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
Government inquiry into Operation Burnham
Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): SAS did nothing wrong, but senior military officers misled public: report
Thomas Manch (Stuff): An apology from the Defence Force, but redemption has just begun
Stuff Editorial: A mix of shock and relief in the SAS report
ODT Editorial: Operation Burnham
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): Former Minister Wayne Mapp ‘forgot’ about civilian casualties
RNZ: Call for NZ Defence Force to apologise to villages where civilians were killed
Meg de Ronde (Spinoff): We shouldn’t have to work this hard to get transparency from our government
No Right Turn: Vindicatedlatest
Zane Small (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern recognises ‘major failings’ in Defence Force over Operation Burnham findings
Bronson Perich (Māori TV): Ron Mark backs NZDF after Operation Burnham report
Thomas Manch (Stuff): ‘It’s damaged our reputation’: Defence Chief apologises for misleading ministers
Matt Burrows (Newshub): NZ Defence Force chief ‘deeply sorry’ after damning report into deadly Afghanistan raid
RNZ: Operation Burnham report: NZDF ‘deeply sorry’ for misleading ministers and public
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Child was likely killed, SAS soldiers misled, prisoner was tortured
Vita Molyneux and Rosie Gordon (Newshub): Damning report finds civilians likely killed during New Zealand Defence Force raid, officials covered it up for seven years
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): Operation Burnham: Child killed, but death was justified, inquiry finds
Anna Whyte (1News): ‘Likely a child was killed’ – Inquiry into Afghanistan operation finds ‘significant failings’ by NZDF
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Why the NZDF ruling matters
Point of Order: Watchdog is proposed to keep a check on NZDF – but ‘Hit & Run’ authors take a drubbing, too
National Party
Richard Harman (Politik): Nats’ President breaks party rule
Bernard Orsman (Herald): National Party fails to follow its own rules when selecting a candidate for Auckland Central
Spinoff: ‘The fuck-ups were all my own’: Simon Bridges on the toughest job in politics
Audrey Young (Herald): National in danger of listing too far right after exit of Nikki Kaye and Amy Adams (paywalled)
Martin van Beynen (Stuff): National’s identity crisis is bad for NZ’s democracy
Keith Rankin: Rob Muldoon And Judith Collins
Sandeep Singh (Herald): National’s polling problem – driving too fast for Covid conditions (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): National ‘in the game’ despite recent polling, ‘contest of ideas’ needed – Simon Bridges
Steve Braunias (Herald): The secret diary of … The Collins Gang (paywalled)
Andrew Gunn (Stuff): I’m E1. And I’m E2. We’re Judith Collins’ eyebrows!
Daniela Maoate-Cox (RNZ): Scarlet woman, elephants, triangles – Retiring National MPs reflect on Parliament
Melanie Reid (Newsroom): MP: my advice to women trapped by predators
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Matthew Hooton, who helped Todd Muller to leadership, leaves National Party
RNZ: Political lobbyist Matthew Hooton resigns as National Party staffer
Stuff: Matthew Hooton resigns as National Party staffer
Labour Party
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Why Jacinda Ardern won’t delete her Facebook account
Christine Rose (Daily Blog): Policy, promises and praxis
Michelle Langstone (Spinoff): Megan Woods, the minister for everything
1News: ‘Never a moment’s regret’ – Andrew Little pays tribute to Labour leader Jacinda Ardern
Newshub: ‘Never had a moment’s regret’: Andrew Little remembers the day he stepped aside for Jacinda Ardern
Brittney Deguara (Stuff): Andrew Little celebrates his ‘mate’ and ‘boss’ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s leadership milestone
Herald: Andrew Little on his handover to Jacinda Ardern – ‘I’ve never had a moment’s regret’
1News: Jacinda Ardern overcomes stiff competition to be named world’s most eloquent leader
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern tops list of ‘eloquent leaders’, Boris Johnson, Donald Trump’s communication criticised
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Clare Curran: fighting for causes, staying true to oneself
Matt Robson (Evening Report): Labour should have the courage of National and rule out NZ First
Lawrence Gullery (Stuff): First-time candidate Kerrin Leoni launches Labour’s bid for the Waikato electorate
Election
Henry Cooke (Stuff): With just one more week of Parliament, the coalition looks close to falling apart right on the finish line
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Election 2020: How do you run against elimination?
