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
Enforcing the lockdown, civil liberties
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Democracy on hold
Heather Roy (Democracy Project): The Long Road Back to Full Democracy
Elizabeth Stanley (Newsroom): Fear, crime and justice in pandemic times
Geoffrey Miller (Democracy Project): Lockdown solution to Covid-19 deserves far more scrutiny, former Labour speechwriter says
Democracy Project: Mark Blackham: Working class bearing the brunt of Covid-19 (interview)
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Outsiders
Scott Hamilton (Spinoff): ‘Let them starve’: The lockdown of 1913 and its lessons for today
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): More restrictions on New Zealand possible if ‘infection rate’ unchanged – Civil Defence
Elizabeth Kirkby-McLeod (Newsroom): It’s time for moral courage
Simon Collins (Herald): Dr Lance O’Sullivan says lockdown ‘a joke’ in Kaitāia
Hannah Kronast (Newshub): Dr Lance O’Sullivan blasts Kaitaia for ‘ridiculous’ amount of people outside during lockdown
Government, parliament
Bryce Edwards (Guardian): Coronavirus has delivered political consensus to New Zealand – but for how long?
David Cohen (RNZ): Jacinda Ardern’s leadership proficiency informed by a challenging year
David Williams (Newsroom): To do their jobs, authorities must respond
RNZ: Epidemic Response Committee holds second meeting
Anna Rawhiti-Connell (Newsroom): The Ashley Bloomfield Show
Susan Strongman (RNZ): The people leading New Zealand’s fight against Covid-19
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Explained: The difference between coronavirus alert level 4 and state of emergency
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Simon Bridges’ focus on health of New Zealanders, not election, in ‘wartime-type situation’
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): How amazing has Jacinda been and why she might lose the 2020 election
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern answers Kiwis’ self-isolation questions
Public health strategy
David Williams (Newsroom): Navigating a public spat between scientists
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): New details show number of COVID-19 tests plummeting since lockdown
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Testing is the missing link in the coronavirus response, but there’s a problem
Thomas Manch and Michael Hayward (Stuff): Doctors and nurses say tests are being withheld, PM says clinicians have enough swabs
RNZ: Increased testing will help decide on lockdown – epidemiologist
Audrey Young (Herald): Government set to move on regions with low test results
Jason Walls (Herald): Testing to be ramped up to 5000 a day – a 35% increase
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Testing capacity increased as case definition widened
Katarina Williams (Stuff): Dr Lance O’Sullivan seeking cheaper, quicker tests, as microbiologists warn against unreliable results
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Spike in Covid-19 cases expected as testing surges
1News: Coronavirus testing ramps up around the country as limits are broadened
James Fyfe (Newshub): No date fixed to decide if lockdown needs to be extended – Health Minister David Clark
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Derek Cheng (Herald): No quarantine for 3600 people returning to NZ from overseas
1News: Simon Bridges calls on Government to quarantine, test everyone still arriving into NZ
Brittney Deguara (Stuff): Daily cases are going down, but here’s why we’re not out of the woods yet
1News: ‘Our vector of transmission’ – Jacinda Ardern’s fiery message to young adults not sticking to lockdown
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern unleashes on 20-somethings not taking virus seriously
Charlotte Jones (RNZ): ‘No access to sanitation’ for freedom campers at car park site
Siouxsie Wiles (Spinoff): A simple thing you can do in seconds to help make NZ healthier
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): Disability service discovered link through media
Economy
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Government could end up part-owning dozens or even hundreds of big businesses
Herald Editorial: Covid 19 coronavirus will exact an economic price (paywalled)
Zane Small (Newshub): Grant Robertson predicts ‘quantum economic shock’ greater than Global Financial Crisis
1News: Finance Minister says post-lockdown unemployment will be worse than global 2008 crisis
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Government says economic hit will be much worse than GFC with unemployment possibly hitting double digits
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Robertson: Covid-19 fallout worse than GFC
1News: Economic predictions tricky as true data numbers still to come, Finance Minister says
Julie Iles (NBR): Treasury estimates 10-17% GDP downturn in coming quarter (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Government doubles borrowing forecast as economy worsens
RNZ: Government plans to borrow $25 billion to cover Covid-19 cost
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): How should the Govt raise up to $52 billion of debt?
