranihi (Māori TV): Race Relations Commissioner wants more recognition of NZ Land Wars
Mandy Hager (Newsroom): What’s the PM doing for NZ writers other than lip service?
Luke Appleby (1News): A warns drivers after research examines the limits of new autonomous pedestrian braking systems
Zane Small (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern ‘humbled’ and ‘flattered’ by Sir Elton John’s professed admiration of her
Scott Palmer (Newshub): ‘Make Ardern Go Away’ hats return to Trade Me
Kate Green (Stuff): US chat show host Stephen Colbert in Wellington with Lucy Lawless and Bret McKenzie
Jenesa Jeram (Spinoff): How the NIMBYs of Khandallah took down a bottle store
Spinoff: Politics podcast: Peter Jackson is not the new mayor of Wellington
RNZ: Checkpoint: Raetihi fears becoming ghost town after highway slip
Steve Braunias (Newsroom): ‘It’s time for men to shut up.’ Is it?
Sasha Borissenko: Fake or real – questioning the judiciary comes with consequences (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): Is it time to bring back finance companies? (paywalled)
