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
Labour Party list
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern rebrands the post-coronavirus Labour Party with her first real party list
Jamie Ensor and Lydia Lewis (Newshub): Dr Ayesha Verrall’s experience could prove ‘helpful’ to Labour post-COVID-19 – commentator
Hannah Kronast (Newshub): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern defends Labour’s list diversity
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Ayesha Verrall leads fresh-faced Labour party list for 2020
Jason Walls (Herald): Labour list revealed: Winners and losers – MP-in-waiting Dr Ayesha Verrall; and has David Clark been demoted?
Alex Braae (Spinoff): The winners and losers of Labour’s 2020 election list
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Health Minister David Clark’s new competition – COVID-19 expert Dr Ayesha Verral
Marc Daalder and Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): High Labour list place for epidemiologist
1News: Infectious diseases expert Dr Ayesha Verrall, who rose to prominence during pandemic, to run for Labour
1News: Health Minister David Clark drops eight places on Labour list after Covid-19 lockdown breaches
Zane Small (Newshub): Health Minister David Clark slips in Labour’s ranks, infectious disease expert Ayesha Verrall joins list
RNZ: Covid-19 adviser Ayesha Verrall to be candidate for Labour Party
RNZ: Checkpoint: Greg O’Connor goes electorate only for 2020 election
Māori TV: Maori Labour electorate candidates back on party list
No Right Turn: The Labour list
Mike Watson (Taranaki Daily News): New Plymouth Labour candidate first out of the starter blocks
National Party
Chris Trotter (Interest): Todd Muller’s weekend speech: ‘I’ll see your kindness and raise you unconditional Christian love’
Newstalk ZB: Todd Muller says there are bigger issues to worry about than his gaffes
Herald: National poster slammed for upside down Māori flag
Tracy Neal (RNZ): Nick Smith prioritises jobs in 2020 Nelson seat election campaign launch
Cherie Sivignon (Stuff): Economic recovery ‘defining issue’ for 2020 election, says Nick Smith
Henry Cooke (Stuff): National overlook sitting MP for new electorate, again
Parliament, election
Jason Walls (Herald): Jacinda Ardern’s promised pay cuts for MPs yet to kick in
Scott Palmer (Newshub): David Seymour says he knows what it’s like to be a minority, has nothing to apologise for
Kate Hawkesby (Newstalk ZB): National leader Todd Muller coasts while Act’s David Seymour puts up a fight
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): John Hong takes tilt at national politics through Tea Party
Colonial statues, names, Black Lives Matter
1News: ‘They represent racism’ – MP Willie Jackson says conversation needed over statues
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern passes fate of colonial statues to councils
RNZ: Jacinda Ardern says removal of colonial statues the decision of communities
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern won’t take sides on Hamilton name debate
Mike Mather (Waikato Times): Hamilton or Kirikiriroa? Call for referendum on city name
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate doesn’t want Capt Hamilton statue back in Civic Square
Michael Neilson (Herald): New Zealand’s offensive place names and the case to have them changed
1News: History isn’t being rewritten by statue removals around the world – expert
Avril Bell (Newsroom): The truth is not set in stone
Katie Pickles (the Conversation): Removing monuments to an imperial past is not the same for former colonies as it is for former empires
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Sir George Grey statue in Auckland vandalised, smeared with red paint
Herald: Sir George Grey statue in Auckland smeared with red paint
Hannah Martin and Danielle Clent (Stuff): Woman arrested over alleged vandalism of Auckland memorial statue
1News: Woman arrested after memorial statue in Auckland vandalised over the weekend
Michael Neilson (Herald): Auckland memorial statue damaged, police arrest woman
Newstalk ZB: Lianne Dalziel: New Zealand not part of UK or US slave trade issues
Joanne Carroll (Stuff): West Coast man appeals for great grandfather’s statue to remain
Jo McKenzie-McLean (Stuff): Cromwellians divided over town’s murderous namesake
Daisy Hudson (ODT): Venue operator ‘very happy’ to change name
RNZ: Checkpoint: Dunedin venue The Cook looks for new name
Steven Walton and Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Dunedin’s ‘Captain Cook’ set to sail as venue owner opts for name change
David Farrar: Captain Cook Hotel gonski
Samantha Olley (Herald): ‘Embroiled in a controversy’: Rotorua Stockcar Club to rethink Confederate flag
Cate Broughton (Stuff): Complaints about Māori exhibit not addressed for four years
Stuff Editorial: The anger’s not dissipating, so what should we do?
Rachel Thomas (RNZ): Archbishop of Wellington rejects ‘all lives matter’ message at church
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Black Lives Matter protesters denied entry to new Auckland mall
Luke Appleby (1News): Auckland’s glitzy new Commercial Bay apologises after Black Lives Matter protestors turned away following rally
Anuja Nadkarni (Stuff): Protesters turned away from Commercial Bay after Black Lives Matter march
Amber-Leigh Woolf (Stuff): More Black Lives Matter protests possible if New Zealand racism is not addressed, organiser says
Health
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Is David Clark up to reforming the health system?
