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
Political donations scandals
John Armstrong (TVNZ): Jacinda Ardern’s refusal to reprimand Winston Peters is nothing short of disgraceful
Luke Malpass (Stuff): The real purpose of the NZ First Foundation: control
Audrey Young (Herald): Peters is handling his job as NZ First leader abysmally (paywalled)
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Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Simon Bridges can’t dodge the mud-slinging
Michael Reddell: Preferring to look the other way
RNZ: Labour got donations from two accused in National Party case
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Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Election hopes clouded by SFO (paywalled)
Steve Braunias (Herald): The secret diary of the Serious Fraud Office
Listener Editorial: A simple way to clean up the political donations mess
Election
Matt McCarten (E-Tangata): Māori will play a pivotal role this election
Morgan Godfery The four issues that’ll shape the (Māori) election
Heta Gardiner (Māori TV): Rawiri Waititi to stand in Waiariki for Māori Party
James Fyfe and Miriam Harris (Newshub): Former Labour candidate Rawiri Waititi to stand for Māori Party in Waiariki electorate
Jamie Smyth (Financial Times): Finance minister Grant Robertson warns on foreign influence (paywalled)
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Greens have most to fear from Jacinda’s Time cover & why Labour should make an electorate deal in Central Auckland
Herald: Labour selects lawyer Helen White as Auckland Central candidate
1News: Helen White to run as Labour’s candidate in Auckland Central again
Jimmy Ellingham (Stuff): Youth versus experience in Palmerston North election campaign
Ashley Church (Herald): Why National will form the next government (paywalled)
Parliament, parties
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Sustainable NZ leader Vernon Tava accused of ordering membership records ‘doctored’
Peter Wilson (RNZ): The Week in Politics: Hear no evil, see no evil
Zane Small (Newshub): Official complaint laid against Labour Party attack ad about cancer radiation machines
Irra Lee (RNZ) The House: Connecting with the next generation
Māori TV: ‘Empower youth, lower voting age to 16’, youth leader says
National Party
TVNZ: National dangling tax cut ‘carrots’ that will only benefit high income earners – Bernard Hickey
Andrew Gunn (Stuff): Just focus on this: Tax cuts
Dan Satherley (Newshub): National won’t scrap planned minimum wage hikes – Collins
Claire Trevett (Herald): Turning 40 and beating cancer: Nikki Kaye, the National Party’s ‘leftie’ MP in Auckland (paywalled)
Transport
Audrey Young (Herald): Parties wrangle over who killed the ‘feebate’ car subsidy (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): NZ First axes Government’s ‘feebate’ electric vehicle subsidy plan, while Greens vow to take the policy to the election
Zac Fleming (Newshub): Controversial low-emission vehicle subsidy scheme blocked by NZ First
Sue Strang (Newshub): NZ First is sending NZ back to the industrial age – electric car lobby
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Is NZ subsidising utes?
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Trucking boss Stan Semenoff says NZTA crackdown fuelled by a vendetta
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Auckland Transport: SkyPath, rail and road projects blow out in cost (paywalled)
Joel Maxwell (Stuff): NZTA wipes $16,000-a-day late fines for late Transmission Gully project
Housing
Simon Wilson (Herald): On the housing crisis: What governments did wrong paywalled)
Steven Joyce (Stuff): Before we start talking about another housing crisis, let’s talk about what works
Greg Presland (The Standard): The real cause of New Zealand’s failing housing system
ODT Editorial: Some way from ‘disruptive’ action
1News: Q+A debate: Is New Zealand’s housing a ‘human rights crisis?’
