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
National Party leadership challenge, Newshub/Reid Research poll
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Todd Muller, Nikki Kaye to challenge for National Party leadership – source
1News: Simon Bridges acknowledges coup attempt within his own party after disastrous poll
Matthew Theunissen (RNZ): Simon Bridges to face National Party leadership challenge
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): MPs will challenge for National Party leadership, Simon Bridges confirms
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): National MPs doing the numbers to roll Simon Bridges as Newshub poll shows what Kiwis think of him
Claire Trevett (Herald): National Party leader Simon Bridges expected to face no-confidence vote, how the week will shake down
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Bridges set for moment of truth as National MPs sharpen knives
Henry Cooke (Stuff): National leader Simon Bridges expected to face no confidence vote next week
Newstalk ZB: Todd Muller denies leadership ambitions despite endorsement by ex-PM
RNZ: Checkpoint: Jim Bolger backs Todd Muller as potential National leader
Jason Walls (Herald): Who’s in, who’s out? What a damning poll means for National MPs while the party is at 30 per cent (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): ‘End is nigh’ for Simon Bridges who may have just two weeks left as leader – Tova O’Brien, Michelle Boag
Newstalk ZB: Michelle Boag: Bridges could be another victim of Covid-19 fallout
Newstalk ZB: Simon Bridges: ‘Not worried’ about bad polls
1News: ‘I’m the leader, I’m staying’ – Simon Bridges defiant despite National’s horror poll result
Eleanor Ainge Roy (Guardian): Jacinda Ardern hits poll high as National urged to get over Bridges
Amelia Wade (Herald): Fact or fiction: Is Ardern really the most popular PM in a ‘century’? (paywalled)
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Winston Peters ‘out to defy gravity’ after 2.7 percent poll result
Matthew Whitehead (The Standard): Pollwatch for Newshub/Reid Research poll, 18th May 2020
David Farrar: National’s leadership
Wage subsidy
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Newshub-Reid Research Poll: Nearly 60 percent of Kiwis back Government extending wage subsidy
Andrea Fox (Herald): Meat company wage subsidy claims top $100m as exports hit monthly record (paywalled)
Richard Davison (ODT): Mayor calls on farmers to return unneeded subsidy
Bonnie Flaws (Stuff): Meat company wage subsidies saved jobs, industry says
Sarah Robson (RNZ): Nearly 5000 find jobs via Work and Income in lockdown while 40,000 applied for benefit
Business, job losses
Esther Taunton (Stuff): Businesses warned to be upfront about Covid-19 surcharges
Juha Saarinen (Herald): Crispy-fried chicken coming home to roost for gig economy giants’ delivery workers
RNZ: Spending on the rise but there are winners and losers
1News: Many businesses still struggling to survive in Alert Level 2
Nona Pelletier (RNZ): Hotel sector braces for tough 18 months
Anuja Nadkarni (Stuff): Carter Holt Harvey restructure puts about 160 jobs in limbo
RNZ: Jobs under threat at Carter Holt Harvey Marsden Point wood plant
Herald: Carter Holt Harvey proposes to chop workforce at Marsden Point in half
Economy, budget
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff):A ‘Covid-free’ New Zealand could result in a new place in the world order
Jane Kelsey (Spinoff): Trade deals are a handbrake on New Zealand’s post-Covid recovery
TVNZ Q+A: NZ’s economy likely to bounce back faster than Australia’s due to stricter lockdown – expert
Brian Fallow (Interest): Government debt and the intergenerational dilemma
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Adrian Orr: Banks are going to have to be ‘forgiving’
Tahu Kukutai, Helen Moewaka Barnes, Tim McCreanor and Tracey Mcintosh (The Conversation): Recession hits Māori and Pasifika harder. They must be part of planning New Zealand’s COVID-19 recovery
Bronson Perich (Māori TV): Treasury advisors calls on Māori entities to ‘sweat’ their balance sheets
Richard Davison (ODT): Ranked: Which parts of the South will struggle most?
