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
1News Colmar Brunton poll, opinion polls
1News: 1 News Colmar Brunton poll: Collins up as preferred PM, but National still in deep trouble
1News: 1 News poll ‘great for Ardern, leaves Collins disappointed’ says Jessica Mutch McKay
1News: Who do you trust in Parliament? PM rates highly, Winston Peters least trusted party leader in latest poll
RNZ: Latest poll puts Labour at 53, National at 32
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): National Party slumps in new political poll
Amelia Wade (Herald): Judith Collins, National flounder; Labour, Jacinda Ardern rise
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): National still in disaster territory in new poll
Herald: TVNZ political poll – National under Judith Collins at 32%, trail Labour by 21 points
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): National loses support to Labour and ACT in latest 1 NEWS-Columar Brunton Poll; NZ First struggling
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Latest polls says Labour could govern alone; Nats hang in above 30% (paywalled)
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Jo Moir (RNZ): New poll: ‘Bad start’ for National, Greens ‘defied the odds’
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Latest TVNZ poll proves Newshub one ‘was an outlier’
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): TVNZ Poll – Winners & Losers
Newstalk ZB: Act leader David Seymour: ‘We have a great chance at winning’
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): Peters says political polls are wrong after low result for NZ First
Josh Van Veen: Polls
Election
Claire Trevett: (Herald) Judith Collins yet to stop National’s polls bleeding (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Election 2020: National staring down different shades of loss
Richard Harman (Politik): A bad day and a bad poll — but National could still win
Simon Wilson (Herald): Auckland election diary: Getting angry about poverty (paywalled)
Matthew Brockett (Bloomsberg): The Woman Seeking to Dethrone Political Superstar Jacinda Ardern
Chris Trotter: Who Ya Gonna Call? Labour and the New Zealand Economy
Felicity Barnes (Newsroom): Who will manage the economy better?
Jason Walls (Herald): New Zealand First and Greens again at war – sparring over accusations of broken promises
Zane Small and Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Winston Peters accuses Greens of ‘misusing Labour’ in scrap over ‘waka-jumping’ repeal
Dominic Harris (Stuff): National candidate resists call to forgo ratepayer-funded salary during campaign
Oliver Lewis (Stuff): National leader Judith Collins makes confusing Christchurch Hospital car parking ‘promise’
Alex Braae (Spinoff): The strange case of the election hoarding vandalised by Photoshop
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): New Conservative candidate admits being ‘pranked’ after posting digitally altered image
Simon Ewing: Be Like Angus
Parliament, role of media in politics, valedictory speeches
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Labour MP Clare Curran worried a politician will kill themselves before news media examines itself
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): Clare Curran says media culpable in toxic Parliament culture
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Stuff boss and owner tells staff that voluntary pay cuts will be refunded
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): From ‘prissy’ to popular
Melanie Reid (Newsroom): ‘He said he’d destroy me … and here we are’
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Nikki Kaye, Amy Adams and Nathan Guy urge Kiwis to remember the good of politics as they bow out
Charlie Dreaver (RNZ): Nikki Kaye, Amy Adams and Nathan Guy say their goodbyes to Parliament
Claire Trevett (Herald): National MPs Nikki Kaye and Amy Adams sign off from Parliament
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Watch: Nikki Kaye drops the F-bomb as she bows out of Parliament
1News: Nikki Kaye recalls Sir John Key telling her she’s ‘not f***ing going anywhere’ when trying to resign after cancer diagnosis
Hannah Kronast (Newshub): Nikki Kaye drops F-Bomb in final Parliamentary speech
Claire Trevett (Herald): National MP Amy Adams signs off with ‘be brave’ message
Covid privacy leak – Heron report
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Covid patient leak inquiry leaves questions unanswered
Amelia Wade (Herald): Analysis: Inquiry into Covid-19 leak missed a chance to delve into political murk (paywalled)
RNZ: Checkpoint: Privacy Commissioner investigating Boag’s, Walker’s leak
Amelia Wade (Herald): ‘Disgraceful and grubby’ but Hamish Walker and Michelle Boag unlikely to face penalties
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Data leakers Boag, Walker did not consider harm to patients – Hipkins
Zane Small (Newshub): Health Minister Chris Hipkins blasts ‘disgraceful and grubby’ COVID-19 data breach by Hamish Walker, Michelle Boag
1News: ‘A disgraceful and grubby act’ – Health Minister unloads on Boag and Walker over leak
RNZ: Judith Collins: ‘You can’t play around with people’s privacy’
