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 donations scandal
Matt Shand (Stuff): A wine box, a deep throat and a dumpster – the trail that led to the NZ First donations scandal
John Armstrong (1News): Opinion: Ardern’s making a royal hash of distancing herself from Peters and NZ First drama
Audrey Young (Herald): Winston Peters has been relatively constrained – so far (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Why NZ First is letting down its supporters
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Full transparency crucial on party donations (paywalled)
Bryce Edwards (Herald): Political Roundup: NZ First scandal raises integrity issues for the Government (paywalled)
Andrew Geddis (The Conversation): NZ deputy PM under fire, but maintains no laws broken in party donations scandal
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Labour should protect Ardern’s brand (paywalled)
Duncan Garner (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern faces litmus test over Winston Peters
Jason Walls (Herald): NZ First refuses to answer questions over the upcoming Electoral Commission meeting
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Winston Peters’ ‘fake news’ attack video: a close analysis
Derek Cheng (Herald): NZF donations: Winston Peters unleashes on ‘fake news’
Ann Whyte (1News): Beset by multiple NZ First controversies, Deputy PM Winston Peters threatens to ‘sort out media’
Zane Small (Newshub): Winston Peters echoes Donald Trump blasting ‘fake news’ in social media video
Dan Satherley (Newshub): NZ First donation scandal: Judith Collins says ‘the truth will come out’
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Simon Bridges rejects state funding of political parties

Prisoner voting ban, corrections, justice
Andrew Geddis (Spinoff): The reversal of the prisoner voting ban is a big, brave move, and especially sweet for two men
Chester Borrows (Spinoff): Tough on crime’ rhetoric is cheap, easy and terrifyingly effective
Liz Gordon (Daily Blog): Votes for all
Maiki Sherman (1News): Opinion: Prison voting reform reversing ‘stuffy old law’
David Farrar: Government wants prisoners voting for 2020
Maiki Sherman (1News): Exclusive: Government to restore prisoner voting rights in time for 2020 Election
RNZ: Justice Minister announces prisoners serving less than three years in jail will have voting rights restored
Aroha Mane (Māori TV): Prisoners to get back right to vote
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Prisoners to have voting rights restored before 2020 election
Isaac Davison (Herald): Prisoners serving sentences of less than three years to vote at 2020 election
Harrison Christian (Stuff): Prisoner voting rights to be restored ahead of 2020 election
Dan Satherley (Newshub): National takes hard line on prisoner voting, at odds with courts, Waitangi Tribunal
Sae Strang (Newshub): Parliament ‘entitled’ to strip prisoners’ right to vote, regardless of Bill of Rights – Simon Bridges
RNZ: Simon Bridges vows to rescind voting rights for prisoners
Collette Devlin (Stuff): National Party wants to make working in prisons compulsory
Sam Farrell (Newshub): Department of Corrections to call inmates ‘men in our care’ not ‘prisoners’
Newshub: National says Corrections’ new words a joke
Lisa Marriott (Stuff): Why courts should take poverty into account in sentencing decisions
Rob Kidd (ODT): Sex attacker sent victim letters from prison
Derek Cheng (Herald): National: Crime victims should be automatically told of offender’s release (paywalled)
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Independent review into ‘dysfunctional’ management at Spring Hill prison finds lack of cohesion and transparency
1News: Convicted sex offender Peter Ellis’ fight for appeal continues beyond the grave

Grace Millane trial
Lisette Reymer (Newshub): Andrew Little calls out Google for latest suppression breaches
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Warning after New Zealanders breach murderer’s name suppression
RNZ: Call to name man convicted of killing Grace Millane
Sae Strang (Newshub): Reporting of intimate details inappropriate – law expert
Sasha Borissenko (Herald): Did law need to make Grace Millane’s private life so painfully public?
Anna Connell (RNZ): It’s time to redraw the boundaries on court cases that define women
Samantha Keene (Guardian): Women’s sexual histories have no place in a murder trial, as Grace Millane case shows
Kirsty Johnston (Herald): We can’t win: What the Grace Millane trial says about women and sex (paywalled)
Sophie Beaumont (Newsroom): Why victims’ sexual history is irrelevant
Edward O’Driscoll (Newshub): White Ribbon calls for changes to justice system

Stuff/YouGov poll
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Poll leaves Jacinda Ardern with option to govern with Greens or NZ First
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Labour ahead while National dips below 40 in new Stuff poll

Labour Party
Morgan Godfery (Spinoff): Only one parliamentary party lacks a Māori leader. Here’s how they fix it
Tina Law (Press): Labour selects Tracey McLellan as 2020 Port Hills candidate