Quentin Finlay: Social Democracy (and JM Keynes) rides again…
RNZ: The Detail: Could a free-money-for-all scheme catch on here?
Andrew Dickens (Newstalk ZB): In the battle of the lightweights, Labour is winning
Marama Davidson (Spinoff): The budget falls short for people on low incomes
Simon Bridges (Stuff): Five things we need to do to get New Zealand working after Covid-19
Brendon Harre (Interest): Reinventing public works to rebuild New Zealand
Stephen Tindall (Herald): The green, high tech opportunity NZ can’t afford to miss (paywalled)
Reserve Bank, monetary policy
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): History-making times at the Reserve Bank
Gyles Beckford (RNZ): RBNZ not expanding quantative easing programme any time soon
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Reserve Bank doubles down on promise to keep OCR at 0.25pc until March
Jamie Gray (Herald): NZ mortgage rates need to fall further – RBNZ’s Geoff Bascand (paywalled)
Tracing app
Chris Keall (Herald): NZ Govt tracer app enriches Jeff Bezos, not locals (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Govt app doesn’t meet Level 2 requirements
Laura Wiltshire (Stuff): NZ Covid Tracer: What our coronavirus contact tracing app looks like
1News: Government’s official Covid-19 contact tracing app becomes available
RNZ: Covid-19 tracing app launched earlier than expected
Herald: Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Government releases COVID-19 ‘digital diary’ app early
Herald: NZ’s Covid Tracer contact-tracing app released a day early
1News: Nanogirl breaks down contact tracing as official app is released in New Zealand
Elspeth McLean (ODT): Contact tracing tools an issue to keep tabs on
Josie Adams (Spinoff): New poll shows 16% of New Zealanders don’t want to be Covid-19 vaccinated
Megan Harvey (Herald): Do businesses have to provide customers hand sanitiser during alert level 2?
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): New Zealand joins World Health Organization response to coronavirus pandemic
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Why Covid-19 conspiracy theories in New Zealand don’t bother Dr Ashley Bloomfield
Abbas Nazar (Stuff): Why coronavirus has infected conspiracy theorists so badly
Public health measures
Brittney Deguara (Stuff): We may need 28-days of no cases to eliminate Covid-19, move to level 1
Anna Whyte (1News): ‘Still a long way’ to Alert Level 1, with more details to be released tomorrow
1News: Government considering recommending masks on public transport
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Pilots push for masks to be compulsory on flights
Epidemic Response Committee
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Kelvin Davis cancels on Epidemic Response Committee after Treasury no-show
Yvette McCullough (RNZ): ‘Unacceptable’ that Treasury officials failed to front at Epidemic Response meeting – Bridges
Zane Small (Newshub): Outrage over Treasury no-show at Covid-19 Epidemic Response Committee
Anna Whyte (1News): Simon Bridges comes out swinging after Treasury officials a no-show for Covid-19 committee
Winston Peters returns to court over superannuation leak
Newstalk ZB: Deputy PM Winston Peters heading back to court, claiming to now know who leaked his pension details
Charlie Dreaver and Jo Moir (RNZ): Winston Peters appeals superannuation case decision
Laura Wiltshire (Stuff): Winston Peters pursues court action, claims he knows who leaked pension details
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Winston Peters now ‘knows’ who pension leaker is, is taking privacy case back to court
1News: Winston Peters appeals High Court ruling on alleged superannuation privacy breach
Education and training
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Deciles, zoning skewed by school choice for richer parents – ministry
RNZ: Checkpoint: NZQA in talks about university entrance requirements after lockdown – Holsted
RNZ: Principal reassures parents over Covid-19 rumour that kept students away
Amy Williams (RNZ): Covid-19 a trip down memory lane for polio survivors
Simon Caollins (Herald): Polytech student numbers expected to leap in looming recession
Waatea News: Shane Jones: Training spend way to build Maori fortunes
Sahiban Hyde (Hawkes Bay Today): Budget gives Ngāti Kahungunu hope for ambitious trade training plan (paywalled)
Bronson Perich (Māori TV): Trades Training gets Māori out of poverty, into business