Stuff: Tick. Tick: Stuff launches podcast to cover 2020 election campaign
Matthew Whitehead (Standard): Pollwatch: Colmar Brunton poll released 2020-07-30
1News: Q+A: New Zealand a ‘prime target’ for foreign interference ahead of election says expert
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Gender-neutral option included in voting enrolment forms for first time
Andre Chumko (Stuff): Mx pronouns on voting enrolment forms for first time
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Judith Collins accuses ‘opponents’ of stealing billboards, suspects they will show up again on election day
1News: National leader Judith Collins blames ‘opponents’ after election hoardings go missing
Herald: ‘Stupid behaviour’: Judith Collins blames political opponents for theft of billboards
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Judith Collins accuses ‘opponents’ of setting her up after hoardings vanish
Herald: Damaged billboards: Labour MP spends Sunday fixing hoardings
Maxine Jacobs (Stuff): Tensions rise at Palmerston North election candidate meeting
Daisy Hudson (ODT): Being understood by MPs important to rural folk
Vera Alves (Herald): Waitaki candidate Daniel Shand says he doesn’t know anything about politics
Minor parties
Tim Watkin (Stuff): Seymour & Shaw: Winning The Anti-Shenanigan Vote
1News: Analysis: ACT will be celebrating latest poll, but Greens will be nervous
RNZ: New political poll: Assessing the fortunes of the minor parties
Mark Boyd (Stuff): Labour and National are polls apart, but the ‘minor’ parties could find comfort in the margins
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Greens determined in face of 5% threshold
Newstalk ZB: James Shaw on the Greens disappointing result in latest poll
1News: Outgoing MP trading his suit for a pair of gumboots on Quarantine Island
Katie Doyle (RNZ): Top five contenders who could join ACT leader David Seymour in Parliament
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Small parties can have a big influence (paywalled)
Zoe Madden-Smith:I don’t know anything about politics: what’s the deal with the minor parties
Micro parties
Charlie Mitchell (Stuff): The conspiracists’ election: How the farthest fringes of politics are making a play for the centre
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Fringe party leader alleges campaign of harassment by Billy TK supporters
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Jami-Lee Ross and Conspiracy Theorist Billy TK grow their Fringe Army
Deena Coster (Taranaki Daily News): Outspoken councillor launches bid to become MP
Māori seats
1News: Labour launches Māori seats campaign as predictions show Māori unemployment will soar to higher levels than after GFC
Māori TV: ‘Lots of hard work’ needed to retain Māori seats – Labour Māori caucus campaign launch
Simon Wilson (Herald): Auckland election diary: Simon Wilson on Labour’s big day in Māngere (paywalled)
Audrey Young (Herald): PM Jacinda Ardern launches campaign to keep Māori seats
1News: Q+A: Māori Party fighting to get back in Parliament in this election
1News: Māori Party candidate hoping to bring back tomo, a type of arranged marriage
Bronson Perich (Māori TV): Could this be Rino Tirikatene’s easiest re-election run ever?
NZ First
Claire Trevett (Herald): Jacinda Ardern backs Winston Peters on ‘trust’ after poll
Jane Bowron (Stuff): Winston Peters’ manners deteriorate as poll suggests voters losing faith
Dan Satherley (Newshub Nation): Winston Peters thinks both recent polls are rogue
David Farrar: NZ First average gain in last 8 weeks
Andrea Vance (Stuff): NZ First Minister Tracey Martin: ‘I didn’t think I was good enough’
John Roughan (Herald): Time is up for time-wasting Winston Peters (paywalled)
MP scandals, week in politics
Bruce Munro (ODT): Wise choices
Simon Wilson (Herald): Election diary – the real reason for rogue MPs (paywalled)
1News: Disgraced politicians keep pay despite being absent from Parliament
Peter Wilson (RNZ): The Week in Politics: Polls point to a Labour landslide
Brent Edwards (NBR): Fact or Fiction: Polls, quarantine and criticism of the media (paywalled)
Jane Clifton (BusinessDesk): Swirl-o-meter meets the Brow of Mirth (paywalled)
Euthanasia and cannabis referendums
RNZ: The Detail: What you need to know about election 2020’s referendums
Farah Hancock (Newsroom): Explainer: Cannabis referendum
Muriel Newman: Two referenda: Euthanasia and the recreational use of cannabis
Mary Cannon (Herald): Cannabis is harmful for young adults and teens (paywalled)
Nicholas and Anne Nixon (Stuff): A few puffs of cannabis led our son to drug addiction
Jack Tame (Newstalk ZB): Why is booze OK, but cannabis isn’t?
