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
Newshub Leaders debate
Spinoff: Leaders’ debate #2, election 2020: The verdicts
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): How Ardern, Collins and Gower rinsed away the Trump bile
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Ardern steps up but Collins holds her own in second debate
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Election debate verdict: Ardern and Collins draw in round two, but is the die already cast?
Scott Palmer and Zane Small (Newshub): Reaction to Leaders Debate between Jacinda Ardern, Judith Collins
Herald: Second leaders’ debate – our experts pick their winner (paywalled)
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Second leaders’ debate: Jacinda Ardern more assertive, but Judith Collins’ one-liners won the night
Thomas Manch and Henry Cooke (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern fires up in fierce second leaders debate
Leith Huffadine (RNZ): Leaders showed ‘a lot more energy and fight’ in second debate
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Fiery second debate ups the ante
Mark Jennings (Newsroom): Gower gets the debate into top gear
Brigitte Morton (RNZ): Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins vie for public’s ‘rose’
Eugene Bingham and Adam Dudding (Stuff): Tick. Tick Podcast: The ‘double espresso’ debate: what we learned from the second Judith Collins-Jacinda Ardern showdown
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): NewsHub Leaders Debate: Patrick Gower won and Judith Collins lost!
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1News: ‘Morally wrong’ – Party leaders at loggerheads over abuse of Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme by companies
Crystal Wu (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins clash on housing and whether they want prices to fall
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern, Judith Collins find consensus on key issues amid political jabs
Eleanor Ainge Roy (Guardian): Jacinda Ardern admits cannabis use in heated New Zealand debate
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Judith Collins, Jacinda Ardern have fiery clash over New Zealand’s COVID-19 response
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Judith Collins explains why she called Jacinda Ardern ‘dear’
Crystal Wu (Newshub): Judith Collins says people can make up their own minds about eating meat, Jacinda Ardern says good to scale back
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Judith Collins, Jacinda Ardern dish out their opinion on US President Donald Trump
Zane Small (Newshub): As it happened – Newshub Leaders Debate with Jacinda Ardern vs. Judith Collins
Amelia Wade (Herald): Jacinda Ardern v Judith Collins in TV leaders debate with Patrick Gower
Newshub: Watch the full Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins Newshub Leaders Debate
Sam Hurley (Herald): Advance NZ argues against MediaWorks in High Court after being excluded from debate
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): Advance NZ challenges Mediaworks’ decision to exclude them from debate in High Court
Catrin Owen (Stuff): Advance NZ says it is ‘unreasonable’ to be excluded from Newshub debate
Māori Television Curia Research Ikaroa-Rāwhiti poll, Ikaroa-Rāwhiti debate
Māori TV: Whaitiri leads in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti but young voters undecided
Māori TV: Māori voters throw their support behind Labour-Māori Party coalition, again
Māori TV: Most Ikaroa-Rāwhiti voters want to legalise cannabis
Joel Maxwell (Stuff): New poll delivers more bad news for Māori Party in fight to return to Parliament
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Māori TV: Panellists wanted more from Ikaroa-Rāwhiti candidates
Māori TV: Three wāhine in tonight’s Ikaroa-Rāwhiti election debate
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Patrick O’Sullivan(Herald): Local Focus: Ikaroa-Rāwhiti candidates on taxing the rich to feed the poor
Election
1News Comar Brunton Poll: More than half of Kiwis think now is not the right time for tax cuts – poll
Michael Neilson (Herald): Party policies on Ihumātao, Oranga Tamariki and te reo Māori (paywalled)
Richard Harman (Politik): Rivalry on the right as ACT battles the New Conservatives
Dan Sathelrey (Newshub): National rejected zero-tax band for low-income earners because they already get help from Work and Income – Judith Collins
RNZ: Cutting benefits off the table in ACT coalition – Judith Collins
1News: ‘We’ve got to build more houses’, Judith Collins says ahead of policy announcement
Eugene Bingham and Adam Dudding (Stuff): Tick. Tick podcast: National’s Paul Goldsmith on his $4b mistake and how he’s coped
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Labour puts supermarkets under the spotlight to cut grocery bills
Geoff Simmons (Interest): ACT’s austerity would be ‘economic vandalism’
David Cormack (Herald): Greens may have last laugh if NZ First fades away (paywalled)
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Who’s your preferred Prime Minister and Deputy – Judith Collins and David Seymour or Jacinda Ardern and James Shaw?
