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.

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)

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