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
Lockdown, government
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): End this Orwellian version of NZ
John Edwards (Spinoff): Even in extraordinary times, the right to privacy remains
Grant Duncan (The Conversation): New Zealand’s coronavirus elimination strategy has united a nation. Can that unity outlast lockdown?
Karl du Fresne (Stuff): More government and more taxes – but there are hopeful signs ahead too
Anne Salmond (Spinoff): Rebuilding New Zealand infrastructure will take more than shovels
Ryan Anderson (Stuff): Social distrust could linger after Covid-19 lockdown
Bryan Goud: Democracy at work
James Fyfe (Newshub): Deputy Police Commissioner expresses ’empathy’ for iwi, but says fishing, hunting not allowed during lockdown
Mandy Te (Stuff): More than 1780 lockdown breaches as people still break the rules
Zane Small (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern catches up with leader 18,000km away to compare COVID-19 ideas
Stuff: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern shares ideas with Denmark PM
Eleanor Ainge Roy (Guardian): New Zealand comedian spends lockdown impersonating Jacinda Ardern
Public health strategy, calls to exit lockdown
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Experts say they’re missing essential data needed to inform lockdown level
Peter Shepherd (Herald): Ignore ‘Plan B’, let’s stay with Plan A (paywalled)
Ananish Chaudhuri (Newsroom): The ‘contrarian’ view on Covid-19
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Responding to Hooton’s “Plan B” – Pitching The Devil’s Bargain To Generation X
Michael Neilson (Herald): Concerns over case testing unknowns ahead of lifting lockdown
Gordon Campbell: On why we shouldn’t be trying to emulate Australia
Laura Wiltshire (Stuff): ‘Strategic muddle’: Experts say New Zealand should look to Asia, not Australia, for Covid-19 advice
John Weekes (Stuff): Clamour to follow Australian model hits a dud note across the Tasman
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern urges Kiwis not to compare NZ’s COVID-19 response with others
Alice Wilkins (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern lashes out at people saying elderly with COVID-19 were going to die anyway
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Why NZ Death Cult Capitalists are winning the debate
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Anuja Nadkarni (Stuff): Winston Peters says country expected to move to level 3 next week
1News: Simon Bridges pushing for NZ to exit lockdown ‘next week’ to save businesses
RNZ: National Party leader Simon Bridges calls for work to restart ‘safely’ after lockdown
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Simon Bridges urges Government to lift lockdown next week, take Australian approach
Pay cuts
Claire Trevett (Herald): PM’s Covid-19 pay cuts won’t make a jot of difference, but politically necessary (paywalled)
David Farrar: A good start
1News: Revealed: How much is being saved by public sector’s 20% pay cut
Zane Small (Newshub): Here’s what Jacinda Ardern and Simon Bridges will earn after their 20 percent pay reduction
1News: PM, Govt ministers and public service execs including Dr Ashley Bloomfield to take 20% pay cut
Laura Wiltshire (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern takes 20 per cent pay cut alongside all her ministers and public sector bosses – even Ashley Bloomfield
Ben Leahy and Claire Trevett (Herald):Jacinda Ardern, Government ministers and public sectors bosses take pay cut
Eleanor Ainge Roy (Guardian): Jacinda Ardern and ministers take pay cut in solidarity with those hit by Covid-19
Newstalk ZB: Calls for all MPs to have pay cut as PM, ministers take 20 per cent reduction
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Auckland councillors follow Jacinda Ardern and agree to take pay cuts
Stuff: Otago mayors donating 10 per cent of salaries
Molly Houseman (ODT): Otago mayors band together for charity
Rest homes, Burwood
1News: ‘It pricks my conscience’ – Chief Ombudsman investigating rest homes during Covid-19 outbreak
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Ombusdman to inspect aged-care facilities following Covid-19 deaths
Amelia Wade (Herald): Targeted inspections of aged-care facilities after rest-home outbreaks
Ben Leahy (Herald): Top watchdog to inspect rest homes after coronavirus deaths
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Parliament watchdog to inspect residential aged care facilities
RNZ: Chief Ombudsman fast-tracks inspection of aged care facilities
RNZ: Canterbury DHB chief executive says Rosewood patients care has been ‘exemplary’
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David Williams (Newsroom): How Covid-19 unfolded at Rosewood
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Christchurch DHB to provide more PPE to Burwood Hospital but nurses are scared it’s not enough
1News: Four Burwood Hospital staff contract Covid-19 after caring for Rosewood Rest Home residents
Alison Mau (Stuff): Inside Burwood Hospital’s Covid-19 ward
Health system, health workers
Andrew Connolly (Stuff): Risk and redeployment of staff are why hospitals are quiet
Brittney Deguara and Georgia Forrester (Stuff): Almost 400 ventilators are on the way, but why do we need them?