1News: Wellington woman who’s loving carpentry job urges others to consider trades career amid Covid-19 upheaval
Dawn Freshwater (Herald): Universities can anchor our future (paywalled)
Local government
Todd Niall (Stuff): Job losses and pay cuts as Auckland Council tightens belt due to Covid-19
1News: Pay cuts on the way for some Auckland Council staff as Covid-19 bites revenue
RNZ: Auckland Council ask staff to take pay cut due to Covid-19
Herald: High-earning Auckland Council staff asked to take 5-10 per cent pay cut
Stuff: Mayor broadcasts ‘fat’ comment about senior staffer in Zoom mishap
Tom Hunt (Stuff): Deputy Mayor accused of ‘telling off’ Wellington colleagues over media coverage
Damian George (Stuff): Fewer migrants a Covid quandary for capital council
Harry Lock (RNZ): Wellington parking tickets – over 500 issued a day
1News: District council fined nearly $50,000 after discharging sewage into river in Waikato
RNZ: Council fined for wastewater discharge
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Submissions on Otago Regional Council spending for 2020-21 to be heard
Felix Desmarais: Rotorua Lakes Council applies handbrake to CBD parking discussion
Ministry of Justice’s Crime and Victims Survey
Mandy Te (Stuff): New Zealand’s largest-ever crime survey finds under-reporting, likely victims of crime
Daisy Hudson (ODT): Indicators of who will be a victim
Ben Strang (RNZ): Ninety-four percent of sexual assaults go unreported – survey
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): ‘Sobering’ research reveals 94 percent of sexual assaults in New Zealand weren’t reported to police
Anna Whyte (1News):‘Sobering’ new figures show 94 per cent of sexual assaults not reported
Herald: Crime and sexual violence vastly unreported in NZ, victims survey finds
Suicide rates and lockdown
Matt Burrows (1News): Suicide rate was lower during lockdown than before it, provisional figures show
Zane Small (Newshub): Winston Peters at odds with Suicide Prevention Office, Chief Coroner over suicide spike prediction
1News: Chief Coroner shuts down false reports of lockdown suicide surge
Stuff: Chief Coroner opposes rumours suicide rate increased during Covid-19 lockdown
Media
David Farrar: NZME loses again
Dita De Boni (NBR): NZME does not rule out further legal action over Stuff (paywalled)
Newstalk ZB: What’s next in NZME-Stuff merger saga?
Edward Gay (Stuff): NZME drops Commerce Commission bid to buy rival Stuff
Herald: High Court declines NZME’s case for interim injunction against Stuff owner Nine, NZME withdraws Commerce Commission application
Lana Andelane (Newshub): NZME refused an interim injunction against Stuff owner Nine
RNZ: NZME declined an interim injunction against Stuff owner Nine
Victoria Young (BusinessDesk): NZME drops Stuff bid as court gambit fails (paywalled)
Transport
Kristin Hall (Newshub): Calls for NZ businesses to re-think work related travel following pandemic
1News: Demand for public transport slumps under Alert Level 2 guidelines
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): 10 years to turn Auckland into Copenhagen
Chris Knox (Herald): Flexible working hours could save us from traffic
Grant Bradley (Herald): Consumer, travel agents say airlines must refund, not credit (paywalled)
1News: Air NZ looks to boost domestic tourism with additional Queenstown flights
Karen Pasco (ODT): Air traffic decision opposed
Grant Bradley (Herald): Airways and NZ Air Line Pilots Association trade blows over tower closures
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Cycling on footpaths could lead to one death a year but have a $10m upside, report says
Dileepa Fonseka (Newsroom): Transmission Gully PPP could split next week
RNZ: Waikato to Auckland rail work resumes after lockdown delays
Immigration, international travel
RNZ: Migration to New Zealand may halt for up to four years – demographer
Debrin Foxcroft (Stuff): No arrivals or departures for the first time in decade
RNZ: Checkpoint: International travel may not bounce back for five years – IATA
Tourism
Benn Bathgate (Stuff): Government pondering extra public holidays to encourage domestic tourism
Kelly Makiha (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hints at more public holidays in NZ to encourage domestic tourism
Sean Hogan (1News): Tourism industry pushes for one-off public holiday to boost economy – and the Government is considering it
1News: Kiwis urged to holiday in ‘own backyard’ as tourism industry struggles through Covid-19
No Right Turn: Disaster leisureism!
