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

Health minister demoted, Bridges defends commute
1News: ‘I got it wrong’ – David Clark says he’ll continue as Health Minister at PM’s discretion after breaking lockdown rules
Newshub: Health Minister Dr David Clark has ‘no excuses’ for lockdown breach
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Health Minister stripped of other portfolios after taking beach trip, amid lockdown
Derek Cheng (Stuff): Health Minister David Clark demoted after driving 20km to beach, breaking lockdown rules
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Dr David Clark demoted, resignation offered after trip to beach during lockdown
1News: Health Minister David Clark demoted by PM after trip to beach, mountain bike ride during lockdown
RNZ: David Clark offers to resign after revealing he took a trip to beach during Covid-19 lockdown
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RNZ: Bridges defends Wellington to Tauranga commute
Newstalk ZB: ‘My internet doesn’t work’: Bridges defends commute between home and Parliament
Zane Small (Newshub): Simon Bridges admits he ‘should have been further apart’ from supermarket staff in photo shared online

Public health strategy
Charlie Mitchell, Felippe Rodrigues, and Andy Fyers (Stuff): The key stats that show the Coronavirus lockdown may be working
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): How does NZ’s Covid-19 response stack up?
Keith Woodford (Interest): Covid-19 decisions-makers are flying blind from insufficient testing data
Farah Hancock (Newsroom): What are ‘probable’ cases and why are they rising?

Exiting the lockdown
Newshub: Dr David Murdoch: We shouldn’t expect the lockdown to be loosened until it’s absolutely clear the virus has been defeated 
Martyn Bradbury: Why Jacinda MUST keep us locked up for 6 weeks
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Crackdown needed so lockdown can end on time (paywalled)
Southland Times Editorial: The ill-chosen ”whew!”
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Why it’s a critical week for the lockdown (paywalled)
Gordon Campbell: On the lockdown, masks and aerosol transmission
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Anna Whyte (1News): Jacinda Ardern does not want lockdown to last ‘a minute longer than needed’, but says it won’t finish early
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Ministry of Health wants rate of cases to decline before moving to alert level 3
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern explains reasoning behind 4 week lockdown
Newstalk ZB: PM: Cabinet looking at 3 indicators to see when lockdown will end
1News: Coronavirus lockdown has not been extended, Jacinda Ardern assures Kiwis
Vaughan Elder (ODT): PM outlines how Govt might decide which regions leave lockdown
Jane Patterson (RNZ): National Party supports discussions on lockdown exit plan

Border measures, quarantine, contact tracing, testing
Rowan Quin (RNZ): Electronic bracelet monitoring suggested for arrivals
Derek Cheng (Herald): PM signals mandatory quarantine at borders to keep NZ free from foreign infection
David Williams and Dileepa Fonseka (Newsroom): Border quarantine mulled to quell virus
1News: Dr Ashley Bloomfield confident New Zealand’s border restrictions strong enough in fight against Covid-19
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Self-isolation rules for Kiwis returning home pose significant problem
Patrick Gower (Newshub): Quarantine border arrivals now or waste our sacrifice
Collette Devlin (Stuff): PM Jacinda Ardern says there will be contact tracing for foreseeable future
RNZ: Government looking at apps for contact tracing – Ardern
Alex Braae (Spinoff): What is contact tracing and why is it so crucial to escaping Covid-19 lockdown?
Tim O’Connell (Stuff): Police meet domestic flights to ensure quarantine rules are enforced
Newstalk ZB: Ashley Bloomfield explains why we’re not testing at capacity
Michael Woodhouse (Stuff): More testing and quarantining are the key to beating this thing

Enforcing the lockdown, lockdown breaches, behaviour
Kingsley Abbott (Newsroom): Unprecedented lockdown should be carefully monitored
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Govt might start tracking phones if people don’t stay home – privacy expert
Mackenzie Smith (RNZ): Community ‘checkpoints’ credited with reducing Covid-19 spread
1News: Over 200 breaches of lockdown rules since alert level four restrictions were imposed
Todd Niall (Stuff): Lockdown breaches ‘putting emergency service staff at risk’
Nikki Preston (Herald): Checkpoints could be set up at holiday hotspots
ODT Editorial: There’s no holiday from the lockdown
Guy Williams (ODT): Mayors, police say stay home
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Siouxsie Wiles begs Kiwis to stop meeting their neighbours for wine at the end of driveways