Denise Piper (Stuff): Whangārei ACT candidate says yes vote will give him choice
Managed isolation charges, border restrictions
1News: Public opinion differs from Government over charging Kiwis for managed isolation, 1 NEWS poll shows
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Majority of Kiwis support quarantine fee for all returning travellers, poll shows
1News: Gerry Brownlee slams Govt over ‘inconsistent’ treatment of unwelcome Warriors duo
Natalie Sutherland (1News): Kiwis with partners overseas wanting to enter NZ frustrated with confusing immigration rules
Covid document release
Amelia Wade (Herald): Covid 19 coronavirus document release: Isolation cost underestimated; vaccination ‘best case’ end of 2021
RNZ: Covid-19 document dump: Budget blowouts, transit visas, social costs
Herald: Covid 19 document release: More homelessness expected
Hannah Kronast (Newshub): Covid-19 document dump: Government significantly underestimated border costs
Zane Small (Newshub): Covid-19 document dump reveals $450 million cost of staying at alert level 2 a week longer
Zane Small (Newshub): Covid-19 document dump: Government considered mandatory QR codes with up to six months in prison for defiance
Covid-19: – public health measures
Tracy Watkins and Brittney Deguara (Stuff): Health Minister Chris Hipkins says Government will use any method necessary to track Covid-19 contacts
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Ministry of Health blasted as ‘far too slow’ to act in NZ-linked Korean COVID-19 case
1News: Concerns New Zealanders becoming complacent about threat of second wave of Covid-19
1News: Covid-19 expert Siouxsie Wiles urges Kiwis not to get complacent – and get tested
Tracy Watkins (SST Editorial): We’re all covidiots if we let complacency rule
Siouxsie Wiles (Newshub): Four possible scenarios for the Australian and South Korean travellers
David Williams (Newsroom): Rest homes ‘rebuked’ for shutting doors early
Foreign affairs
Anan Zaki (RNZ): Critics deplore China’s NZ ads defending policies
Anne-Marie Brady (Guardian): New Zealand’s relationship with China is at a tipping point
Charles Finny (BusinessDesk): Disagreeing with China is vital – and OK (paywalled)
1News: Q+A: NZ should ‘keep its head down’ as global tensions rise with China – analyst
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Suspension of Hong Kong extradition treaty not interference from New Zealand – Winston Peters
Matt Nippert (Heald): Chinese military drone mystery deepens as New Zealand designer denies involvement (paywalled)
Dan Satherley (Newshub Nation): Korean diplomat accused of sexual assault in Wellington urged to come back to NZ and defend himself
Simon Draper (Stuff): Relationships with Asia may bear fruit in era of vaccine diplomacy
Environment and conservation
Anna Whyte (1News): Hard-to-recycle plastic waste needs permit to leave NZ from 2021
Simon Louisson (The Standard): Aotearoa’s free-market waste experiment dumped
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): Uncertain fate for cash raised in emissions auctions
Sally Murphy (RNZ): Man hands over climate change hunger strike after 21 days
Adam Smith (The Conversation): Sharks are thriving at the Kermadec Islands, but not the rest of New Zealand, amid global decline
John Gibb (ODT): Need for penguin protection
RNZ: Rakitū Island declared predator free after rats eradicated
Resource Management Act
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Changing times and policy use-by dates (paywalled)
Leighton Heikell (Newshub): Proposed Resource Management Act changes come too late for Kiwis facing coastal erosion
Local government
RNZ: Iwi takes over council’s functions for first time in NZ
Todd Niall (Stuff): It’s time Auckland Council lifted the veil on secret decision-making
Tina Law (Press): Christchurch City councillors enjoy a bit (of work) on the side
Aaron van Delden (Stuff): Do models of the Endeavour belong in Gisborne?
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Councils miss deadline for identifying quake-prone buildings
1News: ‘Unacceptable’ – Auckland councillors cry foul over online attacks
Martin Gregory (ISO): The Corruption of Local Government: Plimmerton Farm, Porirua
Housing
Melanie Carroll (Stuff): Kāinga Ora retrofit works out at $333k per state house – is it cheaper to build new?