Zane Small (Newshub): Economist Shamubeel Eaqub warns Government to be ‘careful’ about extending lockdown
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Economist’s warning to New Zealand: Coronavirus to bring biggest recession of our lifetime
Philip Burdon (Herald): The global consequences of the pandemic
RNZ: Government looks to fast-track infrastructure projects after lockdown
Zane Small (Newshub): Government looks to fund large ‘shovel-ready’ infrastructure projects after COVID-19 lockdown
No Right Turn: A new Ministry of Works
Workers and business
Mark Blackham (Democracy Project): Workers shoulder civilisation’s burden again
Sandeep Singh (RNZ): ‘Unskilled workers’ now keeping New Zealand going
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Survival and the question of staff
Simon Collins (Herald): Hotel workers’ wages cut to $585 a week, asked to use annual leave to top up pay
Geoffrey Miller (Democracy Project): Union head says government departments failing to protect workers
Democracy Project: Gerard Hehir: Low-paid workers under lockdown (interview)
1News: Coughed-on cash: Petrol giant says staff have suffered abuse amid coronavirus lockdown
Tom McRae (Newshub): Employee rights during the COVID-19 crisis
Herald: Stuart Nash on why raising minimum wage is the right thing to do (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): Minimum wage rise means more effort needed to keep firms afloat
John Lewis (ODT): Appeal to delay wage increase
Leigh-Marama McLachlan (RNZ): NZ Post courier staff stood down over non-compliance of social distancing
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John Gibb (ODT): Reconfigured domestic tourism critical to recovery
Aimee Shaw (Herald): One in every two hospitality venues may never re-open their doors (paywalled)
Anuja Nadkarni (Stuff): Fletcher proposes ‘massive’ pay cuts in 12 week plan
1News: Fletcher Building proposes massive pay cuts for employees over lockdown period
RNZ: Fletcher Building cuts pay during lockdown
Debrin Foxcroft (Stuff): Harvey Norman tells landlords it won’t pay rent
Anna Whyte (1News): Support coming for businesses struggling with rent during lockdown
Jason Walls (Herald): Rent relief package for struggling businesses in Government’s sights
Damian George (Stuff): Dozens of Wellington businesses granted rent suspension
Marta Steeman (Stuff): Moteliers crying out for rent relief as the pandemic kills trade
RNZ: Bank profits expected to take a major hit from Covid-19
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Banks ready to start writing taxpayer-guaranteed business loans; Criteria released
Jenny Ruth (BusinessDesk): BNZ takes a more cautious approach to judging company solvency (paywalled)
Essential services and businesses
1News: Price-gouging monitor flooded with reports, Civil Defence offers deliveries to vulnerable
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Nearly 1000 complaints about price-gouging made since Monday
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (RNZ): Jenny Craig defends stance as essential service
Cate Broughton and Tina Law (Stuff): Supermarket cafes selling takeaway coffees should close, PM says
Katie Todd (RNZ): Shop owner left with no option but to let $25,000 worth of produce rot
Conan Young (RNZ): Overseas based retailers still selling non-essential goods online
Mei Heron (1News): Confusion still surrounds what retailers can sell online during lockdown
Hospitals, health system
Gordon Campbell: On buying ventilators, and expanding the testing for Covid-19
Phil Pennington (RNZ): NZ sources more ventilators amid rampant global demand
Elizabeth Fenton (Journal of Medical Ethics): Personal Protective Equipment for front-line health workers: an ethical imperative
Phil Pennington (RNZ): 41 million additional face masks coming for frontline health workers
Michael Daly (Stuff): Protective gear problems being fixed, union says
Patrick Gower (Newshub): Protective gear being sent to New Zealand from China
Charlotte Cook (RNZ): ‘Priority system’ for masks leaves some health workers without
Catherine Harris (Stuff): Manufacturers urged to switch to making protective equipment
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Hospitals around NZ race to increase ICU capacity
Hamish MacLean (ODT): South ICUs look short on capacity
Ruth Hill (RNZ): What it’s like for health staff in the ICU
1News: Relief in Queenstown as hospital reopens after two nurses found to have contracted virus
Jacob McSweeny (ODT): Hospital build could employ laid-off staff
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Doctors say patient safety at risk as flu vaccine supplier to New Zealand runs out of stock
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Why are we running out of flu jabs and when will we get more?
Bruce Munro (ODT) ‘This is not the big one’: Virologist says prepare for worse
Leigh-Marama McLachlan (RNZ): Pregnant mother’s emotional birth without whānau
Community roadblocks
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Hone Harawira, Don Brash clash over use of community roadblocks
1News: Vulnerable Far North community battens down the hatches to ward off coronavirus
Kelly Mihaka (Herald): Rotorua’s Ohinemutu residents tell visitors to keep out (paywalled)
Media
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Media moves to cut jobs and pay, but minister indicates help will only come in ‘medium term’
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): MediaWorks asks staff to take 15% pay cut as chief executive talks of ‘fight for survival’
Matt Burrows (Newshub): MediaWorks asks all staff to take pay cuts ahead of ‘fight for survival’
RNZ: Mediaworks staff asked to take 15 percent pay cut
Inequality, welfare
Michael Neilson (Herald): Inland Revenue: 240,000 letters cancelling Working for Families payments mistakenly sent
Vicky Anderson (Stuff): Inland Revenue mistakenly sent 240,000 letters cancelling payments
Vicky Anderson (Stuff): City Missioner: Demand for food parcels up 305 per cent since Friday
Vicky Anderson (Stuff): Long wait times stressing those needing Work and Income support
Lana Andelane (Newshub): Māngere-based charity calls for financial aid as demand for food parcels grows
Eva Corlett (RNZ): People say they’re struggling to get financial support from Work and Income during Covid-19 lockdown
Susan St John (Newsroom): Let’s get the policies right this time
Housing
Matt Burrows (Newshub): 84,000-strong petition to suspend rent repayments being delivered to Parliament
RNZ: Call to help tenants stuck paying double rent
David Hargreaves (Interest): When time wasn’t on the side of the young
RNZ: House price index shows growth before lockdown
Homeless
George Block (Stuff): Lockdown apartments provided for homeless in Auckland, regions
Harry Lock (RNZ): New units for homeless created in Wellington
Internet, technology
Chris Keall (Herald): Why is PM using Zoom amid sharp questions about its security?
