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.

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

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