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.
NZ First
Matt Shand (Stuff): ‘I am the dark shadow of NZ First’ – what party candidates claim Winston Peters’ lawyer said
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Winston Peters must tell — but Jacinda Ardern must ask (paywalled)
Jason Walls (Herald): Former NZ First party presidents say they had no idea the New Zealand First Foundation existed
Peter Dunne (Interest): The controversy over NZ First’s funding is already raising questions about how the reputation of the current Government may be affected
Bryce Edwards (Herald): Political Roundup: What’s going on with NZ First’s mysterious donations? (paywalled)
Derek Cheng (Herald): Q&A: NZ First donations saga (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Stonewalling on donations saga but many questions remain
Collette Devlin and Thomas Manch (Stuff): Fracas in Parliament as MPs spin on NZ First donations scandal
1News: ‘That’s for them’ – Ardern distances herself from funding scandal enveloping NZ First
Jason Walls (Herald): NZ First Leader Winston Peters’ lawyer Brian Henry threatens to sue a National MP for $30m (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (1News): Winston Peters’ lawyer threatens to sue Simon Bridges, Nick Smith for up to $30 million
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Winston Peters’ lawyer threatens National MPs with $30m lawsuit over NZ First Foundation allegations
RNZ: NZ First Foundation trustee threatens lawsuit against National leader and MP
Herald: PM Jacinda Ardern and Winston Peters answer questions this afternoon after Peter’s lawyer threatens to sue Simon Bridges, Nick Smith (video)
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Shane Jones ‘didn’t know’ NZ First lawyer Brian Henry was behind PGF bid
Charlie Dreaver (RNZ): National Party push PGF bosses on conflict of interest in application
Zane Small (Newshub): Shane Jones grilled on when he knew of NZ First-linked company’s Provincial Growth Fund bid
Jane Patterson (RNZ): NZ First donor not fussed on Foundation funding pathway
Herald:NZ First Foundation donor: ‘I clearly believed I was helping NZ First get in’
1News: Shane Jones downplays NZ First Foundation scandal by slamming ‘despicable’ media
Dominion Post Editorial: State funding of political parties one way to remove the doubt and questionable deals
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Ex-prime minister Jim Bolger calls for state funding of political parties after NZ First, National revelations
Derek Cheng (Herald): Big Read: Helen Clark weighs in on NZ First donations saga (paywalled)
Foreign affairs and trade
Claire Trevett (Herald): Bullet train to the G20: Winston Peters on Japan mission
Claire Trevett (Herald): Cautionary tale for NZ in Japan’s free trade deal with US (paywalled)
Kerry McDonald (Stuff): Symbols in place of substance are holding NZ back
Hongzhi Gao and Ivy Guo (The Conversation): NZ remains unscathed by US-China trade war, but that’s no reason for complacency
Zane Small (Newshub):APEC 2021: Greens oppose law letting foreign security agents carry restricted weapons
1News: Green MP lambastes bill allowing overseas agents to carry otherwise-illegal guns in NZ
Will Harvie (Stuff): Have cracks started to appear in the Antarctic Treaty?
Health
Guyon Espiner (RNZ): Call for inquiry into Pharmac’s epilepsy drug switch
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Cancer drugs advocate Malcolm Mulholland considers running for Parliament
Tema Hemi (Māori TV): Cancer advocate Malcolm Mulholland wants triple funding for Pharmac
Eleanor Wenman (Stuff): More than 900 patients harmed in New Zealand
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (RNZ): ‘Under-reporting’ of Māori patients who suffer adverse incidents in healthcare
RNZ: Disability commissioner critical of Parliament’s new playground
1News: Health Minister says it’s ‘really concerning’ multiple sunscreens failed Consumer NZ test
Imran Ali (Northern Advocate): Medical tourism plan to lure doctors to North amid growing shortage of GPs (paywalled)
Cannabis
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Proposal to favour Maori in cannabis reform is ‘crazy talk’ – Māori council executive director
Duncan Garner (Newshub): Māori health leaders’ desire to control marijuana market ‘bigoted crap
Pacific measles outbreak
RNZ: Measles: Samoa warns against anti-vaxxers
RNZ: Samoa open for business despite measles epidemic – Tourism group
RNZ: Measles immunisation campaign underway in Samoa
RNZ: Thousands queue for measles vaccination in Fiji
Housing
Listener Editorial: We need to face facts in the landlord vs tenant debate
Liam Dann (Herald): Big Read: Will they stay or will they go? LVRs under review
RNZ: The Detail: Our leaky buildings saga is a long way from sorted
ODT: No KiwiBuild transfer in Wanaka
Local government
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Ombudsman eyes new watchdog for councils
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): FMA issues warning about company keen to associate itself with Phil Goff
Matthew Hooton (Metro): Phil Goff’s legacy must be to fix the failed Super City model
Nick Truebridge (RNZ): Another 1000 residents needed to create ’24/7 town centre’ in South Auckland
1News: ‘Intimidation’ of public feared if Tauranga begging ban overturned – community advocate
Christina Persico (Taranaki Daily News): New Plymouth council work worth millions to local economy – report
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Tensions behind Wellington City Council’s code of conduct investigation revealed
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Council misses own deadline for information
Chris Morris (ODT): Boult eager to push DCC on helping fund Aurora’s upgrade
Immigration
Richard Harman (Politik): Tuning out Bridges’ dog-whistle
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Cabinet considered deporting parents of departing immigrants – documents
Aaron Martin (Stuff): Rules on partnership visas have been based on flawed thinking
1080
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): NZ First and the Greens disagree over 1080
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Funding for new technology will reduce the use of 1080, says NZ First
RNZ: Deer hunters decry 1080 drops over food safety risk
Environment and conservation
Farah Hancock (Newsroom): What killed the Westport rats?
