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.
Environment
Richard Harman (Politik): Farm leaders win Government backdown
Henry Cooke and Luke Malpass (Stuff): Farmers get time, Ardern gets support for elegant climate solution
Henry Cooke and Luke Malpass (Stuff): Government sets deadline for farmer emissions
Jason Walls (Herald): Government to work with farmers on Emissions Trading Scheme but they avoid tax for now
Josie Adams (Spinoff): How much did they listen? Here’s what just happened to the Zero Carbon Bill
Farah Hancock (Newsroom): Could RMA reform spark environmental joy?
Amber-Leigh Woolf (Stuff): Protesters send plastic rubbish-filled parcels by freepost to MP
Laura Smith (ODT): Mataitai proponents questioned at meeting
Euthanasia
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Euthanasia referendum on the cards after tight vote in Parliament
Craig McCulloch (RNZ):End of Life Bill likely to go to a public vote at the next election
Anna Whyte (1News): New Zealanders step closer to euthanasia referendum at 2020 election
Zane Small (Newshub): MPs agree to put End of Life Choice Bill to referendum
Boris Jancic (Herald): Euthanasia bill to go to referendum after knife-edge vote in Parliament
Newshub: David Seymour confident Kiwis will back euthanasia in next year’s likely referendum
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Why NZ First are right and the Euthanasia law needs to be a public referendum
SkyCity fire
Michael Morrah (Newshub): ‘Appalling’: SkyCity workers criticise managers’ response to fire
Jessie Chiang (RNZ): SkyCity evacuation: Staff initially told they had to use annual leave
Mitch McCann (Newshub): It’s time we fight for our firefighters
Natalie Akoorie (Herald): Only one high ladder at SkyCity fire for two hours contributed to out of control blaze – union
RNZ: ‘No question’: APEC will be held in Auckland, despite SkyCity fire – PM
1News: PM says ‘plan has to be to restore’ SkyCity as fire continues to burn
Derek Cheng (Herald): Winston Peters: Convention Centre ‘extraordinarily unlikely’ to host Apec leaders
1News: ‘Plan B’ location being looked at for APEC 2021 as fire rips through SkyCity convention centre
Rob Stock (Stuff): Fire won’t threaten pokie deal
Derek Cheng (Herald): Parliament praises firefighters’ response to the ‘tragedy’ of SkyCity fire
Stuff: SkyCity Convention Centre fire: Jacinda Ardern hails ‘incredibly professional’ firefighters
1News: Auckland Mayor Phil Goff thanks firefighters, predicts city will return to normal by tomorrow
Anne Gibson (Herald): Convention Centre fire: ‘Tragic event for everyone involved’ – Sir John Key (paywalled)
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Outrage over Greenpeace boss Russel Norman’s bitter tweet about SkyCity fire
Derek Cheng (Herald): ‘Let it go, Russ’: Russel Norman flayed on Twitter over Auckland fire tweet
Nick Truebridge (Stuff): Auckland SkyCity Convention Centre fire: Civil Defence alert probed after some miss message
Chris Keall (Herald): SkyCity convention fire: Why not everybody got the mobile alert
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): SkyCity convention centre fire: Civil Defence defends emergency alert reception rate
Amanda Saxton (Stuff): ‘Am I being poisoned?’: Downtown Aucklanders suffer in the SkyCity fire smoke
Catrin Owen and Brittney Deguara (Stuff): SkyCity Auckland fire: Why is the smoke thick, black and toxic?