National Party
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Jami-Lee Ross claims National MPs face ‘repercussions’ if they miss fundraising targets
Cherie Sivignon (Nelson Mail): Nick Smith confirmed as National candidate for Nelson in 2020 election
Paul Mitchell (Stuff): National Party selects 17-year-old William Wood as Palmerston North candidate for 2020 election
David Farrar: 17 year old wins four way selection
Derek Cheng (Herald): 17-year-old to stand for National in Palmerston North
RNZ: National Party picks 17-year-old to stand in Palmerston North
John-Michael Swannix (Newshub): Backstory: Nicola Willis (video)

Parliament, week in politics
Peter Wilson (RNZ):Week in Politics: NZ First’s ‘slush fund’ dominates the week
1News: Inside Parliament: NZ First’s donation déjà vu, growing export demand for bottled water and Ihumātao (video)
Tom O’Connor (Stuff): Throwing democracy to the people

Ports of Auckland move
Simon Wilson (Herald): Revealed: John Key and Helen Clark join forces to shift the port (paywalled)
Jo Moir (RNZ): Auckland port move: Helen Clark and John Key back Northport initiative
Dan Satherley and Grace Cocker (Newshub): John Key, Helen Clark throw support behind moving Auckland’s port north
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland Port move: CEO decries ‘made up facts’ by pro-move group
Tony Gibson (Herald): Ports of Auckland CEO: Wayne Brown’s report a ‘jumble of made-up facts’ (paywalled)

Local government
1News: Lack of Māori being voted onto local body councils called out as racism
Susan Botting (RNZ): Northland Regional Council increases Māori input
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Phil Goff’s review of council-controlled organisations costing up $800,000
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland Council agency review: $800k and done by July
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland Councillor pay: Salaries to rise again
RNZ: Auckland Council communications staff numbers decline
Gary Farrow (Waikato Times): Deputy mayor of Waipā will earn $10k less than her male predecessor
Janine Rankin (Manawatū Standard): Palmerston North voters are getting the hang of STV
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Email leak: Wellington city councillor Simon Woolf and CE Kevin Lavery clash again
Cherie Sivignon (Nelson Mail): Permanent chlorination may be in the pipeline for Tasman District water supplies
Dominic Harris (Stuff): Secrets and lies: Will the public ever know what Christchurch City Council was hiding?
Barry Clarke (Star News): Opinion: Council’s secret service brigade
Logan Savory (Southland Times): Lawyer pushes to ‘put Invercargill City Council on notice’

Foreign affairs and trade
Claire Trevett  (Herald): Foreign Minister Winston Peters explains tweets by NZ First leader. Sort of (paywalled)
Claire Trevett (Herald): Winston Peters calls out some G20 countries on trade, climate change
Claire Trevett (Herald): Optimism US trade talks on the horizon, says Winston Peters (paywalled)
Claire Trevett (Herald): Japanese company develops environment-friendly edible plates and coffee cups

Education
Steve Elers (Stuff): Medical school rort is fraud and students misusing taxpayer money should be reported to the police
Emma Espiner (Newsroom): Entitled little pricks
ODT: University culture woes
Jessica Long (Stuff): Victoria University of Wellington green goals could pick academics’ pockets
Jo McKenzie-McLean (Stuff): Government to keep close watch over Lincoln University’s $80m handout
1News: New Zealand’s only vet tech degree cancelled due to lack of funding
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Bronwyn Wood and Kate Thornton (Newsroom): Has Tomorrow’s Schools review gone far enough?
Alex Braae (Spinoff): National MP alleges ‘state sponsored brainwashing’ over NCEA question
RNZ: Student rubbishes claim NCEA text ‘brainwashing’ students
Scott Palmer (Newshub): NZQA accused of ‘brainwashing’ over ‘anti-farmer’ question in English exam
Dan Satherley and Delphine Herbert (Newshub): National calls for political ‘balance’ in school exam questions
Simon Collins (Herald): NCEA maths exam mistake: National Party calls for independent review
Simon Collins (Herald): NCEA maths paper shocks even ‘excellence’ students, baffles teachers
Dubby Henry (Herald): NCEA maths exam fury: Can you answer the questions that baffled students, teachers?
RNZ: Students faced mistake in NCEA Level 2 maths exam

Welfare
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Carmel Sepuloni defends not boosting benefits
Sahiban Hyde (Herald): Emergency housing: MSD steps in after motel bans children from playground, pool (paywalled)
Finn Hogan (Newshub): The Pitch: Louise Upston on National’s plan for welfare
Dan Satherley and Delphine Herbert (Newshub): Work and Income urged to stop cutting benefits when people find partners
Carmen Hall (Herald): Rotorua becoming a ‘slum’ as motels overrun with beneficiaries, leader claims (paywalled)