Glen Scanlon (RNZ): DHBs apologise after casual workers not paid, hoping to pay next run
John Wallaart (Stuff): Uncovering some of the myths behind protective masks
Emma Cropper (Newshub): How the Ministry of Health counts new, probable cases
RNZ: DHBs urged to increase Covid-19 results to inform lockdown decision
ODT: New phoneline for Covid-19 testing queries in the Southern region
George Block (Stuff): Auckland DHB accused of ‘stupidity’ in centralising mental health workers
Kate Newton and Guyon Espiner (RNZ): People staying clear of hospitals may lead to deaths and post-lockdown mess – doctors
Emma Perry (ODT): Big queues for flu vaccine
Trump freezes WHO funding
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern rejects Donald Trump’s argument for defunding World Health Organisation
RNZ: Checkpoint: Trump pulling WHO funding ‘foolish’ – Helen Clark
Economy
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Tax changes coming to pay for Covid-19 response: What will they look like?
James Fyfe (Newshub): Economic fallout a ‘once-in-a-century shock’ – Finance Minister Grant Robertson
Richard Harman (Politik): Robertson: “It is the challenge I have been waiting for”
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Budget 2020 will be a ‘recovery budget’ (paywalled)
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Grant Robertson promises more support for business, but loath to become a lender (paywalled)
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): Could the COVID-19 pandemic prove to be a fillip for KiwiBuild?
Guy Trafford (Interest): How will activity return?
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Cough-cough – dear Left wing think tanks, shouldn’t we be organising a pandemic virtual summit with the CTU???
1News: Kiwi exporters facing uphill battle to get products overseas
Sara Walton, Diane Ruwhiu and Lisa Ellis (ODT): Recovery chance for real change
ODT Editorial: A herculean task lies ahead
Business, unemployment, industrial relations
Kate MacNamara (Stuff): This brave new world might be closer to the old one than we think
Rob Stock (Stuff): $3.2 billion business support package welcome, but more will be needed
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Govt to forego billions in tax for firms facing covid losses (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): More ‘safe’ activity will be allowed at level 3, but it won’t be a return to normal
RNZ: Finance Minister says businesses to shift to ‘safe’ economic activity under alert level 3
Lisette Reymer (Newshub): Business leaders reveal what they want to see change under alert level 3
Conor English (Herald): Safe’ services could save billions and our health (paywalled)
Richard Prebble (NBR): After the lockdown (paywalled)
Rod Oram (Newsroom): Options for the slow road back
Kristin Hall (1News): MBIE cracks down on food services ‘testing boundaries’ during coronavirus lockdown
Marta Steeman (Stuff): Commercial tenants’ entitlements to rent reductions may still be valid under level 3
Marta Steeman (Stuff): The $3.2b small business package no help for commercial property, the Property Council says
Nikki Mandow (Newsroom): Shock as Govt offers no rent relief for SMEs
Amanda Cropp and Melanie Carroll (Stuff): Refund rows over holiday cancellations continue
Meriana Johnsen (RNZ): Fears Māori unemployment rates will surge after lockdown lifts
Richard Rudman (Politik): How the crisis could sour workers
Mike Treen (Daily Blog): Burger King and Air New Zealand – a tale of two (or three) capitalist failures
James Fyfe and Miriam Harris (Newshub): Burger King staff fearful for jobs after receivership announcement
Wage subsidy
Reweti Kohere (NBR): Simpson Grierson takes $2.33m in wage subsidy (paywalled)
Anuja Nadkarni (Stuff): Churches receive more than $1.5m from Government’s Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme
Media
Gavin Ellis: NZ media in existential crisis
Spinoff: Journalism in crisis: NZ media bosses at the Covid-19 committee
Dita De Boni (NBR): Rescue on the way for desperate commercial media (paywalled)
Yvette McCullough (RNZ): Media rescue package needed to save ‘industry on its knees’
Derek Cheng (Herald): Media companies reveal hit from virus, make bid for Govt help
Henry Cooke and Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Media companies plead for Government help as revenue dries up
