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
Newshub-Reid Research poll
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): National and Labour neck-and-neck in new Newshub-Reid Research poll
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): National-New Zealand First voters want parties to work together, Newshub-Reid Research poll shows
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Simon Bridges breaks 10 percent as preferred Prime Minister
Herald: Newshub Reid Research political poll translates to close contest
David Farrar: Latest poll
RNZ/TVNZ merger
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Mediawatch: Minister lifts the lid on public media plan – a little
Bernard Lagan (Noted): The RNZ-TVNZ merger should look to the Aussie model
Luke Malpass (Stuff): The future of NZ media: What now for Government media policy
Duncan Greive (Spinoff): The RNZ/TVNZ merger is on. The rest of the media should be very afraid
Mark Jennings (Newsroom): TVNZ and RNZ now in a waiting game
Dita De Boni (NBR): Advertisers assured of slots on TVNZ post merger with RNZ (paywalled)
Jason Walls (Herald): RNZ-TVNZ possible merger: Government green-lights a study looking into the creation of a new size public media company
Ireland Hendry-Tennent and Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Public media shake-up: Government could merge RNZ, TVNZ into super-sized broadcaster
Steven Walton (Stuff): RNZ and TVNZ merger possible as minister announces approval for business case
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Govt explores case for new public broadcaster
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Faafoi tasks PwC to investigate the case for TVNZ/RNZ merger (paywalled)
TVNZ: Government announces business case study to evaluate proposed merger of TVNZ, RNZ
RNZ Concert FM backlash
Audrey Young (Herald): Govt takes cover from Clark and Cullen under flimsy shelter (paywalled)
Finlay Macdonald (Stuff): Plan to ditch RNZ Concert for a ‘youth’ station is a bad idea
James Tibbles (Newsroom): RNZ Concert more than ratings and revenue
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Mediawatch: RNZ changing its tune for music
Press Editorial: Youth radio killed the classical star
Damien Venuto (Herald): ‘Killing a museum’: Should RNZ stick with Concert?
Ben Thomas (Spinoff): Why it is politically hard to care about the arts
Russell Brown: Rage and change: RNZ’s music problem
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): You forget how much this country genuinely hates young people until the entitlement of something like Concert FM gets challenged
Anuja Nadkarni (Stuff): Helen Clark calls on ministers to take action over RNZ’s plans to gut Concert
Jason Walls (Herald): Former Prime Minister Helen Clark wants Ministers to scrap plans to ditch Concert FM
Herald: Petition soars as opposition hardens against gutting of RNZ’s Concert programme
Andre Chumko (Stuff): Dame Kiri Te Kanawa slams ‘controlling’ RNZ executives over proposed Concert changes
Joanne Carroll (Stuff): Axing of Concert FM ‘disenfranchising’ for older RNZ listeners
Oscar Kightley (Stuff): You can’t shut down RNZ Concert, it’s my new favourite station
RNZ: Don’t assume youth don’t like classical music, charity founder says
RNZ: RNZ Concert change ‘a great loss for classical, art sector’
Newstalk ZB: Classic musicians oppose plans to axe RNZ Concert
National Party, National-NZ First relationship
John Armstrong (TVNZ): Shane Jones facing uphill battle to reclaim Northland for NZ First
Audrey Young (Herald): How Simon Bridges has made Shane Jones the most important MP in NZ (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Why National has changed NZ First
Listener Editorial: NZ First will be fighting for its life in the coming election
Newshub: National leader Simon Bridges still made the right call ruling out Winston Peters – political commentator
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): What Simon Bridges ruling out NZ First will inadvertently do and how he has helped angry progressives love Jacinda again
Andrew Gunn (Stuff): There’s no way we’ll do an election deal, no way at all
Claire Trevett (Herald): National Party’s Chris Luxon on God, John Key, ambition and sniffing capsicums (paywalled)
Tina Law (Press): National MP ‘completely munted’ but elated to finish gruelling Coast to Coast
NZ First
Scott Palmer (Newshub): NZ First to lay police complaint over ‘massive breach’ of information
Thomas Manch (Stuff): NZ First prepares to file police complaint over ‘massive breach’ of party information