Jamie Morton (Herald):SkyCity fire: Health risks from toxic smoke explained
RNZ:SkyCity fire: Auckland CBD air quality monitor records sharp spike in air pollution
Caroline Williams (Stuff): SkyCity Convention Centre fire: Smoke could kill or leave 100,000 bees homeless
Lewis Holden (Noted): SkyCity fire leaves subbies in the lurch
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Tradies’ livelihoods possibly washed away in firefighting efforts
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): SkyCity fire: Litigation likely, construction expert warns (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Stuff): Fire may spark legal stoush
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Revealed: Nasdaq-listed insurance broker advising on SkyCity’s fire-ravaged convention centre
Jamie Gray and Duncan Bridgeman (Herald): Fletcher Building, SkyCity shares recover after early fall, insurance questions clarified (paywalled)
Maria Slade (Spinoff): How will the convention centre fire impact Fletcher Building – the corporate giant which cannot catch a break
Newshub: SkyCity convention centre fire: Full list of closures
Alex Braae (Spinoff): Bitumen, plywood and straw: on the aflame SkyCity Convention Centre roof
Herald Editorial: Auckland’s SkyCity Convention Centre must rise again from fire (paywalled)
Tiwai Point
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Is Rio Tinto calling the Government’s bluff?
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Rio Tinto has warned it may close the aluminium smelter – is it just a lot of noise? (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Tiwai Point: should it stay or should it go?
Southland Times Editorial: Smelter review sets up an anxious wait for Southland
David Hargreaves and Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Taxpayer support for New Zealand Aluminium Smelter not an option, says Energy Minister Megan Woods
Tom Pullar-Strecker & Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Bluff aluminium smelter could close taking power prices tumbling
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Owners of Tiwai Pt aluminium smelter seek talks with the Government, raising possibility of closure
Zane Small (Newshub): NZ’s only aluminium smelter seeks Government support amid ‘challenging’ market conditions
Brent Melville (ODT): Power politics of aluminium smelting
Brent Melville (ODT): Tiwai Point ‘on notice’ of closure
Brent Melville (ODT): Tiwai Point smelter review could affect up to 1000 jobs
RNZ: Future of Tiwai Point smelter up in the air
Jamie Gray (Herald): NZ sharemarket blindsided by Rio Tinto’s review of Tiwai Point smelter (paywalled)
No Right Turn: Close Tiwai Point
David Farrar: Will the Bluff smelter close?
Police
Victoria University of Wellington: Cops with guns will make us less safe
Ben Strang (RNZ): Police told bullying victim to retract statement or face legal action
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Police union warns MPs gangs and criminals with guns increasing risk to public
Tommy Livingston (Stuff): Father Gregory Boyle says compassion is the best approach to gangs
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): Cell death: doctor tells inquest he wasn’t told about head trauma
Newstalk ZB: Children’s Commissioner urges police to give up pursuits of young drivers (audio)
Transport
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Auckland’s light rail, an economic tragedy decades in the making
Dileepa Fonseka (Newsroom): Twyford’s dilemma: housing or a fast trip to the airport?
1News: Winston Peters and Simon Bridges joke over running race down Auckland’s Dominion Rd in underpants
Madeleine Chapman (Spinoff): New Zealand still bloody loves cars
Pattrick Smellie (Herald): Wellington airport and the Fascist Tube (paywalled)
Hawkes Bay Today: Rego blunder: Police Minister has been driving illegally for more than a month
NZ First
RNZ: The Detail: Where is NZ First heading next?
Michele Hewitson (Listener): NZ First minister Tracey Martin on her family’s tragic past
Housing
Isaac Davison (Herald): National blames ‘state house for life’ policy for growing waiting list. Officials say it’s not that simple (paywalled)
Zane Small (Newshub): Government figures show 200 fewer families purchased first home in August 2019
Jo McKenzie-McLean (Stuff): Last tenants at Queenstown campground scramble to find new homes
Local government
Janine Rankin (Manawatū Standard): Single transferable votes sorted the middle of the pack in city council elections
Debbie Jamieson (Stuff): Election recount sought in Queenstown, possible in Wellington, none in Kaikōura
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Shilo Kino (Bay of Plenty Times): Local Focus: Meet Tauranga’s youngest new councillor Jako Abrie
Charlotte Jones (RNZ): Dirty tidal pool ‘dangerous for children’ – scientist
Charlotte Jones (RNZ): Council opts for wind turbine in building’s $6.8m upgrade
Heta Gardiner (Māori TV): Rising political star has sights set on future mayoralty and Beehive
Gerald Piddock (Waikato Times): Russ Rimmington elected as new Waikato Regional Council chairman
Christina Persico (Taranaki Daily News): Holdom picks tried and trusted deputy for new council term in New Plymouth
Hawkes Bay Today:Annette Brosnan announced as Napier’s deputy mayor
Tom Hunt and Damian George (Dominion Post): Invalid votes tipped race for Wellington mayor in Foster’s favour
Damian George (Dominion Post): Election recount would result in anxious wait for three Wellington City councillors
David Farrar: Would Lester get a recount even if he applies for one?