Amber-Leigh Woolf (Stuff): Climate planning in Samoa surprises scientists, challenges Western perceptions
Debbie Jamieson (Stuff): Minister gives Christmas deadline to sort out Otago’s historic water problems
Jono Edwards (ODT): Security for Otago farmers unclear amid water plans
Michael Hayward (Stuff):Life rafts for critically endangered black-billed gulls drowning in flooded derelict building
ACC fossil fuels investments
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Calls mount for ACC to distance itself from fossil fuels, after Parliament report
Perry Wilton and James Fyfe (Newshub): Chlöe Swarbrick calls for ACC to divest from fossil fuels
Primary industries
Brad Dixon (Stuff): Intensive dairy farming is tarnishing NZ’s clean, green image
Samesh Mohanlall (Timaru Herald): Export cattle vigorously prepared for long transit by sea, farmers say
Michael Hayward (Stuff): Protesters plan flotilla to meet phosphate-laden cargo ship arriving in Christchurch
Hamish McLean (ODT): Dairy firm wants ocean wastewater outfall
Education
John Gerritsen (RNZ): How schools will try to work around the donation-ban plan
Elena McPhee (ODT): University silent over documentation check process
Jono Edwards (ODT): Medical school ‘derelict in its duties’: family
Toby Hills (Spinoff): Trainee doctors travelling on the taxpayer’s dime? It’s not as bad as you think
Simon Collins (Herald): Growing human brain cells boosted by $380 million University of Auckland fundraiser
Jake Kenny (Stuff): Royal Society elects Professor Anne-Marie Brady as first female political scientist
Welfare, child poverty
1News: Leading paediatrician tells John Campbell of disappointment at Govt’s progress on child poverty
RNZ: Checkpoint: Social Development Minister ‘working quickly as I can’ on welfare reforms
Ports of Auckland move
Dileepa Fonseka (Newsroom): Jones threatens Auckland Port CEO
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk):‘Surprising and ‘concerning’ conclusions in report on moving Auckland port
RNZ: Northland port study mocked as inadequate
Economy
Liam Dann (Herald): Jacinda Ardern serves up a breakfast of smashed avocado and change (paywalled)
Anuja Nadkarni (Stuff): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says economy is in ‘good heart’
Julie Iles (NBR): PM tells business leaders not to talk themselves ‘into a funk’ (paywalled)
SkyCity gambling
Taroi Black (Māori TV): Losing half million dollars as Skycity push for more pokies machines
Gerald Piddock (Stuff): Pokie-fueled gambling addiction cost Cambridge man his marriage and savings
Media
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): A Hail Mary pass from NZME
Brent Edwards (NBR): BBC-style broadcaster not necessarily the best solution (paywalled)
Damien Venuto (Herald): Online advertising is a vice. It should be taxed like booze and smokes (paywalled)
Police
Ben Strang (RNZ): Police welcome 1800th officer, government yet to meet second target
Dan Satherley and Perry Wilton (Newshub): Government only halfway to 1800 new cops target – Police Association
Audrey Young (Herald): Top brass turns out for milestone police graduation
1News: Government celebrates hitting target of 1800 new cops, but not all are convinced
Commerce Commission complaints
Herald: Commerce Commission reveals most complained-about industries
Brent Melville (ODT): Telecoms top commerce complaints
Erebus
Michael Wright (Stuff): White Silence: The ‘jinxed’ flight to bring Erebus victims home from Antarctica
Susan Strongman (RNZ): ‘Nimbys’ oppose Erebus park memorial: ‘You don’t drink a glass of wine next to a grave’
Royal tour
ODT Editorial: Are the Royals still relevant?
Liam Hehir (Pundit): The Monarchy Is Illegitimate, So We Should Keep It
Other
Chris Trotter: The Message From Messenger Park.
Shamubeel Eaqub (Stuff): Boomers need to accept we have a problem and act now to fix it
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Abuse inquiry: Survivor rejects Church leader’s ‘minimising’ of Michael Shirres attack
Simon Wilson (Herald): Underwater or in the air, it’s time to speed up transport planning (paywalled)
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Unclear EQC Act sees hundreds of millions remain in limbo, biting kiwi insurer
1News: Arms dealer who says he sold ammo to accused mosque shooter says gun restrictions ‘effectively destroyed’ business
Rob Stock (Stuff): New Zealand households have become better at living within their means
Benje Patterson (Interest): Kiwis owe $92,000 for every man, woman and child
David Farrar: Green Party submission on Standing Orders
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Can NZ Greens do what Elizabeth Warren has done and step beyond Identity Politics to challenge neoliberalism?
Michael Reddell: Championing social democracy not productivity
RNZ: Corrections apologise over mosque shooting accused’s letters
Zane Small (Newshub): Labour MPs fire up as National’s Nick Smith probes officials on 2020 cannabis, euthanasia referendums
Māori TV: Tuia250 brings Endeavour replica southward
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Stephen Colbert’s New Zealand Week gives us exposure money can’t buy
Maria Slade (Spinoff): The brokers, the Ardern attack ‘joke’, and the spectre of a bad-meme elect
Herald: Microsoft adds te reo Māori to translator app, joining over 60 international languages
Bryce Wilkinson and Eric Crampton (Stuff): It’s not in our national interest to drive away investment from foreigners
RNZ: Tongan democrats in NZ hit back over death threat claim
RNZ: Cook Islands ‘anti-gay’ bill needs review