Ruby Princess
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): How did the Ruby Princess arrive and depart New Zealand without coronavirus detected?
Patrick Gower (Newshub): Ruby Princess crew member flew from Italy before the cruise’s journey around New Zealand
Jonathan Mitchell (RNZ): Class action being prepared against Ruby Princess operator Carnival Cruises

Wage subsidy scheme
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Businesses that claimed $5.3 billion in wage subsidies named
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Ministry of Social Development releases wage subsidy search tool
Herald: Now you can check if your employer has applied for the wage subsidy scheme
Liu Chen (RNZ): Woman says employer applied for wage subsidy after making her redundant
Thomas Coughlan and Collette Devlin (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern says $5.3 billion has been paid out from wage subsidy scheme
Anna Whyte (1News): $5.3 billion paid out under wage subsidy scheme, Jacinda Arden announces

Hospitals, Health system
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Confusion over the supply of coronavirus nasal testing swabs
Emma Russell (Herald): Doctors demand urgent action on PPE, Simon Bridges goes in to bat
Hannah Martin (Stuff): More than 50 healthcare workers diagnosed with the virus across NZ
Mike Houlahan (ODT): 11 isolated after infected patient did not mention symptoms
RNZ: Surgery patient didn’t mention Covid-19 symptoms and later tested positive
Andre Chumko (Stuff): Urgent surgeries, scans cancelled as Covid-19 empties hospitals
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Virus casts its shadow on SDHB’s finances
Emma Perry (ODT): Doctor warns rural areas vulnerable
Emma Perry and Richard Davison (ODT): Vaccine supplies run short
Nicole Bremner (1News): Growing number of overseas healthcare workers dying from Covid-19 keenly felt in lead-up to World Health Day
Lois Williams (Stuff): Construction work on West Coast hospital ruled essential

Government mental health campaign
Kim Moodie (Herald): Mental health toolkit launched to help Kiwis through pandemic
Jo Moir (RNZ): Government launches mental health support tools
James Fyfe (Newshub): New campaign offers mental health support during COVID-19 crisis

Masks
Simon Wilson (Herald): Are masks in supermarkets a good idea? (paywalled)
Dr Gary Payinda (Herald): How masks can help face-off against virus
Siouxsie Wiles & Toby Morris (Spinoff): Should we all be wearing face masks to prevent Covid-19 spread?
Hannah Kronast (Newshub): How to wear face masks correctly to protect against COVID-19
Madison Reidy (Newshub): Clothing businesses make face masks to combat demand

Government, parliament, election
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ‘won’t rule out’ pay cuts for MPs during COVID-19 crisis
Suze Wilson (The Conversation): Three reasons why Jacinda Ardern’s coronavirus response has been a masterclass in crisis leadership
Jim Rolfe (Politik): Inside the COVID-19 response
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Charlotte Graham-McLay (Guardian): Simon Bridges, the former prosecutor who faces his greatest trial against ‘nice person’ Ardern
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Could COVID-19 see the election postponed?

Poverty, inequality, financial hardship
Keith Rankin (Evening Report): Universal Basic Income (or Basic Universal Income) and Covid‑19
Andrew Dickens (Newstalk ZB): The poor are getting ignored in this pandemic
Florence Kerr (Stuff): Humanitarian group turns its aid to New Zealand families
Josphine Franks (Stuff0: Hungry families at ‘breaking point’ halfway through lockdown
Derek Cheng (Herald): Public asked to help fund 2000 lunches for struggling families after silence from Govt
RNZ: Kids will get Eat My Lunch at home during Covid-19 lockdown
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Wellington City Mission foodbank demand quadruples
Hannah Kronast (Newshub): Foodbank demand soars during COVID-19 pandemic
Cate Broughton (Stuff): 400 South Island Māori families will run out of food before lockdown ends
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David Chaston (Interest): Consumer debt shock imminent
1News: KiwiSaver hotline flooded with calls about financial hardship

Media
Gavin Ellis: NZ media must rise from Covid blitz
Joel MacManus and Dominic Harris (Stuff): Bauer magazines such as Metro and NZ Listener offered up to media and investment firms
Edward Willis (Spinoff): Why was Bauer Media allowed to buy up so many NZ magazines?
Joanne Drayton (Newsroom): The Listener dies and our light goes out
Garth Bray (1News): Journalists under increasing pressure to be safe amid coronavirus pandemic – ‘The mouthpiece of the public like never before’
Irra Lee (RNZ): Life in the press gallery