Debbie Edwards, David Galler, Todd Krieble and Collin Tukuitonga (Stuff): Heather Simpson’s report should give priority to public health
David Galler (Spinoff): On doctors, unions and competing interests
David Murdoch (The Conversation): The next once-a-century pandemic is coming sooner than you think – but COVID-19 can help us get ready
Ian Powell (Democracy Project): Should DHBs be the providers of rest home care?
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Specialists concerned at University of Otago’s proposed medical school subject changes
Dave Armstrong (Stuff): A view into the future over another health crisis
RNZ: Mental health units appeared successful in lockdown – Chief Ombudsman
Hannah Kronast (Newshub): Mental health facilities generally ‘got it right’ through COVID-19 pandemic, report finds
1News: Relaxing Covid-19 hygiene practices could cause flu-like illnesses to rise, doctors warn
Jamie Morton (Herald): Virus lockdown restrictions squash flu
Sam Kilmister (Stuff): Teen with spinal muscular atrophy campaigns for wonder drug to survive
Govt’s coronavirus response, ‘Unite for the Recovery’ ads
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Exclusive new poll: public support for Covid response remains sky high
Amelia Wade (Herald): Jacinda Ardern defends ‘Unite for the Recovery’ ads as Act leader demands they end before election period
Scott Palmer (Newshub): David Seymour attacks Government’s ‘Unite for the Recovery’ plan, accuses it of North Korean-style propaganda
RNZ: National Crisis Centre’s social media page puts political neutrality in question
RNZ: Siouxsie Wiles on virus elimination
Border, migration, Trans-Tasman, Pacific bubble
1News: Avatar film crew’s border exemption granted after one week
Tom Hunt (Stuff): Avatar crew given the all-clear and free to move about
Dileepa Fonseka (Newsroom): The ‘do nothing’ migration tactic
Juliet Speedy (Newshub): Staggering figures show record number of Kiwis flocking home to New Zealand
RNZ: Lowest number of arrivals to NZ since 1960s
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Dita De Boni and Julie Iles (NBR): Premature trans-Tasman bubble talk popped by officials (paywalled)
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern explains why there’s no Pacific travel bubble yet
RNZ: More calls for New Zealand to include Cook Islands in ‘bubble’
Duncan Garner (Newshub): We can’t wait for Australia to kick COVID-19 – let’s find new travel bubbles
Infrastructure
Simon Wong and Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Greenpeace concerned fast-tracked Government infrastructure projects don’t consider the impacts of climate change
No Right Turn: Steamrolling democracy
Jason Walls (Herald): National accuses Government of an ‘extraordinary’ bypassing of major new agency
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Red tape ditched as Government unveils new infrastructure law
Zane Small (Newshub): Environment Minister David Parker explains why fast-tracked infrastructure projects won’t be permanent
Zane Small (Newshub): Government reveals ‘job-rich’ infrastructure projects getting fast-tracked approval amid COVID-19 downturn
1News: Eleven infrastructure projects to be fast tracked for Covid-19 recovery
RNZ: Government reveals bill fast-tracking infrastructure projects
Herald: Shovel-ready projects get the green light to go ahead under new infrastructure law
Brent Edwards (NBR): Fast-tracked projects need to be job-rich and properly funded (paywalled)
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Housing, roading, rail, cycling and water projects among those named by the Government to go through special streamlined consenting process
Dileepa Fonseka (Newsroom): RMA fast track for rail and cycling, vs roads
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Ummmm, how pathetic is that list of ‘shovel ready’ jobs? Tell me Jacinda has more than this???
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Scepticism at Shane Jones’ claim new spend-up will create 800 jobs
RNZ: Councils, KiwiRail gets $60m from Provincial Growth Fund for job creation
Economy
Brian Easton (Pundit): The Wobbly Bicycle
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Economic fog lifts a little, but this is not the time to hit the accelerator
Liam Dann (Herald): Covid 19 coronavirus elimination’s economic cost (paywalled)
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): Splendid isolation costing taxpayers up to $10m a week
Brent Edwards (NBR): Strong growth expected after Covid-19 downturn (paywalled)
David Hargreaves (Interest): The recession starts here…
RNZ: Services sector up on last month but remains ‘woeful’ – economist
Paul McBeth (BusinessDesk): Services sector indicator bodes ill for labour market (paywalled)
Dan Satherley (Newshub): ‘Forget about tax cuts’: Economist warns of hikes ahead no matter who wins election
Wage subsidy
Katie Kenny and Felippe Rodrigues (Stuff): Ministry of Social Development U-turn to release wage subsidy data
Michael Andrew (Spinoff): South Auckland workers picketing factory over claims of wage subsidy deception
Living wage
1News: Government playing ‘a lot of catch up’ to lift workers’ pay to living wage – Jacinda Ardern
1News: ‘They need to do the right thing’ – Essential workers call on Government to pay them living wage
Todd Niall (Stuff): Living Wage campaigners hand petition to Auckland mayor demanding he keep pledge
RNZ: Union urges government to honour living wage promise to contract workers
Working from home
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Work from home or save the CBD?