Virginia Larson (North&South): NZ’s housing crisis is a never-ending story
Penny Murray (Stuff): Coronavirus is not our most pressing public health problem
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Officials warn Govt rental market changes could mean higher rents, less supply
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Government warned rental reforms could risk rent increases, lead to more homelessness
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Officials tell Government there’s a ‘low’ chance proposed rental property reforms will decrease the supply of rentals, while the effect it’ll have on rents is ‘uncertain’
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Renters, landlords to have their say as changes to Tenancies Act head to select committee
Brittany Keogh (Stuff): Auckland rentals: Bus advertised as accommodation for $255 per week
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Housing wants not met in city
Adam Parsons (NBR): The politics of housing – we voted for it (paywalled)
Vaping
Aaron Dahmen and Georgina Campbell (Herald): Vaping laws crackdown: New legislation to regulate age, advertising
Collette Devlin and Maia Hart (Stuff): Vaping crackdown: new law will ban under-18s and advertising
RNZ: Bill to restrict vaping and e-cigarette sales and use in public
1News: Government introduces Vaping Bill, bans sales to under 18-year-olds
Dan Satherley (Newshub): ACT slams vaping proposals as the ‘most damaging public health policy in a generation’
Andrew Dickens (Newstalk ZB): Vaping law delay a sign of glacial pace of bureaucrats
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): What the fug? Government sluggish on vaping
Health
Carmen Parahi (Stuff): ‘Life or death’ challenge for Government to declare racism a public health crisis
Carmen Parahi (Stuff): Why do Māori suffer inequality in the health system? One expert says it’s ‘white privilege’
Nicholas Jones and Natalie Akoorie (Herald): Heart surgery crisis: Waikato DHB cardiac surgery and echocardiogram delays as secret report withheld (paywalled)
Nicholas Jones (Herald): Cardiology crisis: Auckland DHB echocardiogram heart scan delays, patients told ‘consider private’ (paywalled)
1News: Winston Peters vows to ‘fully fund’ St John Ambulance if re-elected
RNZ: St John Ambulance call centre rebuild launches
Nikki Bezzant (Herald): Questions we should be asking our politicians (paywalled)
Ben Heather (Stuff): Eketāhuna patients banned from nearest hospital in Masterton as services in ‘crisis mode’
Heta Gardiner (Māori TV): Whangārei MP grills PHARMAC in Health Select Committee
Debrin Foxcroft (Stuff): The Warehouse battles period poverty with $1 sanitary products
RNZ: Demolition work to begin ahead of new Dunedin hospital construction
Terry Bellamak and Conor Twyford (Spinoff): Why sexual violence needs to be classed as a medical emergency
Natalie Akoorie (Herald): Crown treatment of mental health patient Ziporah Huirama a ‘savage injustice’
Natalie Akoorie (Herald): Ziporah Huirama died after a decade in state, mental health care – claim to Waitangi Tribunal (paywalled)
Simon Wallace (Stuff): Drugging the elderly: The aged care industry responds
1News: Epipens now available for all Kiwis at risk of severe anaphylaxis
1News: Kiwi men urged to consider donating plasma to NZ Blood Service as shortage looms
Cannabis
Jude Ball (The Conversation): Teen use of cannabis has dropped in New Zealand, but legalisation could make access easier
RNZ: Cannabis legislation: More education leads to more support
Dan Satherley (Newshub): New Zealanders back legal weed once they know the facts – poll
Kate Hawkesby (Newstalk ZB): Drug Foundation cannabis survey shouldn’t be trusted
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Mixing weed, alcohol and driving: The ‘unanswered question’ in the cannabis referendum
Canterbury earthquakes
RNZ: Relatives of Christchurch quake victims want more than apology
Katie Todd (RNZ): ‘Hidden scars’: many still hurting, mayor tells quake service
Dave Goosselink (Newshub): Families of Christchurch earthquake victims receive formal apology from Mayor
Dominic Harris (Stuff): Mayor’s quake apology something she has ‘wanted to make for a long time’
Kurt Bayer (Herald): Christchurch mayor to make formal apology this weekend for February 22, 2011 killer quake
Tom Kitchin (Stuff): Christchurch quake memorial reminds man who lost father to ‘make him proud’
RNZ Afternoons: Help Is On The Way: TV doco remembers the 2011 Christchurch earthquake
RNZ: Eden Project given permission to use part of Christchurch redzone
Welfare, inequality poverty
Meriana Johnsen (RNZ): 80 percent of benefit sanctions against people with children in 2018 made against Māori
1News: ‘Progress has been made’ – Minister defends Government’s record on helping struggling Kiwis
Foreign affairs and trade
Jamie Gray (Herald): Inside story: How China became NZ’s number one trading partner (paywalled)
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern faces vastly different meetings in Fiji and Australia this week
RNZ : Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to talk climate change, supporting women, democracy in Fiji
RNZ: New Zealand PM Ardern will visit Fiji next week
Christine Rovoi (RNZ): NZ and PNG pledge closer relations
1News: Papua New Guinea’s PM welcomed to New Zealand for first time, meets with Ardern
RNZ: PNG PM James Marape arrives in NZ
RNZ: Church urges PNG PM to discuss refugees with NZ govt
RNZ: Pacer Plus set to come on stream later this year – Cooks Deputy PM
Miriam Harris and Dan Satherley (Newshub): Andrew Little to push for further nuclear disarmament in Berlin
Maia Hart (Stuff): Justice Minister Andrew to represent NZ at Berlin nuclear disarmament summit
Lewis Holden (Spinoff): A post-Brexit bloc of former colonies is the answer to a question no one asked
Environment and conservation
Eva Corlett (RNZ): Fresh water scientist Dr Mike Joy concerned about agriculture minister’s water comments
Rachael Kelly (Southland Times): Ammonia gas breaches consent conditions at Mataura
Peter Griffin (Stuff): NZ marine reserves a good start, many more needed
Jamie Morton (Herald): NZ’s big dry and climate change: What’s the link?
