Today’s content

Election
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Campaigning but no contest of ideas
Josie Pagani (Herald): Contest is between the haves and the have-yachts (paywalled)
Tim Watkin (RNZ): Gulliver’s Election… and is Labour angling to govern alone?
Stephen Levine (The Conversation): Stardust and substance: New Zealand’s election becomes a ‘third referendum’ on Jacinda Ardern’s leadership
AAP: Analysis: What can stop Jacinda Ardern winning the election?
Ryan Bridge (Newsroom): What could stop Ardern laughing all the way to the ballot box?
Brent Edwards (NBR): Voters hold key to how bold or timid next government’s agenda will be (paywalled)
1News: Covid-19 has led to ‘most underwhelming election campaign’ – political commentator
Katie Doyle (RNZ): Election 2020 with Covid-19 restrictions ‘the worst campaign environment’ – Winston Peters
Andrew MacFarlane (1News): Vote Compass: Growing number of Kiwis think Treaty of Waitangi should play greater role in legal system
Robin Martin (RNZ): Green Party meets with Taranaki teachers over Green School
Dileepa Fonseka (Newsroom): TOP looks to turn the worm
Alex Braae (Spinoff): Candidates defect in all directions in ugly minor party battle
Leith Huffadine (RNZ): RNZ guide to party policy for general election 2020
Mandy Te (Stuff): Green Party and The Opportunities Party support introduction of rent caps
Leonie Hayden (Spinoff): Te Wiki o te Reo and the election: Comparing te reo Māori policies
1News: Facebook removes video from Advance NZ wrongly accusing Govt of legislating forced vaccination
Brittany Keogh (Stuff): What NZ can learn about lowering the voting age from US history
Toby Morris (Spinoff): The Side Eye: How to draw Judith Collins
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Alex Braae (Spinoff): The subdued frustration of a debate on inequality
Daisy Hudson (ODT): Taieri candidate makes smear campaign claims
Gavin Ogden (Herald): Is NZ’s justice system out of control? Rotorua candidates disagree

Economy, business
Bernard Hickey (Newsroom): Where’s our money printing debate?
Richard Harman (Politik): It could have been worse
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Watch as a country eats its own fat (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): New Zealand’s recession that’s already over (paywalled)
Jamie Gray (Herald): NZ tumbles into recession with 12.2% fall in GDP – now for the rebound (paywalled)
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): The two major political parties take similar big picture views on growing economy, inflated house prices, debt and Reserve Bank QE
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): What is a recession anyway and why should you care?
RNZ: Economist concerned government’s plan for growth worsens inequality
Dan Satherley (Newshub): ‘Uncertainty is extreme’: Why economists can’t agree on just how bad the GDP drop will be
Jarrod Kerr (Spinoff): A recession is bad, but the recovery can be great
Jacob McSweeny (ODT): Experts call for spending
ODT Editorial: Economy’s known unknowns
Michael Reddell: PREFU thoughts
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): GDP figures show our lockdown was too hard
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Grant Robertson praises NZ’s worst contraction on record as ‘better than forecast’
RNZ: Political parties react to latest GDP figures
1News: National vows to speed up NZ’s economic recovery, as Robertson stands by Labour’s ‘balanced’ plan
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): NZ in recession as Covid shrinks GDP by 12.2%
Liam Dann (Herald): GDP results confirm NZ officially in first recession for 11 years
Herald: Jacinda Ardern predicts NZ economy to ‘rebound’ away from recession
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): NZ in recession: hit smaller than expected but still horrendous (paywalled)
RNZ: GDP results show NZ officially in first recession in a decade
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): New Zealand has been plunged into recession but Jacinda Ardern says it’s all about the rebound
Priscilla Dickinson and Madison Reidy (Newshub): ‘In the eye of the storm’: Quarterly GDP falls a record 12.2 percent, New Zealand officially in recession
Eleanor Ainge Roy (Guardian): New Zealand in Covid recession after worst quarterly GDP fall on record
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Simon Wilson (Herald): What are the corporates complaining about? (paywalled)
Gordon Campbell: On tourism’s endless sense of grievance
Amanda Cropp (Stuff): Furious tourism operators demand change over unfair funding shambles
Tess Brunton (RNZ): ‘Languishing’ Jobs for Nature fund process leaves tourism operator fearful
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RNZ: NZ banks could survive economic crisis worse than Covid – RBNZ
Katie Bradford (1News): Banks able to cope with severe shocks, latest stress test by central bank finds
Madison Reidy (Newshub): New Zealand banks could survive an economic scenario much worse than COVID-19, stress test reveals
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): Banks come through RBNZ stress tests ‘relatively well’