Election, week in politics
Morgan Godfery: Here are the seven winners in the Māori seats
Brent Edwards (NBR): Why David Seymour is dancing his way to the polls (paywalled)
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): ACT and the political price of free speech
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Boris Johnson puts our Govt to shame (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Election year power plays – forget kind, this is politics
Alex Braae (Spinoff): Faafoi goes list only: What it could mean for the government and his electorate
Michael Daly (Stuff): Cabinet Minister Kris Faafoi to run as list candidate, to ‘make way for a new Labour MP’
RNZ: Labour MP for Mana Kris Faafoi says he will run as a list candidate at this year’s election
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Dunedin South candidate selection to be contested
David Farrar: A challenge in Manurewa
Māori TV: Māori Party’s Che Wilson excited by efforts to return party to parliament
Heta Gardiner (Māori TV): Meka Whaitiri being shoulder tapped to stand for Māori Party
Peter Wilson (RNZ): Week in politics: Fighting talk from Peters
Waitangi Day, Māori land
Bryce Edwards (Herald): Political Roundup: The new depoliticised mood of Waitangi Day (paywalled)
Leonie Hayden (Spinoff): Waitangi Day without the politicians is the best Waitangi Day of all
Shilo Kino (Guardian): Māori have been robbed of our identity and our land – we must fight to get them back
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): The long and winding road to Maori land reform (paywalled)
Steve Braunias’ (Herald): Secret Diary of Waitangi (paywalled)
Miriama Aoake (Stuff): The ways in which Māori communicate the discomfort of Waitangi Day is still subject to colonial distortion
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Brian Tamaki deserves ‘slap’ after immigrant parasite comments – Willie Jackson
Aroha Mane (Māori TV): Rangitāne celebrates return of beloved Pūkaha forest
Phil Goff email hack
David Fisher (Herald): Phil Goff’s emails hacked – 15,000 emails over 12 years offered for sale
Herald Editorial: Phil Goff’s emails – why we published today’s story (paywalled)
Stuff: Phil Goff must submit hacked emails to independent investigators, says John Banks
David Farrar: Goff’s e-mails
Local government
Liz McDonald (Press): Kaila Colbin resigns from ChristchurchNZ board after festival deal signed
Todd Niall (Stuff): Council staff must beware of those bearing gifts
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland hotel rate: Mayor Phil Goff’s ‘levy’ survives High Court challenge
Edward O’Driscoll (Newshub): Auckland’s controversial bed tax is here to stay
TVNZ: Court throws out lawsuit challenging Auckland Council over ‘bed tax’
TVNZ: Auckland Council spends $4m on graffiti removal, but is that how our streets should look?
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Rates hike for Airbnb operators on cards
Felix Desmarais (Stuff): Survey: Only thirty per cent of residents think Rotorua Lakes Council is delivering on 2030 goals
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Hobbs defends ORC staff against criticism
Peter Newport (Crux): ZQN.7 – Half million dollar QLDC consultants’ tangled web
Peter Newport (Crux): QLDC contractors – $388,672,685 in 3 years. We focus on ZQN.7
Mike Moore
Jane Clifton (Listener): Mike Moore: 1949-2020
Shane te Pou (Stuff): My mate Mike – great politician, best kind of friend
Damien Grant (Stuff): Mike Moore helped usher in economic reform that brought NZ back from the brink of economic collapse
Coronavirus
TVNZ: Impact of coronavirus having significant effect on NZ’s trade relationship with China
Rahul Sen (The Conversation): Why New Zealand is more exposed than others to the economic chills of China’s coronavirus outbreak
Liam Dann (Herald): Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr faces big coronavirus challenge
Liam Dann (Herald): Why we shouldn’t panic about coronavirus (paywalled)
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Treasury flags impact of coronavirus on tourism and education sectors
Julie Iles (NBR): Workaround sought as international students panic over coronavirus travel restriction (paywalled)
RNZ: New coronavirus helpline set up after calls to Healthline soar
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Coronavirus: New Zealand nurses can refuse to work if worried about safety – union
Anuja Nadkarni (Stuff): Coronavirus: What are workers’ rights if the outbreak hits New Zealand?