Jamie Morton (Herald): Can smartphones help NZ stop spread?
1News: Lockdown prompts rise in scammers and exploitation online, Netsafe warns
Local government
ODT Editorial: Rates relief no silver bullet
Phil Goff (Herald): We can emerge in better shape (paywalled)
RNZ: Light rail and rapid transit in Auckland’s plans to get city out of recession
Felix Desmarais (RNZ): Rotorua Lakes Council can’t explain gaps in meeting footage
Marcus Anselm (RNZ): Masterton waives late fees due to Covid-19
1News: Auckland’s paper and cardboard recycling heads to landfill as offshore processing markets close
Todd Niall (Stuff): Paper recycling sent to dump in Auckland as export doors close
Lana Andelane (Newshub): Auckland’s mixed paper, cardboard recyclables to be sent to landfill
Felix Desmarais (RNZ): Recycling going to Rotorua landfill during lockdown
Justice
Sam Hurley (Herald): Chief Judge says some court cases mistakenly adjourned during lockdown
Sam Hurley (Herald): Parole Board says public saftey still paramount as hearings held by phone
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Defendants in custody will still appear in court for scheduled hearings in Covid-19 lockdown
Transport
Luke Kirkness (Herald): New traffic figures reveal extent of New Zealand’s ghost cities
Grant Bradley (Herald): The Air NZ flight with no passengers- IATA says airlines burning cash faster than they can cut costs (paywalled)
Chatham Islands
Steve Walton (Stuff): Chatham Islanders are prepared but hopeful Covid-19 won’t reach them
Sean Hogan (1News): Supplies set sail for Chatham Islands, with community now running low on food
1News: Chatham Islands without vital food supplies after coronavirus panic buying in NZ
NZers stranded overseas
Lorna Thornber (Stuff): Kiwi couple on stricken cruise ship unsure when nightmare voyage will end
Sarah Robson (RNZ): Plea to help Kiwis still stranded in Peru
Thomas Mead (1News): Kiwi couple stuck on cruise ship in Italy return home
Education
Lee Kenny (Stuff): Uni students who left halls for lockdown may not get rent rebate
Dave Goosselink (Newshub): Nearly 20,000 Otago University students tuning in to virtual classes amid lockdown
1News: 10,000 free broadband connections to be given to students without internet
Primary industries
Glen Scanlon (RNZ): Working on the farm: Your Covid-19 questions answered
Sahiban Hyde (Hawkes Bay Today): 12 million apples rot at Hawke’s Bay orchard
Maja Burry (RNZ): Pork industry warns of animal welfare issues during lockdown
Sport
Hamish Bidwell (RNZ): Let’s change the way we do sport
RNZ Checkpoint: America’s Cup 2021 unclear but infrastructure ready
Tatjana Buklijas (Newsroom): How epidemics change us
Other
Chris McDowall (Spinoff): Covid-19: New Zealand cases mapped and charted, April 1
Kirsty Johnston (Herald): Anatomy of a nightmare – Inside the Marist College cluster (paywalled)
Teuila Fuatai (Newsroom): Holding pattern: the Pacific locks down
Simon Wilson (Herald): Pandemic diary: America is lost (paywalled)
Karl du Fresne (Dominion Post): Our cohesive society will help us cope with crisis
Kirsty Lawrence (Stuff): Violence in homes on the rise
RNZ: Deaf Aotearoa condemns mockery of NZ Sign Language interpreters
RNZ Checkpoint: Covid-19 lockdown: Looking back at the first week
Miriama Kamo (1News): Life in lockdown has left us all wobbling
RNZ: Insurers make exclusions in some new policy offers
RNZ: Retail spend spiked before Covid-19 alert levels announced
Newstalk ZB: Immigration Minister: How govt will support immigrants on temporary visas
Anne Salmond: (Stuff): A greener way to kick-start the economy
Brittney Deguara (Stuff): Spike in MyLotto registrations, some choose to block account during lockdown