National
Matthew Hooton (Herald): National takes its last throw of the dice (paywalled)
Jason Walls (Herald): Collins talks up Nats’ much-anticipated tax policy against bleak recession backdrop
Jason Walls (Herald): National’s Judith Collins and Paul Goldsmith respond to news NZ is in a recession
Zane Small (Newshub): Judith Collins ‘staggered’ that Grant Robertson thinks GDP recession figures don’t reflect wellbeing
Herald: Judith Collins and Steven Joyce on Government’s fiscal update ‘shocker’
Brent Edwards (NBR): National advocates restrained spending (paywalled)
Newstalk ZB: Steven Joyce on NZ’s economy: ‘Govt has to do something different’
Newstalk ZB: Judith Collins: PREFU shows it is important to get into ‘growth mode’
1News: National says PREFU printing error shows another example of ‘sloppy’ Treasury under Labour
Newstalk ZB: NZ Dental Association welcomes National’s policy to increase dental spending
Waatea News: Cancer screening centrepiece of National policy
Herald: Judith Collins and her softer side – ‘I’m not one dimensional’
Newstalk ZB: Shane Reti: Being National Party leader ‘would be a privilege’

NZ First
Henry Cooke (Stuff): NZ First drops sitting MP Jenny Marcroft to number 17 on list
Claire Trevett (Herald): NZ First’s list – MP Jenny Marcroft dumped down to 17th place
Zane Small (Newshub): Sitting MP Jenny Marcroft dropped to 17 on New Zealand First list behind nine other candidates
RNZ: New Zealand First list rankings: Marcroft drops eight places
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Jason Walls (Herald): Jacinda Ardern stubs out Winston Peters’ plans to cut tobacco tax
RNZ: New Zealand First aims to cut price of cigarettes to $20
1News: ‘Just no’ – Ardern laughs off question about Winston Peters’ smoking habit
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson burst into laughter as PM addresses Peters’ smoking habits
1News: Taupō man pulls off rare feat of briefly stumping Winston Peters after questioning his smoking habit
Chris Marshall (1News): Winston Peters touts tobacco tax change, but is called out on his own habit

Labour
Amelia Wade (Herald): Grant Robertson’s ego check on the campaign trail with Jacinda Ardern and her fans (paywalled)
Thomas Couglan (Stuff): Phil Twyford unveils final transport plan, pledging $48b over 10 years
RNZ: Labour releases list of $5bn in lower North Island infrastructure projects
Dan Satherley and Emma Stanford (Newshub): Labour promises no new petrol taxes, road user charges
Shane Te Pou (Newsroom): Time coming for Ardern to show her hand
George Heagney (Manawatū Standard): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern backs Tangi Utikere to win Palmerston North seat

ACT
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): David Seymour plots radical overhaul of state, slashing spending over a decade
Dan Satherley (Newshub): All the things ACT will cut or abolish to pay back the COVID-19 debt
RNZ: The Elevator Pitch: David Seymour on holding politicians to account

Coronavirus
Chris Trotter: Getting Tough
Stuff Editorial: A sobering slice of perspective ahead of alert level review
Rawiri Taonui (Waatea News): Another Māori Death 16 September 2020
1News: Govt looking to set up trans-Tasman bubble by middle of 2021 if re-elected – Grant Robertson
Zane Small (Newshub): National’s Gerry Brownlee wants ‘good hard look’ at COVID-19 isolation facilities after eighth escapee incident
Andrew McRae (RNZ): Security boost for Hamilton’s isolation hotels as defence force helps out
Kate Green (Stuff): Events industry calls for fairness as masks deemed enough on public transport

Salvation Army State of Our Communities report, migrants
Matthew Mckew (ODT): Treatment of migrants lamented
Nina Hindmarsh (Stuff): ‘Unfair’ prioritisation leaves anxious migrants facing long delays

Child welfare
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Child poverty does not seem to be falling
RNZ: Child welfare must be central this election, advocates say

Health
Natalie Akoorie (Herald): Public v private healthcare: Moonlighting, skimming, duplication – should NZ do better? (paywalled)
Lana Andelane (Newshub): Govt throwing billions at COVID-19 but not doubling Pharmac budget ‘makes no sense’ – Malcolm Mullholland
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Government knew about flu vaccine distribution issues before it pushed a campaign to get New Zealand immunised
1News: GPs ‘disappointed’ with lack of consultation for reviews that found problems with vaccination rollouts
Ian Powell (Second Opinion): Rip cording Canterbury
RNZ: Big pay gap for Māori and Pasifika at district health boards, new research shows
Michael Safi (Guardian): Southern hemisphere has record low flu cases amid Covid lockdowns
Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards and Andrew Waa (ODT): Cigarette firms must deal with their own mess
Bridie Witton (Stuff): More children diagnosed with ‘insidious’ type 2 diabetes each year – experts
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): How Covid swallowed healthy eating and fitness
Stephen Forbes (Stuff): Health system lacks capacity for telehealth, doctors’ union says