Media
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Should the Government save New Zealand media?
Nik Dirga (Stuff): New Zealand’s media landscape: ‘The future isn’t advertising’
Guy Williams (Stuff): Why the outlook for New Zealand’s media is bleak
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Do cunning and clever ads cut through?
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Travel bucks the trend bringing big bucks for print media
Shilo Kino (Spinoff): A day in the life of a Māori journalist
RNZ: The Detail: Shooting the messenger – when journalists raise drugs in sport

Immigration
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): New Zealand govt ignored UN recommendations to increase African refugees
Amelia Wade (Herald): NZeTA tourist visa ripoff: Immigration NZ and Google take action against dodgy websites

Behrouz Boochani
Philip Matthews (Stuff): National portrait: Behrouz Boochani, writer and refugee
Philip Matthews (Stuff): ‘You reacted with kindness’: Behrouz Boochani reflects on terror attack aftermath

Provincial Growth Fund 
Perry Wilton and Dan Satherley (Newshub): Stewart Island wind turbines to cut diesel use
Rachael Kelly (Southland Times): Provincial Growth Fund bankrolls two wind turbines for Stewart Island

Cannabis
Sophie Trigger (Stuff): ‘We don’t know what we don’t know’ on medicinal cannabis
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Treaty gives Māori the right to profit off cannabis – Willie Jackson
Zane Small (Newshub): Medical cannabis expert’s message to ‘sceptical’ politicians: ‘We owe it to people suffering’

Health
Nicholas Jones (Herald): Jenny-May Clarkson’s heartbreak over brother’s bowel cancer death: ‘It has a ripple effect’ (paywalled)
Eleisha Foon (RNZ): Report critical over lack of action on dire state of public hospitals
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Rising cost of failure to digitise healthcare system
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (RNZ): Māori graduates ‘the future of nursing’
Brian Pointon (Herald): A hundred years of children’s health camps (paywalled)
Melissa Davey (Guardian): Australian and New Zealand teenagers among most inactive in the world
Mariné Lourens (Stuff): Nine out of 10 Kiwi teens are not active enough, study reveals
Jamie Morton (Herald): The Big Read: Three crucial questions facing young Kiwis (paywalled)
Lucy Warhurst (Newshub): Research shows not enough New Zealanders understand dementia
Phil Taylor (Herald): We are a nation of comfort eaters, big food survey reveals (paywalled)
Herald Editorial: When it comes to fast food, we know what love is (paywalled)

Pacific measles outbreak
RNZ: NZ fundraiser for Samoa measles victims
RNZ: Samoa measles death toll hits 20; eleven children critical
RNZ: Alternative therapists push ‘healing water’ amid measles crisis in Samoa
RNZ: Samoa measles: Unvaccinated pregnant women told to stop work
RNZ: Fiji measles cases rises to 10
RNZ: Measles: Warning over Fiji’s limited vaccine supply

Ōwairaka Mt Albert trees
Mihingarangi Forbes (The Hui): Meet the activists trying to stop native trees being planted on Mt Albert
The Hui: Should exotic trees be felled to make way for natives?
Kit Howden (Herald): Change of focus needed in the parks of Auckland (paywalled)
RNZ: Hui to be held before removal of trees in Mt Albert

Environment
Angela Cuming (Guardian): Why New Zealand’s west coast is pushing back against Ardern climate laws
David Williams (Newsroom): Cattle prod: Decision delay needles knight
Samesh Mohanlall (Timaru Herald): Protesters refuse to leave offshore supply vessel in Timaru
1News: Protestors continue demonstration against Austrian ship in Timaru Harbour
Kaysha Brownlie (Newshub): 30 protesters join Greenpeace campaign in Timaru to stop New Zealand oil exploration
RNZ: Environmental protesters storm oil ship in Timaru
Felix Desmarais (Stuff): Miramar likely to become first predator-free urban area in the world by New Year

Primary industries
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Shane Jones wants a ‘blue highway’ and Special Economic Zone at Hicks Bay
RNZ: Japanese forestry firm fined after waste washed into Tolaga Bay
Rob Stock (Stuff): Fonterra waste audit reveals dairy packaging is recycling problem
Mark Price (ODT): Honey surplus points to problems

Public sector
Damian George (Stuff): Fifteen of New Zealand’s 32 public service departments sign up to flexible work scheme
Julie Iles (NBR): Inequality expert weighs in on public sector bosses’ big pay packets (paywalled)