RNZ: Far North scrambling for water supplies as rain fails to reach areas
1News: Iwi to supply water to Northland towns in wake of ongoing drought
RNZ: Canterbury Regional Council to review limited consultation on toxic waste plant expansion
Joanne Carroll (Stuff): Waste could be stockpiled in Canterbury for incineration plant that hasn’t been built yet
Felix Desmarais: Lake Rotorua personhood rights petition doubles in support
ODT: Whitebait plans panned
1News: Whitebait submissions extended as public urged to give feedback
RNZ: International agreement to protect albatross from extinction
RNZ: Protesters worried precious trees being lost across Auckland
Primary industries
John Anthony (Stuff): Banks coming down hard on farmers to ‘flick’ Government over Reserve Bank capital holding rules, minister says
Amber-Leigh Woolf and Warwick Rasmussen (Stuff): We need to talk about Vegans: should New Zealand embrace a meatless future?
Piers Fuller and Warwick Rasmussen (Stuff): The great divide – how the farmer versus townie battle came about and how it can be fixed
Cherie Sivignon (Nelson Mail): Market gardening ‘higher risk’ for nitrate leaching under eastern Waimea Plains
Alice Angeloni (Stuff): ‘Game-changing’ open ocean salmon farm proposal not ‘nationally significant’ – Eugenie Sage
Child welfare
Leigh-Marama McLachlan (RNZ): Māori leaders urge whānau of beaten boy to speak out
Māori TV: ‘Give children love, not anger,’ Flaxmere counsellor says
Newstalk ZB:‘I’m livid’: Oranga Tamariki criticised over Flaxmere case where boy was beaten
David Williams (Newsroom): Becroft adds pressure to police review
Free speech, hate speech
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Little’s Hate Speech Laws Will Destroy This Government.
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): Free speech vs hate speech: The government’s dilemma
Bob Jones – Renae Maihi defamation case
RNZ: Mediawatch: Jones vs Maihi case prompts calls for defamation law reform
Joanne Black (Listener): What really happened in the Sir Bob Jones v Renae Maihi defamation case?
Lizzie Marvelly (Herald): Renae Maihi and Sir Robert Jones defamation case threat to free speech (paywalled)
Whistleblowing law
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Whistleblowing law ‘promises everything but delivers nothing’
No Right Turn:Strengthening whistleblower protection
Education
Steve Elers (Stuff): Keeping up with the costs of high school an expensive game
TVNZ: New Zealand has ‘history of denial’ when it comes to dyslexia – advocate
Tom Dillane (Herald): Whanganui’s Carlton Primary School sends national anthem text to parents
Cira Olivier (Herald): Rotorua schools ‘desperate’ as attendance reaches nine-year low (paywalled)
Melanie Earley (Stuff): More Kiwi kids say they only read ‘if they have to’
RNZ Nine to Noon: Educator Diane Mara – a passion for educating Pasifika
Jamie Morton (Herald): Scientists fearing for jobs amid Massey shake-up
Jamie Morton (Herald): ‘Risky changes’ – Massey shake-up alarms NZ scientists
Logan Savory (Stuff): Southern Institute of Technology council’s time almost up
Denise Piper (Stuff): Northland polytech tutors stage low-key strike in the face of redundancy fears
Imran Ali (Northern Advocate): NorthTec tutors speak out on industrial action
1News: Otago University opens up extra places for medical and dentistry students from low decile areas
Daniel Couch (Spinoff): Why are we still pitching voluntourism in universities?
Ihumātao
Newstalk ZB: National: Govt will announce Ihumātao deal while PM is out of country
Zane Small (Newshub): ‘Excellent’ source tells Simon Bridges Crown is purchasing Ihumātao from Fletcher Building
Justice
Andrew McRae (RNZ): New Criminal Cases Review Commission to be based in Hamilton
Aaron Leaman (Stuff): Justice Minister announces home for Criminal Cases Review Commission
Derek Cheng (Herald): Colin Carruthers QC to lead independent body to review wrongful convictions
Ruth Hill (RNZ): ‘Rough sex’ defence should not be outlawed, legal experts say
Gil Elliot (ODT): Victims’ families deserve compensation
Violence against women
Cherie Howie (Herald): Grace Millane: Violence against women in New Zealand since backpacker murder
Alison Mau (Stuff): Could the Grace Millane case help NZ turn the corner on violence?