Matt Shand (Stuff): Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis fronts to criticism of $400m rescue package
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (RNZ): Whakarewarewa: A silence not heard in 100 years
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (RNZ): Whakairo master carvers at Te Puia say government funding secures ‘legacy’
RNZ: $7.6m to support Māori arts and tourism
Housing
Leigh-Marama McLachlan (RNZ): One in three Māori living in damp housing, Census data shows
1News: ‘This is an issue’ – Number of Māori, Pasifika living in damp homes worries Dr Bloomfield
David Hargreaves (Interest): Increasing household debt levels are not just a first home buyer problem
Environment
Richard Harman (Politik): Holding up the recovery
RNZ: ‘Green tape’ policies should be put on hold – Simon Bridges
Emma Stanford and Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Seven weeks in lockdown causes air pollution to drop 75 percent across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch
RNZ: Auckland house waste during Covid-19 lockdown increases 12 percent
Dominic Harris (Press): Christchurch ratepayers throwing away money with careless recycling
Charities
1News: Lockdown forces a rethink for charities losing millions and unable to fundraise
Emma Perry (ODT): Red Cross withdraws driving service
Police
Tim Brown (RNZ): Mental health calls make up quarter of serious police dog bites
Brianna Mcilraith Leighton Keith (Stuff): Man dies after being shot by police near Waitara, Taranaki
RNZ: Man shot by police north of New Plymouth dies
1News: Man shot dead by police in Taranaki
Energy
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Genesis Energy admits hundreds of breaches of ‘win-back’ ban
Gavin Evans (BusinessDesk): Liquidity test to trigger protection for minnow power suppliers (paywalled)
Steven Walton (Stuff):North Canterbury family quoted $14k to connect power to new home
Election
Logan Savory (Stuff): Education boss Penny Simmonds to run for Invercargill seat
Luisa Girao (ODT): SIT chief exec to contest seat
Jono Galuszka (Stuff): Ōtaki candidates hit the campaign trail in effort to fill empty seat
Other
Alexander Gillespie (The Conversation): Are New Zealand’s new COVID-19 laws and powers really a step towards a police state?
Paul Buchanan: Church, State and the weight of capitalism
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Fears delays to bowel screening could be deadly
Henry Cooke (Stuff): National Facebook ad ruled misleading by watchdog, party will appeal decision
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern responds to Simon Bridges’ comments about her at-home hair dye job
Herald: Jacinda Ardern responds to Simon Bridges’ quip about her DIY dye job
Tess Brunton (RNZ): Queenstown workers in limbo after job losses: ‘I’m pretty much trapped here’
Peter Cullen (Stuff): When is a contractor actually an employee?
Rob Stock (Stuff): The great $1.4 billion KiwiSaver panic
ODT Editorial: A sporting return
Scott Palmer (Newshub): The ‘big concern’ about Australia’s new outbreak
Marae: Māori woman living in Auckland’s plush Ponsonby targeted by neighbour with vicious racist letter – ‘You are not liked and not welcomed here’
Michael Pulman (RNZ): Covid-19 another example of too many mixed results for New Zealand’s disabled
RNZ: Drought-hit Hawke’s Bay farmers get $500,000 from Budget
Bonnie Flaws (Stuff): Agriculture minister announces $500,000 assistance for drought-stricken farmers
Mandy Te (Stuff): Wellington Justice of the Peace resigns from association after allegedly sharing Islamophobic posts online