Nikki Preston (Herald): Kiwi passenger gobsmacked over lack of checks entering NZ
Jess Fu (RNZ): As coronavirus spreads, so does racism and xenophobia
TVNZ: Number of people in NZ self-isolation at 385, health ministry says
TVNZ: Thousands of Kiwis in coronavirus self-isolation after arriving from China this week
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Coronavirus: 385 people ‘self-isolating’ in New Zealand – Healthline
RNZ: Second New Zealander diagnosed with Wuhan coronavirus onboard cruise ship in Japan
RNZ: New Zealanders fear being barred from homes in Australia over virus outbreak
John Weekes (Stuff): Quarantined: A sordid, sickly, sad underside of New Zealand history
Primary industries
Andrea Vamce (Stuff): NZ govt accused of proposing “shameful” new fishing rules
Bevan Hurley (Stuff): Once bountiful seabeds around the Hauraki Gulf have been driven to near destruction by dredging
1News: NZ Pork disgruntled with upcoming food regulation changes
Environment and conservation
Lois Williams (RNZ): West Coasters decimating their wetlands, conservation groups claim
Farah Hancock (Newsroom): At home in our vanishing wetlands
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): 2020 greenhouse emissions projections jump in latest report
RNZ: Govt’s lack of data on state sector carbon emissions criticised
No Right Turn: Climate Change: Sound public policy reasons for transparency
Laura Walters (Newshub): Lower Hutt residents concerned by level of climate change ‘managed retreat’ consultation
Marnie Prickett (Herald): PM must remember river promises this election (paywalled)
TVNZ: Public urged to be vigilant as toxic algae detected in many NZ rivers
Karen Davis (Spinoff): There is an alternative: Saving the environment without saving capitalism
Rod Oram (Newsroom): Learning to embrace a different worldview
Jamie Morton (Herald): Aucklanders urged to cut water use as demand soars
Danielle Clent (Stuff): Auckland water shortage: Residents urged to take shorter showers
RNZ: Auckland water shortages causing logistics nightmare
TVNZ: Emergency water supplies available for Aucklanders with dry tanks
Aaron van Delden (RNZ): Gisborne water use soars and supplies low, following heatwave
Denise Piper (Stuff):Northland drought: Schools might close if Kaikohe’s water runs dry
RNZ: Fire ban declared in Taranaki, Whanganui and Ruapehu
Housing
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): $26 million of unsold KiwiBuild houses on Govt’s books
Leighton Keith (Stuff): Government spends almost $100 million on emergency housing in nine months
Sarah Robson (RNZ): Accommodation supplement: $1.4m underpayment affected more than 1000 people
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Wellington’s housing crisis taking ‘huge toll’ on people with disabilities
Rob Stock (Stuff): Tenancy Tribunal’s message for landlords who evict tenants out of spite
TVNZ: Northland hotel changes business model to help homeless – ‘A hub for our whānau in need’
Health
Nicholas Jones (Herald): Government inaction left door open to measles outbreak: Ministry of Health report
Ben Heather (Stuff): Wellington among worst place in the country to get a medical scan
Mike Houlahan (ODT): SDHB budget deadline not aligned with funding data
RNZ: Government commits $300,000 to fund AIDS research
TVNZ: Govt commits $300,000 to fund Aids research
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): PM visits Big Gay Out to announce HIV funding
Herald: Jacinda Ardern sets out details for $1m endowment fund to help gay youth
Glenn Colquhoun (Spinoff): Māui’s Fish: a view of the NZ health system from the end of a corridor in a Levin hospital
Lois Williams (RNZ): Overdue Greymouth hospital expected to open soon
Dominic Harris (Stuff): Mum fears for disabled daughter’s care as axe looms over healthcare provider
Dave Macpherson: We’re not seeing on-the-ground action on mental health, David….