Economy
Priscilla Dickinson (Newshub): OECD growth forecasts show NZ is in good shape – report
Liam Dann (Herald): ASB: Slowdown not over yet, Government needs to do more

Tuia 250, early Pākehā settlement
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): Te Ātiawa welcome Tuia 250 to the South
Tracy Neal (RNZ): Cook’s Endeavour, Tahitian explorer welcomed at Ship Cove
1News: Captain Cook’s rich history with the tiny bay of Meretoto, in Queen Charlotte Sounds
Ian Smith (ODT): Signs of the Pakeha
Ian Smith (E-Tangata): Not one iota of evidence

Housing
Jimmy Ellingham (Manawatū Standard): Government proposals to give more rights to renters long overdue
Anne Gibson (Herald): Landlords v tenants: How legislative change could affect 1.5m lives and $171b sector (paywalled)

Stephen Colbert
1News: Stephen Colbert’s series could bring more tourists to NZ shores, experts say
Herald Editorial: Jacinda Ardern and Stephen Colbert’s special relationship (paywalled)
RNZ: Stephen Colbert tackles Kiwi sporting culture
Stuff: Stephen Colbert’s week-long showcase of New Zealand comes to an end
Herald: NZ’s Colbert publicity coup comes to an end after week-long run on The Late Show

Royal tour
Emily O’Connell (Newshub): Royal tour: Prince Charles addresses mosque attack victims in Christchurch
Eleisha Foon (RNZ): Prince Charles praises students’ efforts after Christchurch mosque shootings
Emily Brookes (Stuff): PM: ‘No current plan’ to review Prince Andrew’s NZ Army role
AP: Watch: Prince Charles ignores question about shamed brother Andrew in Christchurch
RNZ: Prince Charles says state of global environment at a tipping point

Erebus
Cherie Howie (Herald): Faces of Erebus: Families tell the stories of the 257 victims (paywalled)
Herald: Erebus Flight 901: Litany of Lies. Episode 7: “Whiteout – that’s what killed them”
1News: Memorial service marks 40 years since NZ’s worst aviation disaster
Press Editorial: Locals shouldn’t block the Erebus memorial

Ultra-fast Broadband
RNZ: Ultra-fast broadband now reaches a million households
Stuff: First phase of government’s Ultra-Fast Broadband Scheme complete

Mongrel Mob
Doug Laing (Hawkes Bay Today): The hardest job in PR? Hawke’s Bay woman’s role in making the Mob look good
Florence Kerr (Stuff): Waikato Mongrel Mob’s gangster bark refined for public consumption

Other
Thomas Manch (Stuff): More than 50,000 working households live in poverty, new report reveals
Pete George: Distribution of 2017 Maori Party votes by district
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Tread carefully if tax is back on the agenda
Kelly Dennett (Stuff): Police use National Intelligence Application to call domestic violence complainant a liar
Liam Dann (Herald): Busting New Zealand’s ageing population myth (paywalled)
Eric Crampton (Stuff): Why gender diversity in the boardroom won’t always please investors
John Gascoigne (Herald): How compulsory superannuation keeps retirees poor (paywalled)
Paula Penfold and Eugene Bingham (Stuff): The doctor helping victims of war get back on their feet
David Slack (Stuff): Where a culture can take you
Phil Quin (Stuff): My life in politics has been a long march away from certainty
RNZ: Abuse survivor wants culture change in church, not resignations
Sae Strang (Newshub): Selfless kebab shop owner told to stop feeding the homeless
David Farrar: Sexual Orientation Demographics 2018
John Lewis (ODT): Queen Victoria statue vandalised in Treaty protest
Kate MacNamara (Stuff): Big rule changes for banks expected on December 5
Taroi Black (Māori TV): “Hidden agendas that create racist policies” – Youth advocate
Rob Stock (Stuff): Class action by owners of buildings clad in ‘combustible’ panels being lined up
Madison Reidy (RNZ): Call to join class action against fire-risk cladding makers
John Roughan (Herald): Too much infrastructure can be as crippling as too little (paywalled)
Samantha Olley (Rotorua Daily Post): Rotorua Māori Wardens Community Trust share why they do the job (paywalled)
Lincoln Tan (Herald): Pride to return to Ponsonby as a walking parade in 2020
Ellen O’Dwyer (Stuff): Ohinewai dreams ahead: The Sleepyhead plan that will change a Waikato town
Jonathan Young (Stuff): Taranaki 2050 Roadmap may have a few bumps in the road ahead
Herald: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on having her wisdom teeth taken out

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