Anna Whyte (1News): Media industry’s future dire in wake of Covid-19, MPs told as Govt announces rescue package coming
RNZ: Iwi radio stations hoping for rethink for Māori media
Zane Small (Newshub): Tax-exempt model suggested for struggling media companies amid COVID-19 advertising ‘free-fall’
Paul McBeth (BusinessDesk): Media bosses press for more govt advertising to tide them through covid-19 crisis (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (1News): Government told to stop ‘scoring own goals’ over advertising spending
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Media bosses challenge Government to recognise damage of social media advertising
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Govt’s good news for the media
Tom Pullar Strecker (Stuff): TV companies running out of fresh shows as Government finalises media support package
Ben Leahy (Herald): Mediaworks hit by a number of coronavirus cases
Education
Amelia Wade (Herald): Thousands of students can’t access digital learning on first day of term
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (RNZ): Māori education providers tackle students’ internet connectivity
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Remote learning begins for New Zealand students
1News: Worries as schools starting back leaves parents under-prepared
Lana Andelane (Newshub): Online learning: Parents, students urged to prioritise wellbeing first, learning second – Auckland principal
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): What does New Zealand’s new school on television look like?
1News: Students say Government’s coronavirus grant only puts them further in debt
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): University students say Government support package not doing enough to ease financial burden
Environment and conservation
No Right Turn: Climate Change: The latest inventory
Lana Andelane (Newshub): Climate change: New Zealand’s annual emissions report shows ‘limited progress’ – James Shaw
Michael Neilson (Herald): Climate change: New Zealand emissions barely budge, transport emissions cuts urge
Eloise GIbson (Stuff): Modest drop in greenhouse gases shows scale of challenge
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): Climate change: encroaching seas to affect coastal homes by 2040s
Andrew McRae (RNZ): Agricultural emissions lower that thought, new data reveals
Lois Williams (RNZ): Conservation Minister affirms local board’s right to meet – despite iwi boycott
Lois Williams (RNZ): Govt urged to invest in West Coast wetlands
Melanie Earley (Stuff): Ōwairaka/Mt Albert tree removal: protest encampment removed for ‘breaching’ Covid-19 lockdown
RNZ: Protesters’ camp at Ōwairaka / Mt Albert removed for lockdown breach
Local government
Stuff: The $4 billion wish lists for Government funds after coronavirus
Harry Lock (RNZ): Post-lockdown boost: 10 major infrastructure projects submitted as ‘shovel ready’
1News: Auckland identifies 73 ‘shovel-ready’ projects to begin immediately after Covid-19 lockdown ends
Herald: Wellington’s request for funding for ‘shovel-ready’ projects
Charlotte Jones (RNZ): BOP councils set sights on ‘shovel ready’ projects
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Todd Niall (Stuff): Shareholder-activist critical of Auckland Council decision-making on airport stake
Cherie Sivignon (Stuff): Tasman District Council Motueka ward by-election ‘must carry on’
Cherie Sivignon (Stuff): Tasman District Council staff given pay guarantee to April 27
Charlotte Jones (RNZ): Next stage for Matatā ’15-year ordeal’
Lockdown for vulnerable
Ian Hyslop (Newsroom): Lockdown reality for ‘other’ NZ
Eva Corlett (RNZ): Covid-19 lockdown tough on overcrowded households
1News: Christchurch family adjusts to lockdown life without usual support for disabled daughter
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Domestic violence: ‘If that bubble is unsafe you leave’
Chelsea Boyle (Herald): Kiwis help Women’s Refuge give victims a ‘safe night’ during lockdown
Repatriation
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Winston Peters gets top marks from US Ambassador for COVID-19 work
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Visa disruption leaves immigrants, businesses worried
RNZ: Government’s Peru repatriation flight arrives in Auckland
Jordan Bond (RNZ): Mercy flight out of India too expensive for some
Transport
Melanie Carroll (Stuff): What will alert level 3 mean for Air New Zealand?