RNZ: Hackers targeting working from home security flaws – CERT
Migrant workers
RNZ: The Detail: Trapped migrant workers – NZ’s new underclass
RNZ: History-making researcher calls for more voices of Pacific workers
Media
Gavin Ellis: How afraid should NZME be?
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): TVNZ to cut between 70 and 90 jobs to protect ‘financial sustainability’
RNZ: NZ looks to cut between 70 and 90 jobs
Priscilla Dickinson (Newshub): Up to 90 jobs to go as TVNZ ‘safeguards the future’
Herald: TVNZ warns up to 90 jobs could be cut to ‘safeguard the future’ of state broadcaster
1News: TVNZ consulting with staff over new business structure
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Māori media worried about Government’s single service proposal
Melanie Carroll (Stuff): Steven Joyce awarded $269,000 in costs after suing NBR
Education
Tony Ballantyne (Newsroom): So what should we know about NZ history?
Chloe Blommerde (Stuff): Frustrations over face-to-face lecture ban at some New Zealand Universities
Gareth Jones (ODT): Extra burdens require extra support
Local government
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland Council Budget: Greens call for creative thinking not “slash and burn”
Ripu Bhatia (Stuff): Auckland Council budget: Anger over plans to close animal shelter to save cash
RNZ: Waikato council slams Watercare planning as Auckland mayor Goff warns of crisis
Stephen Forbes (RNZ): Auckland Transport backs down over Māngere car park after 18-month stoush
Damian George (Stuff): Questions raised over council’s stake in airport after $25m underwrite agreed
RNZ: Council organisation defends work on New Brighton
Rachel Graham (RNZ): ‘A deathly silence’: New Brighton residents fume over agency’s lack of action
ODT Editorial: Counting the cost of inaction
Grant Miller (ODT): Meeting called for July 8 to consider Hobbs’ removal
Grant Miller (ODT): Nine councillors seeking to oust Hobbs
Laura Smith (ODT): Demolition option for vacant ICC buildings
1News: ‘Nothing to worry about’ – Hamilton Mayor reassures viewers after appearing to faint live on TV
Firearms
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Mosque terrorist was wrongly granted firearms licence due to police mistakes, sources say
Collette Devlin (Stuff): NZ First makes deal with Labour to keep gun law changes alive
Police
1News: Police Commissioner will apologise to Māori over armed response trial if asked
RNZ: Police officer who slapped teenager during youth programme keeps job
Environment
ODT: Massive Southland station could become conservation land
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Still no handover of Te Mata Peak land a year after purchase announced
Peter de Graaf (Northland Advocate): Community effort saves public access to iconic Northland surf beach
Transport
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Long read: How dead is light rail?
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Confronting map shows reality of Auckland’s new speed limits
Rob Fyfe
Emma Russell (Herald): Jacinda Ardern and Rob Fyfe: ‘Remiss of me’ not to thank former Air NZ boss for business work
Ben Kepes (Herald): What Rob Fyfe could learn from a humble neighbour (paywalled)
Other
Tony Burton (Spinoff): Why is a bill proposing to shift power to unelected officials getting an easy ride?
Stuff: Southern Response in last attempt to avoid ‘opt-out’ class action over earthquake payments
1News: More than a third of Kiwis unable to last financially beyond a month if they lost their jobs, survey finds
Tamsyn Parker (Stuff): KiwiSaver warning after financially hard-up Kiwis drained accounts by nearly $14m (paywalled)
1News: Grim statistics at forefront as elder abuse awareness week begins in New Zealand
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Cannabis referendum: Legalisation would be a ‘disaster’ for New Zealand – ex-detective
Charlotte Graham-McLay (Guardian): New Zealand government deploys nude actors in web safety ad
Golriz Ghahraman (Guardian): ‘I feel such sorrow when I imagine my parents’ fate’
Catherine Harris (Stuff): High Court gives fertiliser group voice on West Sahara case
Herald: Artwork of Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield as superheroes reaches $2500 on Trademe
Herald: Petition calls on UK to declare war on New Zealand ‘then immediately surrender’
Hannah Kronast (Newshub): The unusual plan to get Jacinda Ardern to become British Prime Minister
Kadambari Raghukumar (RNZ): Covid-19 claims champion of Waikato’s refugee community
Tom Dillane (Herald): ‘A nightmare’: Auckland residents stranded in India with baby in ICU and $20k medical bill
Ben Leahy (Herald): House sales drop almost 50 per cent, but prices stay record levels
Robin Martin (RNZ): OMV signals commitment to Taranaki with $15m refurbishment
Leigh-Marama McLachlan (RNZ): Oranga Tamariki social workers’ te ao Māori knowledge questioned
RNZ: Covid-19 restrictions hit house sales in May
Sam Kilmister (Stuff): MP urged son to see welfare service as animal neglect worsened