Lana Andelane (Newshub): New Zealand’s toxic masculinity, domestic violence must be addressed – White Ribbon
Coronavirus
RNZ: Coronavirus travel ban likely to be extended, PM says
Liam Dann (Herald): Coronavirus recession a risk to long economic boom (paywalled)
Andre Chumko (Stuff): Coronavirus: New Zealand hospitals prepare for ‘breaking point’ if virus clashes with flu season
Shao Wei (Asia Media Centre): Chinese students’ fears over New Zealand travel ban
Damian Rowe (Stuff): Coronavirus travel ban may cost SIT up to $1.5 million
PM appears on cover of Time
Eleanor Ainge Roy (Guardian): ‘A new kind of soft power’: Jacinda Ardern appears on cover of Time magazine
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern features on Time Magazine cover
Herald: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Time magazine cover to mark year since Christchurch attack
Vita Molyneux (Stuff): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern graces cover of Time Magazine
Steven Cowan: Jacinda Ardern: Running out of Time?
Water infrastructure
Joel MacManus (Stuff): Councillors accused of ‘finger-pointing’ over water woes
Kate Nicol-Williams (1News): Porirua mayor asks Govt to help with $1.8 million water infrastructure costs
Rachel Thomas (RNZ): Porirua’s $2b water bill ‘a wake-up call for councils’ on under-investment
Dileepa Fonseka (Newsroom): Wellington Water in crisis as councillors eye exits
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Wellington’s water woes: ‘My bedroom smells like a toilet’
RNZ: Mana whenua weigh in on Wellington’s water crisis
Local government
Rachael Kelly (Southland Times): Environment Southland spends more than $700,000 on consultants
RNZ: Meeting this week aims to deal with Queenstown Airport standoff
Lawrence Gully (Stuff): Waipā politicians must declare gifts of more than $50
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland Council struggling to sell construction disruption as good news
Police
Jared Savage (Herald): No charges laid against police trainer who tasered eight officers on AOS training course for missing targets on firing range (paywalled)
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Police use of proceeds of crime laws in health and safety case ‘staggering
Lana Hart (Stuff): There’s no justification for police having guns after March 15, 2020
Media, broadcasting
Anna Dean (Spinoff): RNZ wants a ‘youth’ audience. Here’s 10 ways to get one
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Herald: Destiny Church’s Hannah Tamaki poised to join Dancing with the Stars
Herald: Hannah Tamaki to appear on Dancing with the Stars: Anger over MediaWorks decision
Emily Writes (Spinoff): Hannah Tamaki can’t dance away from her past
Other
Bruce Munro (ODT): The real cost
Tom Hunt (Stuff): #Metoo-accused lawyer parties at function of those investigating him
RNZ Saturday Morning: Moral philosopher Professor Peter Singer vs cancel culture
Charlie Dreaver (RNZ): Petition hearing: Probe that forced Auditor-General Martin Matthews to resign defended
Collette Devlin (Stuff): NZ First has ‘reservations’ about new laws
Matt Nippert (Herald): Police await forensic ‘hit’ in burglary case of China critic Anne Marie-Brady (paywalled)
1News: Q+A: Overseas Investment Office ramps up enforcement of foreign investment laws
Florence Kerr and Thomas Manch (Stuff): What’s public and what’s secret in the case of the soldier arrested for breaching national security
Jason Walls (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tells ministers NZ at ‘greater risk’ of attack after March 15
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): IR could get extra $550m from multinationals if impact of global tax reforms spread evenly
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Mexican drug cartels Sinaloa and CJNG could try to corrupt NZ Customs and police – report
Jonathan Mitchell (RNZ): Vetting application influx swamps police, puts pressure on NZDF
Brian Gaynor (BusinessDesk): Ageing knights in spotlight for wrong reasons (paywalled)
Jordan Bond (RNZ): Two bulls euthanised at rodeos during summer
Tom O’Connor (Stuff): Giant tale masks cynical attempt to undermine NZ’s original inhabitant
Aaron Leaman (Stuff): Calls for Crown intervention as Auckland’s Waikato River water application stagnates
Lawrence Gully (Stuff): Reconciliation called to officially recognise ‘war crime’ at Rangiaowhia
Maddison Northcott (Stuff): He said yes! Ikea coming to Christchurch thanks to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
Andre Chumko (Stuff): Cloud looms over Wellington Pride Festival as rainbow groups to boycott parade
Dominion Post Editorial: Let’s not turn off Radio Sport’s Kiwi sound of summer
Tainui Stephens (E-Tangata): Whina Cooper: Fearless and unforgettable
Rob Stock (Stuff): Public want a ‘right’ to use cash, says Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): Ngāti Paoa hapū takes a stand against the Crown
Jessica tyson (Māori TV): Te Atamira wins New Zealander of the Year for dedication to performing arts and te reo Māori
Nikki Mandow (Newsroom): Over 200,000 policies caught up in AMP ‘zombie deal’
Chris Lee (Spinoff): Litigation funding is a powerful new force policing NZ business cheats and political failures