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): Unique Māori mental health approach recognised for awards
Transport, road safety
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Several core transport IT systems ‘past end of life’
Herald: Union wants apology after non-NZ contractors told to work Waitangi Day
RNZ: NZTA testing new footpath markings to resolve e-scooter concerns
Jake Kenny (Stuff): Electric scooter injuries cost NZ taxpayers $7 million in 15 months
Eric Crampton (Stuff): Here’s why congestion charging could be the answer to traffic woes
Newshub: Hopes new police pursuit app could save lives
TVNZ: ‘Eating profit like a horse’ – Shane Jones slams Auckland Airport’s board over runway closures
Southland flooding
RNZ: Southland flooding aftermath: Minister to assess damage, civil defence reaching out
Dave Goosselink (Newshub): More government support for Southland flood clean-up
Education
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Student loan interest ‘saddening and heartbreaking’
Richard Meadows (Stuff): Is declaring bankruptcy on student loans worth it?
Mandy Te (Stuff): Victoria University of Wellington spends nearly half a million dollars on brand ‘refresh’
Aaron Leaman (Waikato Times): Waikato med school proposal a potential vote catcher
ODT Editorial: School squeeze
Hawkes Bay Today: What free school lunches means for Hawke’s Bay school trialling the Govt initiative (paywalled)
Mikaela Collins (Northern Advocate): Mixed feelings in Northland over proposal to hike teachers’ registration fees
Immigration
RNZ: Slavery and human trafficking trial begins today
Dileepa Fonseka (Newsroom): Immigration ‘disaster’ waiting to happen
TVNZ: Chinese mother who was given forced abortion granted refugee status in New Zealand
Pride
George Block (Stuff): Auckland Pride: Huge turnout, jubilation as march comes full circle
RNZ: Thousands turn out for gay pride march in Auckland
Kethaki Masilamani (Newshub): Rainbow hubs: How Pride organisers are creating safe spaces
Justice
Steve Kilgallon (Stuff): Prison ruined this accountant’s life – but the evidence suggests he could be innocent
Tim McKinnel (Stuff): Gail Maney injustice the worst New Zealand has seen
Kelly Dennett (Stuff): Disruptor Ruth Money’s mission to change the justice system
Other
Matt Nippert (Herald): Revealed: The $41m annual subsidy that Sir Peter Jackson’s Weta Group argued not to release (paywalled)
Richard Harman (Politik): Damning final verdict on McCully’s Saudi sheep deal
Nicola Martin (Stuff): It’s time to open the doors of political lobbying and donations
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Greens push for most powerful labour law as Government negotiates on Fair Pay Agreements
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): GST is the most unloved tax, but it underpins our entire welfare system
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Insight: How NZ would fare during a world catastrophe
TVNZ: Understanding ‘slacktivism’ psychology: When online support fizzles out before making a difference
Rob Stock (Stuff): The ‘left behind’ children of China’s toy factories
Charlotte Jones (Stuff): Community meets with Bay of Plenty water bottlers
Hawkes Bay Today: 12 year-old raises gang concerns while Nash defends police actions
Sam Hurley (Herald): Grace Millane case: Auckland businessman Leo Molloy pleads not guilty to breaching suppression
Mitch McCann (Newshub): Emergency and military services could lose liquor licences exemptions
TVNZ: New Zealand receives 3000 more international passenger arrivals despite coronavirus outbreak
TVNZ: Should New Zealand ditch the royal family and become a republic?
Deena Coster (Stuff): Animal rights campaigner claims truckies dumped cow effluent near protesters
Rob Stock (Stuff): Top NZ lawyer closed his family trust and others should follow suit
Harry Lock (RNZ): Wellington Underground market’s impending closure hits vendors hard
Florence Kerr and Thomas Manch (Stuff): Arrested soldier continues to share white nationalist material
Michael Moore-Jones (Newsroom): What’s really at stake in book-culling decision
Bruce Logan (Herald): God save our national anthem (paywalled)
Stuff: Sir Bob Jones’ defamation claim against Renae Maihi set for hearing
TVNZ: BSA replacing PGR and AO classifications for free-to-air television with new labels after review into Kiwi viewing