Craig McCullough (RNZ): Covid-19 privacy leak was ‘deliberate and politically motivated’, SSC inquiry finds
Anna Whyte (1News): Covid-19 patients’ privacy breach ‘not justified or reasonable’, inquiry finds
Zane Small (Newshub): Covid-19 data breach probe: Hamish Walker admits leaking over ‘pressure of being labelled a racist’
Amelia Wade (Herald): Hamish Walker sent private patient details after being labelled racist
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Covid privacy breach report places blame on Nats
Caroline Williams (Stuff): Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust issued breach of contract notice over Covid-19 leak
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Ministry of Health issues breach of confidence to Auckland Helicopter Rescue Trust following COVID-19 patient leak
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Revealed: The cost of the COVID-19 data breach probe – not including disgraced MP Hamish Walker’s salary
Managed isolation, contact tracing, testing, border restrictions
Gordon Campbell: On showing the Aussies how to reach a consensus on quarantine fees
RNZ: ‘A balanced and fair approach’ – Megan Woods on charging for managed isolation
Lana Andelane (Newshub): New Zealand teen’s plea to PM for exemption to managed isolation charges
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Investigations launched after claims of managed isolation security guards falling asleep on the job
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Two areas of NZ told to get tested after NZ-linked Korean COVID-19 case returns second positive test
Guy Williams (ODT): Test call for resort visitors
RNZ: South Korea traveller visited Queenstown, Fiordland
Hannah Kronast (Newshub): Hipkins, Bloomfield urge Kiwis to get tested for COVID-19 if asked, but haven’t been tested themselves
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Chris Hipkins says too many Kiwis are ‘reluctant’ to get Covid-19 test
Jordan Bond (RNZ): Doctors worried not enough testing for Covid-19 happening
RNZ: Surgeon says New Zealand killing Cooks with kindness
Ben Francis (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern says officials looking into Warriors duo unable to re-enter NZ
Herald: NRL: ‘Looking to be resolved’ – Jacinda Ardern responds to Warriors players not being able to return to New Zealand
Housing
Melanie Carroll (Stuff): Government plans $500 million expansion to Kāinga Ora’s housing retrofits
Damian George (Stuff): The only way is up: Wellington reveals plans to house 74,000 more people in next 30 years
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Ardern hypes up housing in the Hutt
Brent Edwards (NBR): Twyford believes government changes will lead to urban intensification (paywalled)
1News: Judith Collins says MP ‘just got it wrong’ claiming last National Govt built 30,000 state houses
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern says it would be ‘fantastic’ if National’s false housing claims were true
Dan Satherley (Newshub): National housing spokesperson Jacqui Dean falsely claims they built 30,000 state homes when last in power
Dan Satherley and Lucy Walker (Newshub): Fears of a homelessness explosion once wage subsidy runs out
Foreign affairs, trade
Bruce Munro (ODT): Global Insight: Peters’ link with Brexiteers ‘blurs message’ on China
Nicholas Khoo (ODT): NZ-China link: hard thinking required
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen thanks Jacinda Ardern for ‘speaking up’ for Taiwan
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reportedly asks Korean president for co-operation after diplomat is charged with sexual assault
Guy Trafford (Interest): Navigating between elephants
1News: New Zealand one step closer to reaching free trade deal with Britain
Resource Management Act
RNZ: Resource Management Act changes good but ‘devil in the detail’ – law expert
1News: Chlöe Swarbrick and David Seymour agree on scrapping RMA, but that’s where their agreement ends
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Calls for ‘managed retreat’ law due to climate change
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Fed Farmers backs RMA overhaul but wants one law, not two (paywalled)
Economy, business
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Economists ‘might have to concede they overestimated negatives’
Joanna Norris (Stuff): NZ can learn from Christchurch’s post-quake mistakes
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Sir Bill English warns businesses to prepare for W-shaped downturn
Jason Walls (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hires Rob Fyfe back as her Covid-19 private sector conduit
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Prime Minister brings back Rob Fyfe as business advisor for Covid-19 recovery
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Andrew Little proposes fund for businesses, after NZ First pulls support for rent law
Yvette McCullough (RNZ): Government drops commercial rent compulsory arbitration plans
Anna Whyte (1News): Govt bypasses legislative change to commercial rent after NZ First disagreement