Brook Sabin (Stuff): Air New Zealand’s big regional problem
Grant Bradley (Herald): Air New Zealand analysis of a change in alert levels (paywalled)
Nikki Preston (Herald): Bus patronage drops by at least 90 per cent around NZ
Deena Coster (Taranaki Daily News): Coronavirus pandemic sees iwi push pause on vote connected to $200m bypass project
Primary industries
Samesh Mohanlall (Timaru Herald): Timaru meat processing worker diagnosed with Covid-19
Joanne Holden (Stuff): Honey exporter donates $500k worth of product to Kiwi charities
Pacific
RNZ: Aid charities still there to help Pacific after Cyclone Harold
RNZ: Fiji government welcomes village-based lockdown measures
RNZ: Samoa eases some state of emergency restrictions
RNZ: Concerns about schools opening in Vanuatu amid Covid-19 pandemic
RNZ: Lockdown for Pacific an opportunity to reset diets says academic
Māori Party
Stephen Forbes (Stuff): John Tamihere and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer selected as new Māori Party co-leaders
Deena Coster (Stuff): Taranaki iwi boss Debbie Ngarewa-Packer announced as new Māori Party co-leader
RNZ: New Māori Party co-leaders announced
Claire Trevett (Herald): John Tamihere, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer new Maori Party co-leaders
Housing, property
Dileepa Fonseka (Newsroom): Landlords in denial as deflation beckons
Anne Gibson (Herald): REINZ data shows property market at nine-year low
Defence
Todd Niall (Stuff): NZDF leaves South Auckland in the dark about imminent military exercise
Matt Burrows and Craig Hoyle (Newshub): NZ Defence Force personnel spat on, abused at Wellington supermarket
Dean Parker has died
Hawkes Bay Today: Dean Parker dies, screenwriter and playwright was born in Napier
RNZ: Playwright Dean Parker dies
Chris Trotter: Dean Parker: 1947 – 2020
Other
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Christchurch couple left high and dry after botched quake repairs
RNZ: Tairāwhiti Iwi Chairs calls for calm after latest Covid-19 cases
Denise Piper (Stuff): Police order Hone Harawira’s Covid-19 checkpoints to run correctly
Martyn Bradbury (Waatea News): Maori taking pandemic matters into their own Tino rangatiratanga hands
Samantha Worthington (1News): Small Waikato town committee leaves community awestruck over food parcel deliveries amid Covid-19 pandemic
Newstalk ZB: Professor Anne-Marie Brady: Global crisis caused by regime you have been tolerating for decades
Donna-Lee Biddle (Stuff): Small charities, non-profits, at risk during Covid-19 pandemic
1News: Kiwi warns of ‘real shock’ to those seeking benefit after losing jobs during pandemic
RNZ: Marsden Point oil refinery’s future under review amid pressure
Stuff: Auckland’s empty streets captured on camera
Newstalk ZB: Kiwi musicians come together to create charity single from lockdown
Taranaki Daily News: Funeral in lockdown for Taranaki’s mighty tōtara Dr Huirangi Waikerepuru
Jenny Ruth (BusinessDesk): ANZ NZ made multiple breaches of RBNZ requirements – Deloitte
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): Visa, Mastercard, banks & NZ’s retail payment systems, Part 5; The grand finale