Piers Fuller (Stuff): More new public housing being delivered in Porirua
Harry Lock (Stuff): Wellington Council to consider higher building limits for housing
Anne Gibson (Herald): Landlords, tenants beware: Law change due to go back to Parliament next week (paywalled)
1News: Queenstown rental prices fall 28% amid Covid-19 border closures
Ben Leahy (Herald): ‘The brakes are on’: House-price growth halts after early Covid-19 recovery
Matthew Mckew (ODT): Let foreigners buy in Queenstown: Seymour
Health
Robin Martin (RNZ): Health checks for residents near Paritutu chemical plant a ‘sham’
Mike Houlahan (ODT): SDHB catch-up may have backfired
Emma Russell (Herald): Judith Collins slams Greens’ water-only drinks policy for sports clubs
Henry Cooke (Stuff): National supported ‘water-only’ policies it has attacked Green Party over in Government
1News: New Zealand’s health sector providing offshore appeal like never before
1News: Govt aims to boost measles vaccination rates among Māori and Pasifika as it pledges millions for campaign
Newshub: Government campaign to boost measles vaccination rates
RNZ: Loneliness spikes among New Zealand youth
Jess Berentson-Shaw (RNZ): The Pursuit of Wellness: Wellness is for the wealthy
Patrick Gower (Newshub): Kiwi teen with cystic fibrosis sees ‘miracle’ results with new drug Trikafta, but it costs $470k a year
Education
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Coronavirus made our education system even more unequal, leaders say
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Call to axe $100m learning scheme and redirect funding
Kate Nicol-Williams (1News): Primary students to access counselling through school for first time
Ryan Anderson (Stuff): Student hardship grants too hard to access in lockdown, union say
Te Kāhui Amokura (E-Tangata): Māori hands on the future
Economy
Brian Easton (Pundit): The Holistic Perspective Of Bryan Philpott
Liam Dann (Herald): NZ faces unwelcome new economic divide (paywalled)
Tony Alexander (Stuff): Here’s why this recession is different
1News: Q+A: List of shovel-ready projects to be revealed by end of next week, Finance Minister says
1News: Q+A: Wage subsidy extension not stretched to limits in positive sign for NZ economy – Grant Robertson
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): ACT Leader David Seymour on how slashing tax and government spending will get New Zealand through the economic crisis
Vita Molyneux (Newshub Nation): National MP Louise Upston blasts ‘two tier’ COVID-19 benefit system as ‘grossly unfair’, despite National using similar policy after quakes
Damien Grant (Stuff): The Government’s Covid-19 spending will be an economic albatross for decades
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Business needs Jacinda Ardern to use trust wisely (paywalled)
RNZ: Chatham Islands gets government funding for coronavirus recovery
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Reserve Bank says banks ‘stepped up’ during Covid-19 – despite slap from Government
RNZ: Reserve Bank gives outlook on banking sector post-lockdown
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): RBNZ doesn’t want abrupt end to mortgage repayment deferrals
Unemployment, migrant workers
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): 7% of Kiwis think they will lose job in next year and struggle to find another
Liam Dann (Herald): Unemployment: What will this week’s labour force unemployment data tell us? (paywalled)
Madison Reidy (Newshub): Union calls on Government to pause visa applications for foreign labour workers
1New: Farmers doubtful Government plans will keep industry afloat
Maia Hart (Stuff): Overseas worker scheme in ‘limbo’ as border restrictions bite
Riley Kennedy (RNZ): Modern slavery rife in NZ and Pacific Islands, charity claims
Tom Kitchin (RNZ): Kiwi company developing survey to help uncover worker exploitation
Primary industries, animal welfare
Esther Taunton (Stuff): Is there justice for animals? Tougher fines for pollution than abuse
Cleo Fraser (Newshub): The Hui: Kiwi companies buying ‘stolen goods’ accused contributing to oppression in Africa
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Government agreed to buy 12,000 pigs during lockdown over animal welfare concerns
RNZ: Legal action begins as kiwifruit plantings in China soar
Sally Rae (ODT): ‘Blown away’ by response to wool petition
Tiwai Point
Michael Fallow (Stuff): How Muldoon mugged Tiwai’s owners