Nicholas Boyack (Stuff): Hutt City swears in a young new mayor and six new councillors
Paul Gorman (Stuff): Which councillors are eyeing up the chair at Environment Canterbury?
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Three former MPs push for change with Otago Regional Council chair vote
Jono Edwards (ODT): ORC appointment shows desire for change, Hobbs says
Jono Edwards (ODT): From Labour minister to ORC chairwoman
ODT Editorial: Council expansion
John McKenzie (1News): Meet Dunedin’s new mayor, a 35-year-old hitch-hiking vegetarian
Terrorism bill
Claire Trevett (Herald): Andrew Little v National Party terrorism law tantrums a bad look (paywalled)
RNZ: Bridges v Little: War of words continues over terrorism bill
TV3 sale
Mark Jennings (Newsroom): Going public last play for Three
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Three’s always been on hiding to nothing (paywalled)
Health
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Cancer `Patient B’ speaks out in warning
Zane Small (Newshub): ‘You can’t ignore cost’: Pharmac bosses recognise drug-buying constraints, promise transparency
Piers Fuller (Stuff): Staff shortages at Wairarapa DHB put hospital into ‘code red’
RNZ: Measles spreads to Tonga from New Zealand
RNZ: Measles watch: American Samoa takes precautions
Immigration
Jo Moir (RNZ): Arranged marriages caught up in immigration policy changes
Mahina Hurkmans (Māori TV): ‘We are not discriminating the Indian community’ – Shane Jones
Justice, corrections
RNZ: Lawyer wins more payouts for ex-inmates – 15 years on
James Baker (Stuff): Cultural report sheds light on burglary spree, sees sentence reduced
Te reo Māori
RNZ: Digital platform to ease access of te reo Māori for 21st century conversations
Regan Paranihi (Māori TV): Te reo Māori gets a $13 mil boost
KiwiSaver
Rob Stock (Stuff): Fletcher Building, SkyCity and a small fire in your KiwiSaver fund
Rob Stock (Stuff): KiwiSaver funds still have exposure to nuclear weapons, research shows
Education
Jane Matthews (Taranaki Daily News): Three Taranaki schools being run by limited statutory managers
Katy Jones (Stuff): Job losses on the cards as NMIT considers closing eight programmes
Other
Guyon Espiner (RNZ): Govt gives Japanese-owned forestry company Pan Pac Forest Products free pass to buy NZ land
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Social fault lines to the fore as referendums loom
Tom Hunt (Stuff): Sexual harassment and bullying in the law pushes Law Society review
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff):Revenue Minister Stuart Nash queries IRD over ‘staff engagement rate’ of 29%
1News: Renewed calls from CTV families for building industry overhaul
Michael Hayward (Press): Christchurch ‘on sold’ owners warned of companies ‘clipping the ticket’ on payments
Laura Walters (Newsroom): A question of fairness over gun law reforms
Eric Crampton (Newsroom): The crippling cost of bureaucracy
Anna Whyte (1News): New party Sustainable NZ announces launch date
Barbara Dreaver (1News): Pacific Update: Tonga on measles alert and why Samoa’s caviar is in high demand
Mel Logan (Newshub): Awash with food but starving: The country’s largest food recovery warehouse is winding down
Skara Bohny (Stuff): Forum helps prepare South Island for Alpine Fault rupture
Hannah Bartlett (Nelson Mail): Young apprentice ‘gobsmacked’ to make Jacinda’s ring
Claire Trevett (Herald): Laura Clarke, the British diplomat who made history (paywalled)