Employment
Melanie Carroll (Stuff): ‘Simply you are fired’: Sacking of 200 SkyCity staff angers union
Daily Blog: SkyCity redundancies: Union leader loses job – no consultation, no options, sacked as of today
Andrew Bevin (NBR): Union up in arms over SkyCity redundancies (paywalled)
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Stuff: Worker’s wife writes open letter to Fletcher Building chief executive Ross Taylor
1News: Fletcher Building executives to take 30 per cent pay cut after pressure from staff
Anaja Nadkarni (Stuff): Fletcher Building executives double pay cuts to 30%
Anne Gibson (Herald): Fletcher Building boss Ross Taylor takes $140,000 pay cut (paywalled)
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1News: Nearly one in three construction workers face losing their jobs as work grinds to a halt amid coronavirus pandemic

Price hikes
Herald: Huge price hikes for essential goods during lockdown
Maria Salde (NBR): Cost of whiteware, computers up as Kiwis hunker down (paywalled)

Business
James Fyfe (Newshub): Govt able to work effectively with private sector without Sir John Key’s help – Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Insolvency ‘safe harbour’ and business hibernation: what you need to know

Essential businesses and services
1News: ‘Where is your moral compass?’ – Public health advocate says TAB and Lotto are not essential during pandemic
Esther Taunton (Stuff): PM gives greenlight to home delivery by butchers, bakers, greengrocers
1News: Butchers, bakers can operate online, Jacinda Ardern says

Essential workers
Kayla Simpson (RNZ): Working on the frontline: The supermarket operator
1News: Jacinda Ardern says Easter Bunny an essential worker, but warns it ‘might not get everywhere this year’
RNZ: Easter Bunny ‘essential worker’, says PM
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern deems Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy essential workers

Supermarkets
Cate Broughton (Stuff): How to minimise the risk of infection while out shopping
DAmien Venuto (Herald): Foodstuffs boss Chris Quin on price gouging claims, long queues and empty shelves (paywalled)
Meriana Johnsen (RNZ): Kaikohe locals queue for covid-19 testing after supermarket worker’s positive case
1News: Northland residents urged not to panic after supermarket worker tests positive for Covid-19
Lana Andelane (Newshub): Kaikohe New World staff member tests positive for COVID-19
Amanda Cropp (Stuff): Countdown flies in a million masks and hand sanitiser from China

Economy
Brian Gaynor (Herald): A dramatic quarter but what’s ahead? (paywalled)
Jim Rose (Herald): What the Christchurch earthquake can teach us about a Covid 19 recovery
Roger Kerr (Interest): Will New Zealand’s perceived agility enable an earlier economic recovery for us?
Catherine Harris (Stuff): Cash payments to citizens ‘can’t be ruled out’
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): ‘Curve flattening’ and lockdown must succeed to make economic price worthwhile: ASB
Gerrard Eckhoff (ODT): Rural sector’s importance highlighted

Repatriation
Zane Small (Newshub): Flight chartered to fetch Kiwis stuck in Peru as more than 300 rescued by Government so far
1News: Government to charter flight to repatriate Kiwis stuck in Peru
Thomas Manch (Stuff):Mercy flight for Kiwis stranded in Peru
Derek Cheng (Herald): Kiwis in Peru to be assisted by Government charter flight
RNZ: Charter flight to bring stranded Kiwis home from Peru
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Kiwi’s mother stranded in South Africa ‘frustrated’ by lack of Government help

Rest homes
1News: Twenty residents moved to hospital from Christchurch rest home after coronavirus cluster outbreak
Katie Todd (RNZ): Health staff working to deal with dementia care facility Covid-19 cluster

Justice, corrections
Guyon Espiner (RNZ): Prisoners in cells up to 23 hours a day – guards
Ben Strang (RNZ): Court of Appeal rules in favour of mother who said she fled Australia due to violent relationship

Transport
RNZ: Air traffic plummets by 85 percent
1News: Air traffic dropped 47% in week following Covid-19 lockdown, new flight data reveals
Tina Newman (Stuff): Air New Zealand offers charter service to keep up with cargo demands
Aaron Leaman (Stuff): Aussie air survey flights over NZ leave a trail of finger pointing

Police
RNZ: Māori less likely to call 111 if they know police are armed – survey
Elisabeth Easther (Herald): Newly appointed Commissioner Andrew Coster – ‘Police often see the worst parts of people’s lives’ (paywalled)

Local government
Dominic Harris (Stuff): Christchurch rates rise expected to be shelved as council looks to save $23m
Mike Yardley (Press): Council must cut the fat and abort non-essential pet projects
Lois Williams (RNZ): Westland mayor challenges need for Emergency Control Room
Sean Rush (Kiwiblog): Wasting ratepayers $100,000 a day?