Farah Hancock (Newsroom): $200k spent on online ads in one week
1News: ‘That’s actually pretty good’ – Marama Davidson commends Laura Daniel’s cake efforts
José Barbosa (Spinoff): Which New Zealand politician has the best dad jokes?
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Charlotte Jones (Herald): Labour poll has party ahead in East Coast race for first time in 15 years
Cira Olivier (Herald): Labour rejects National deputy Gerry Brownlee’s claim of ‘dodgy’ polling in East Coast electorate
Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): Fuming Labour pushes back after Brownlee makes ‘dodgy push poll’ claims
Dileepa Fonseka (Newsroom): The fight for ‘forgotten’ Northland
Martin van Beynen (Stuff): Plugging in… to Ilam where voters are divided over who should keep the wealth
Stuff: Hauraki-Waikato electorate debate
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Emma Stanford and Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Coronavirus will impact how New Zealanders abroad vote – expert
1News: ‘Provocative’ campaign encourages Kiwis abroad to ‘meddle’ in election, by voting
Reuters: Overseas New Zealanders could boost Jacinda Ardern’s re-election chances – former expat
Georgia Forrester (Stuff): The Kiwis overseas who can’t vote in this year’s election
SFO NZ First decision
Claire Trevett (Herald): No need for Jacinda Ardern to waste breath on Winston Peters’ plight (paywalled)
Herald: The NZ First SFO probe and the party’s fight for election survival (paywalled)
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Political Roundup – NZ First Vs Serious Fraud Office
Gordon Campbell: On the SFO’s investigation of New Zealand First
Jason Walls (Herald): Questions linger after SFO’s probe into NZ First Foundation – electoral law expert
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Under-pressure Winston Peters tries to sell insurance
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Winston Peters rich to claim exoneration
Sam Hurley (Herald): NZ First Foundation investigation: What happened behind those courtroom doors? (paywalled)
1News: Winston Peters claims NZ First unfairly targeted by SFO – ‘Why are we being singled out?’
RNZ: Winston Peters claims Serious Fraud Office biased: ‘It’s just unfair’
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Winston Peters claims unfair treatment from Serious Fraud Office
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Winston Peters claims he once turned down a knighthood
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Judith Collins says she feels sorry for Winston Peters, but it is ‘all over, rover’
Duncan Garner (Newshub): No-one wants to give Winston Peters the chance to hold the country to ransom again
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Urgent hearing called over name suppression in NZ First Foundation donations case
RNZ: RNZ, Stuff to challenge NZ First Foundation-linked name suppressions
Cannabis and euthanasia referendums
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): New poll shows recreational cannabis likely to remain a criminal offence
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Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Salvation Army calls for drug reform but does not support legalisation of cannabis
1News: Salvation Army suggests decriminalising cannabis, rather than legalising it
Grant Miller (ODT): Legalisation ‘most potent tool’ to reduce drug’s harm
Jess Berentson-Shaw (Newsroom): Why Bill English should vote yes to cannabis reform
Daniel Dunkley (Stuff): Cannabis referendum: A ‘no’ vote would be a $1 billion mistake
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Alex Perrottet (RNZ): How much do New Zealanders know about euthanasia law details?
Sarah Nealon (Stuff): Patrick Gower will host euthanasia debate: ‘Many people don’t know what they are voting on’
Health
Zac Fleming (Newshub): The estimated cost of extending free dental care to adults revealed
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Labour and National’s health policies compared
Janine Rankin (Stuff): Labour’s promised Pharmac boost ‘not enough
Benn Bathgate (Stuff): Health Minister pledges $31m to replace ‘unsafe for staff’ mental health unit
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Labour promises new mental health facility for Rotorua if re-elected
RNZ: Rotorua Hospital mental health unit confirmed
Herald: Act’s health plan – independent review for Pharmac, cut number of health boards
RNZ: ACT promises to ‘cut wasteful spending’ by reducing DHBs from 20 to 6
Hannah Kronast (Newshub): ACT promises to launch independent review into PHARMAC
Cecile Meier (Stuff): Treasury bites back at Canterbury DHB, blames poor management for ballooning deficit
Riley Kennedy (RNZ): Candidates debate rural health priorities
Charlotte Cook (RNZ): DHB office staff call for more action on pay equity claim: ‘What we need is an actual offer’
Dan Satherley (Newshub): ADHD medication use in NZ doubled in just 10 years – study
Tiwai Point smelter
Tom Pullar-Strecker and Melanie Carroll (Stuff): Minister won’t say whether understanding on size of smelter discount already reached with Rio Tinto
ODT Editorial: Smelter future in political spotlight
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Labour’s Tiwai Point u-turn shows they accept we’ve got a looming recession
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Rio Tinto playing the politicians like fiddles
Housing
Charlie Dreaver (RNZ): Housing crisis now ‘housing chaos’ – emergency housing provider
1News: Northland housing market under pressure as Kiwis flock home
Justin Latif (Spinoff): Bridging the divide: What will stop gentrification hurting South Auckland?