Eric Frykberg (RNZ): How Meridian, Fonterra and Tiwai Point’s electricity are linked
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Smelter closure: Why Ullrich and Stabicraft are already importing aluminium
Gary Tong (Stuff): With great power comes great responsibility
Media
Atakohu Middleton (E-Tangata): Balancing tikanga and journalism
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Sarah Dowie is right about the media’s treatment of politicians
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Mediawatch: North & South takes new direction under new management
Hayden Donnell (Mediawatch): Research looks at media’s ‘unprecedented’ response to the March 15 attacks
Defence force
Alison Mau (Stuff): History shows Defence chief could change the course of Mariya Taylor case
Chris Keall (Herald): They won’t let you go far: NZ Defence Force sites offline
Justice
Sasha Borissenko (Herald): Judge dread – bullying and harassment from the bench
Shannon Redstall (Newshub): Initiative launched to give young offenders more support, stop reoffending
Georgia-May Gilbertson (Stuff): Residents neighbouring new ex-prisoner facility sell-up
Mike White (Stuff): Scott Watson says he’ll never get justice
Behrouz Boochani
Eleanor Ainge Roy (Guardian): Free but restless, Behrouz Boochani takes tentative first steps into new life
Lana Hart (Stuff): Boochani and Collins raise unsettling questions about refugees
Transport
Kiri Gillespie (Herald): Tauranga built a $2.2m cycleway. Drivers turned it into a carpark (paywalled)
Eloise Gibson (Stuff): Lobby group wants 250,000 EVs on road in five years
Michael Cullen (Herald): National’s plan for roads shows it’s trapped on a highway to the past (paywalled)
1News: Drivers adjusting well to lower Auckland speed limits, police say – but warn of tickets if necessary
1News: Auckland Airport among busiest in Asia-Pacific region last month, outpacing Sydney, Singapore and Hong Kong
Oranga Tamariki
Meriana Johnsen (RNZ): Oranga Tamariki Waitangi Tribunal hearing: Social workers describe frustrations
Bonnie Sumner (Newsroom): What will it take for OT to listen to Māori
Energy
Tom Pular-Strecker (Stuff): $4 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme could ‘tip electricity market on head’
Donna Lee Biddle (Stuff): Government spends $17m in bid to cut household electricity bills
RNZ: New fund aims to alleviate household energy hardship
Dan Satherley and Simon Wong (Newshub): Pandemic inspires new energy efficiency scheme to lower electricity costs
Sally Murphy (RNZ): Power bill rise on the cards for Central Otago
Other
RNZ: Sunday Morning: Politicians, journalists rated NZ’s least trusted figures
Martin van Beynen (Stuff): Falling foul of anti-money laundering laws results in multi-million dollar fines for Kiwi companies
Jonathan Barrett (The Conversation): Forget a capital gains tax – what New Zealand needs is a tax on inherited wealth
Mava Enoka (1News): Sunday: ‘I can’t breathe’ – How Alo Ngata died in police custody in a spit hood
Imogen Wells (1News): Exclusive: Former firefighters say they were sexually assaulted by colleagues while working at FENZ
Geraden Cann (NBR): Beware the racist algorithm (paywalled)
Māori TV: Ihumātao decision before election?
George Andrews (Spinoff): The famous words that Norman Kirk did not say
Dilwin Santos, Dr Arama Rata & Tina Ngata (Spinoff): We’re still giving a lot to racism
Reweti Kohere (NBR): Auckland iwi’s private law ancestral land claims dismissed (paywalled)
Jehan Casinader (BusinessDesk): Modern teens will always be stalked by their digital shadows (paywalled)
1News: Government earmarks $18 million for business park near Te Puke
Stephen Forbes (Stuff): Funding boost for budgeting services gets Māori authority’s support
Joanna Santa Barbara (Nelson Mail): Inequality is a growing problem in the Nelson Tasman region
Brittney Deguara (Stuff): Labour throws support behind Matariki becoming a public holiday
Tom Dillane (Herald): Māori cultural appropriation, or simply a fish? Restaurateurs in stoush over ‘kingi’ name
Kethaki Masilamani (Newshub): Auckland’s water shortage so bad it starts shifting homes
Mike Mather (Stuff): Hamilton a headquarters haven: Big business, Govt organisations, beating a path to Waikato
Robin Martin (RNZ): Meth lab busts on the rise as pandemic hits drug imports
1News: Kelly Tarlton’s among tourism businesses to benefit from $311 million Covid-19 recovery boost