Education
Lee Kenny (Stuff): NZ’s new mega polytech to pay six deputy chief executives $250k to $400k each
Nita Blake-Persen (RNZ): Universities confused over lectures after Bloomfield’s comment
Hannah Kronast (Newshub): Auckland University backtracks on controversial move to return to campus
Cameron Leakey (Newshub): University of Auckland reverses decision on campus teaching at level 2.5
Jane Matthews (Education): The School Diaries: Waitara Central School’s crumbling classrooms
1News: Children attending ECE fare better emotionally, but more likely to be exposed to disease – study
John Lewis (ODT): Increase in Otago and Southland ECE complaints alarms NZEI
Grant Miller (ODT): Hayne agrees to meeting

Dilworth School
Charlotte Cook (RNZ): Dilworth School: Former student claims he was caned after reporting sex abuse
RNZ: Dilworth School Board says convictions have resulted from previously reported sex abuse allegations
Melanie Earley (Stuff): Historical procedures for handling allegations ‘inadequate’
Charlotte Graham-McLay (Guardian): Dozens contact New Zealand police over alleged boarding school sexual abuse

Employment
Southland Times Editorial: Parker’s hardass approach on replacing migrant labour is a partial answer
Katie Todd (RNZ): Farmers and growers call for help with labour shortages
Newstalk ZB: Apple pickers say Winston Peters’ military plane suggestion isn’t a bad idea
Rob Stock (Stuff): Airtasker workers won’t be covered by minimum wage laws

Environment, conservation
David Williams (Newsroom): DoC faces questions over ‘hidden’ Hector’s catch
RNZ: Fund to increase kiwi bird population to 100,000
Guy Williams (ODT):$19.7m boost for kiwi conservation projects
Guy Williams (ODT): National Kiwi Hui chance to share ideas
Michael Neilson (Herald): Fishing boat camera trial in Hauraki Gulf shows seabird bycatch reporting doubles

Zhenhua Data list
Henry Cooke and Thomas Manch (Stuff): Chinese embassy defends firm collecting data on prominent Kiwis
RNZ: Zhenhua Data collection ‘disquieting in the extreme’ – Winston Peters

Housing
Geoff Simmons: Even a global pandemic can’t dampen our broken housing market
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): House prices could halve in ‘very severe scenario’ where unemployment hit 17.7%
Mikaela Wilkes (Stuff): First home buyers’ fears confirmed with property investors out in force
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): New home rejected by social housing agency because of shared driveway

Telecommunications
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Telcos told: Don’t charge mobile customers for more than they need
Chris Keall (Herald): Thousands of Kiwis are paying too much for mobile – regulator

Local government
Tom Dillane (Herald): ‘It’s a ruse to increase glyphosate’ – Auckland Council proposal to spray controversial herbicide on all city streets
Mike Mather (Stuff): $8 million short on funds, but Pacific community centre still has full support from city council
Lois Williams (RNZ): Coast ratepayers’ share of shovel ready flood projects confirmed

Weta Digital
Bridie Witton and Tom Hunt (Stuff): Weta Digital calls in QC after sexual harrassment allegations
Georgina Campbell and Katie Harris (Herald): Queens Counsel called in to undertake review of Weta Digital
Kristin Hall (1News): Weta Digital appoint Queen’s Counsel to undertake review of workplace misconduct allegations

Other
Dylan Asafo (Newsroom): Don’t call us family if you won’t treat us as family
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Uncomfortable Choices
Harry Lock (RNZ): Bid to give Gordon Wilson Flats heritage status
Andre Chumko (Stuff): Heritage NZ considers making Gordon Wilson Flats heritage-listed
Leonie Hayden (Spinoff): I wanna be like Sue Bradford
Rob Stock (Stuff): Credit Simple broke Credit Privacy Reporting Code with marketing offers
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Most over 55s appear poorly prepared for retirement, KiwiSaver research shows
1News: Family of Kiwi man missing from livestock ship launch Givealittle appeal to aid private search
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Half of Kiwis think 5G is dangerous or aren’t sure – survey
Waatea News: Pay gap sign Māori voices not heard in public service
1News: Gender pay gap tightening as record number of women on state sector boards and committees
Nick Truebridge (RNZ): Checkpoint: Where has STA Travel customers’ money gone?
John McKenzie (1News): Backlog of vehicles needing a Warrant of Fitness getting dangerously out of hand
Annabelle Tukia (Newshub): Mother of Pike River survivor Daniel Rockhouse emotional after recovery team finds his loader in mine