Zane Small (Newshub): Law change to help commercial rent disputes axed after New Zealand First disagrees
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): NZ First slams ‘Muldoonesque’ move by Labour to solve rent relief impasse (paywalled)
Nicholas Pointon (RNZ): Covid recovery business confidence boost has ‘run its course’ – ANZ
David Hargreaves (Interest): Business confidence bounce ‘running out of steam’
Herald: Capital Markets report: Fran O’Sullivan – Putting the capital into capitalism
Herald: Capital Markets report: Simon Power – Let’s make the bold calls now, NZ
Richard Yetsenga & Jennifer Kusuma (Herald): Capital Markets report: Covid-19 pathway towards unconventional policies
Graham Skellern (Herald): Capital Markets report: Craigs Investment Partners sees remarkable post-Covid recovery
Nicholas Pointon (RNZ): ‘Woke’ funds increasingly popular during Covid-19 turmoil
Dita De Boni (NBR): Investment fund based on Māori worldview sets sail (paywalled)
Welfare
Paul McBeth (BusinessDesk): Covid income relief tracking behind expectations – Ardern (paywalled)
Dominic Harris (Stuff): Salvation Army warns of strain on welfare services amid growing pressure from Covid-1
Sophie Trigger (Stuff): Covid support packages for whānau set to continue for next two years
Drug driving testing
RNZ: Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill proposes random roadside drug testing
1News: Details revealed of proposed new random roadside drug testing law
Newstalk ZB: Julie-Anne Genter: Police release details on new rules to test drivers for drugs
Tarras airport proposal
Jo McKenzie-McLean (Stuff): Landowner who unwittingly sold property to airport apologises to community
Jared McCulloch (1News): Locals demand answers over plans to build international airport in Tarras
Tim Brown (RNZ): Locals pack Tarras Hall to hear about town’s potential as flight destination
Environment
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage gets death threats over tahr cull
Maja Burry (RNZ): Farmers say new land bill has too much red tape
Newshub: Government steps up action on environmentally harmful products
Oranga Tamariki
RNZ: Oranga Tamariki sees lowest rate of Māori entering state care since 2004
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Oranga Tamariki blasted by Māori health expert as it claims outcomes have improved for tamariki
1News: ‘They’ve become a threat’ – Lady Tureiti Moxon says Oranga Tamariki undermining Māori
Laura Wiltshire (Stuff): Oranga Tamariki ‘beyond repair’ Waitangi Tribunal hears
Meriana Johnsen (RNZ): Oranga Tamariki Waitangi Tribunal hearing: ‘Māori ready to take back our tamariki’
Health
Brittany Keogh (Stuff): Treatment injuries for misdiagnosed strokes costing $1.5 million per year
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Southland charity hospital one step closer to reality as old pub handed over for conversion
Local government
Danielle Clent (Stuff): Auckland Council contract cleaners to get living wage following Covid-19 pay cut
Zac Fleming (Newshub): Moerewa locals clash with Council over ‘decades’ long sewage contamination issue
Felix Desmarais (RNZ): Rotorua to outsource wastewater management
Tara Shaskey (Taranaki Daily News): Barbershop swaps out traditional striped poles for koru pattern in support of a Māori ward
Education
Caitlin Neuwelt-Kearns and Jenny Ritchie (Stuff): Why there should be no place for profit in early childhood education
Steven Walton (Stuff): Students who paid thousands for cancelled overseas trips may not get refunds
Privacy breaches
Katarina Williams (Stuff): Otago, Auckland universities caught up in cyber attack
Herald: Auckland University alumni and donor information stolen by hackers
1News: Police say ‘risk to people is low’ as more details emerge of major data hack
RNZ: Kiwibank breach ‘significant’ – Privacy Commissioner
Other
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Operation Burnham: Inquiry report into alleged civilian deaths during SAS-led raid to be released
Herald: ‘Compassionate’: Jacinda Ardern ranked world’s most eloquent leader
Brian Fallow (Herald): Lake Onslow hydro storage scheme is no pipe dream (paywalled)
Janet Stephenson (The Conversation): New Zealand wants to build a 100% renewable electricity grid, but massive infrastructure is not the best option
No Right Turn: Close Motunui too
RNZ: Govt announces $27m for new Naenae Pool building
Matthew Tso (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern bamboozled by Lower Hutt’s ‘zoomtube’
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): Slavery victims ‘ecstatic’ at abuser’s prison sentence, says INZ
Andy Fyers (BusinessDesk): What does the new algorithm charter mean for NZ? (paywalled)
Maxine Jacobs (Manawatū Standard): Racial slur from rugby player sparks calls for change
Farah Hancock (Newsroom): Division and dissent after ‘One SPCA’ amalgamation
Madeleine Holden (Spinoff): Think we’re no longer criminalising people for using cannabis? Think again
1News: ‘Abhorrent abuse’ – New law aims to close loopholes allowing female genital mutilation in NZ
Dan Satherley (Newshub): 5G is harmless unless you believe it isn’t – doctor