Environment
Tom Hunt (Stuff): Cook Strait sewage-dump suggestion labelled ‘environmental vandalism’
Stuff: EPA wants no mess to clean up as terms for oil field player’s exit decided
RNZ: Auckland would be under water restrictions if it weren’t for the Covid-19 lockdown
Susan Botting (RNZ): Northlanders boost pest control during Covid-19 lockdown
Brianne West (Stuff): Are you recycling or wishcycling? Try cutting out single-use items instead

Housing
Rob Stock (Stuff): The unknowability of house values and the unfair extra margins on home loans
David Chaston (Interest): The wisdom of seeking the six month mortgage payment holiday
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Buyer stuck in chain of stalled house sales pleads for help as bill grows daily
Lane Nicholas (Herald): Police called after Mt Eden landlord tries to move into tenants’ flat during lockdown

Education
Simon Collins (Herald): Computers to the door, educational TV planned for lockdown learning
Chris Keall (Herald): Zoom gets pulled from NY schools, NZ Ministry of Education reacts (paywalled)

Technology
Debrin Foxcroft (Stuff): Majority of Kiwis face broadband issues as usage rises during lockdown
Kate Nicol-Williams (1News): Netsafe, police warn young people to take care, be cautious when using video chatting apps

Banks
Robin Martin (RNZ): Hundreds queue for TSB Bank in New Plymouth
Leighton Keith (Stuff): TSB apologises after for long lines and lengthy waits outside Taranaki branches
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): 15 mins with Kiwibank CEO Steve Jurkovich
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Gareth Vaughan (Interest): Deposit insurance to come at ‘significant cost’ to deposit takers

Auckland airport
David Hargreaves (Interest): Auckland Airport in hefty $1.2 bln capital raising
Calida Stuart-Menteath (NBR): Auckland Airport to raise $1.2b to save the business

Pacific
Sargam Goundar and Kim Andreas Kessler (ODT): Island people rely on strengths
RNZ: Two more positive Covid-19 tests in Fiji
RNZ: Fiji wrestling with Covid-19 lockdown breaches
RNZ: Pacific Forum triggers security declaration due to Covid-19
RNZ: Childfund NZ supporting Kiribati with Covid-19 preparedness

Alcohol harm
Lucy Corry (RNZ): People encouraged not to share isolation-drinking memes
Newshub: How is the lockdown affecting drug and alcohol use?

Sport
Ollie Ritchie (Newshub): Crusaders players caught breaking lockdown rule
RNZ: Crusaders players flout lockdown rules
RNZ: The future of rugby unions in Pacific uncertain

Queen Elizabeth’s message
RNZ: Queen Elizabeth sends message of support to New Zealand
1News: ‘Kia kaha’ – Queen sends special message to New Zealanders as they rise to coronavirus ‘challenge’

Other
Ian Powell (Democracy Project): How ‘High Performance High Engagement’ became a costly house of cards in health sector
Chris McDowall (Spinoff): Covid-19: New Zealand cases mapped and charted, April 6
Judith Collins (Stuff): Here’s how Coronavirus will change us
Chloe Swarbrick (Stuff): The way things were? That’s no longer our future
Brian Gaynor (BusinessDesk): What about an ANZAC tourism bubble?
Te Aniwa Hurihanganu (RNZ): Isolated communities want permission to fish
Lana Andelane and Lydia Lewis (Newshub): Dr Lance O’Sullivan’s Kaitaia criticisms called out by local Māori elder as ‘scaremongering’
Geoffrey Miller (Democracy Project): NZ-Latin America relationship will survive Covid-19, expert says
Anusha Bradley and Tutuila Farao (Guardian): Slavery in New Zealand: inside the story of the Samoan chief who abused power for profit
RNZ: Global fuel glut will cost NZ companies millions
RNZ: Te reo Māori data shows 20 percent of Māori speak the language

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