1News: Residential property listings at record low, Auckland asking price hits more than $1 million
RNZ: Property price rise boosted by limited for-sale listings
Catherine Harris (Stuff): Kāinga Ora seeks power to approve own building consents
Catherine Harris (Stuff): Building consents for small dwellings hit a milestone
RNZ: More than 10,000 townhouses, flats, and units consented in the last year
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RNZ: The Detail: Protecting the past while preparing for the future
Guy Marriage (Stuff): How high is too high for Wellington?
Eric Crampton (Newsroom): Planning for affordability
Coronavirus, Trans-Tasman travel bubble
Jin Russell & Veronica Playle (Herald): Plan B is no easy fix for Covid 19 coronavirus
RNZ: NZ’s last Covid cluster ‘tied up’, but is it enough for Auckland to move to level 1?
1News: Ardern wants trans-Tasman travel bubble because Aussies and Kiwis ‘miss each other’
Jade Gailberger (NewsAu): Jacinda Ardern’s message to Australia: ‘As much as we hate to admit it, we miss each other’
Local Government
Dominic Harris (Stuff): SFO investigations into Christchurch and Auckland mayors ‘ongoing’
Stephen Forbes (Stuff): Panuku expands asset sales programme due to Covid-19
Damian George (Stuff): Council ‘bowing’ to developers should be concern ahead of Shelly Bay land sale vote, Jackson’s lawyer says
Karen Pasco (ODT): Sir Tim compares himself to Trump, Johnson
ODT: Dunedin City Council appoints new chief executive
Hamish MacLean (ODT): From stop/go signs to council’s top role
Justice
Newsroom: Fixing the injustice in our justice system
Stuff: Offer of more than $820,000 to settle prisoners’ mistreatment claims
No Right Turn: And still paying for it
Stuff: Governor-General to be asked to end longest serving prisoner’s sentence
Environment
Farah Hancock (Newsroom): A scorecard on parties’ environment policies
Gina Dempster (ODT): Where the parties sit on waste
Molly Houseman (ODT): No plan for further appeal of mining firm’s sentence for runoff
Education
RNZ: Government announces $9m for teacher support
Chris Whatman and Simon Walters (ODT): Too much pressure in broadcast sport
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Auckland Uni students want online exams after disruptive year
Grant Miller (ODT): Uni set to back down; apology considered
Dilworth School
Danielle Clent (Stuff): Extra investigators called in to handle historical abuse claims
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Dilworth School: Police receive more than 70 calls over investigation into alleged historical abuse
RNZ: Police expand team investigating alleged abuse at Dilworth school
Transport
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Herald poll: Voters want combined road and rail tunnel for new Auckland harbour crossing (paywalled)
Newstalk ZB: James Shaw on why Auckland’s second harbour crossing should be rail only
Matthew Tso (Stuff): Labour not sold on Greens’ ambition to investigate Hutt light rail link
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Let’s Get Wellington Moving business cases delayed by months
Employment
Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): The election’s message to women losing their jobs to Covid-19: pick up a hammer
Melanie Carroll (Newshub): Pasifika women ‘work free’ for the rest of the year compared to men: PSA
Business, wage subsidy
Liam Dann (Herald): Could NZ write off all its debt? What business leaders think (paywalled)
Jenny Ruth (BusinessDesk): When profit is a dirty word (paywalled)
Other
Matt Nippert (Herald): Damien O’Connor’s letter apologising for accusations of leaking is itself leaked (paywalled)
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Solo mum can’t claim benefit because ex-partner got there first
Todd Niall (Stuff): KiwiSaver provider Generate believed the first to invest in social housing
RNZ: New rules for police use of innovative technology
Rosie Gordon (Newshub): Police push pause on recruitment after huge surge in applications
1News: Hawke’s Bay iwi leader calls for tangi costs to be funded by Government for some Māori
John Gibb (ODT): NZ should speak out internationally: prof
John Lewis (ODT): Peace and hope topics of conversation
Redmer Yska (Newsroom): Book of the Week: Aro Valley confidential
1News: Surge of interest in ‘move to NZ’ searches from US during fiery Trump, Biden debate
