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
The Press Leaders Debate
Steve Braunias (Guardian): The winner of the third NZ election leaders’ debate? Death
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Third leaders’ debate: Ardern and Collins steelier and more combative
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern seemed to finally crack it in raucous The Press Leaders Debate
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): The bell tolls for Collins after potent Ardern performance
Spinoff: Third leaders’ debate: The verdicts
Audrey Young , Simon Wilson , Claire Trevett and Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): The Verdict – Who won the third debate? Our experts have their say (paywalled)
Charlotte Graham-McLay (Guardian): Ardern v Collins: New Zealand party leaders clash in lively but muddled debate
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Labour tries to outflank Nats on ‘strong, stable’ govt
Derek Cheng (Herald): Jacinda Ardern v Judith Collins – third leaders’ debate in Christchurch
Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): A raucous night in Christchurch as Collins takes on Ardern – and the hecklers
Martyn Bardbury (Daily Blog): The Press Leadership Debate – Jacinda won but we all lost
Liz McDonald (Stuff): The best quotes from The Press Leaders Debate
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Parties claim dual debate victory as Ardern, Collins both demur
Eugene Bingham and Adam Dudding (Stuff): Tick. Tick podcast: What we learned from rowdy round three – The Press Leaders Debate
Liz McDonald (Stuff): Health, roads and water quality key issues for South Island at leaders debate
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Fluoridation of water supported by both Labour and National, but progress not guaranteed
1News: ‘Under a rock?’ – Collins mocks Ardern over source of NZ’s second Covid-19 outbreak
Anna Whyte (1News): Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins clash over Covid, economy and water fluoridation
Anna Whyte (1News): Ardern and Collins debate: Fiery exchanges over Covid, climate change and the price of milk
Crystal Wu (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins guess prices of common household items
1News: ‘Don’t disrespect Samoa’ – Collins fires up at Ardern as they debate NZ and Pacific’s Covid-19 response
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern still refuses to reveal cannabis vote, Judith Collins won’t commit to banning gay conversion therapy
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Judith Collins says she needs to do more research on conversion therapy before making mind up
RNZ: Ardern vs Collins: The Press Leaders debate 2020
National
Audrey Young (Herald): What was Denise Lee thinking when she challenged Judith Collins? (paywalled)
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Can Judith Collins keep a lid on it?
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Leak: Some in National say the writing is on the wall – they’ll lose the election
RNZ: Judith Collins: ‘We don’t have leadership by committee, we have leadership’
Thomas Manch and Henry Cooke (Stuff): Judith Collins denies fractures in caucus after scathing internal email leaked
1News: Nats MP Denise Lee says she ‘unreservedly supports’ Judith Collins after leaked email criticising leader
Jessica Mutch McKay (1News): National MP says Judith Collins ‘bullied’ another MP in her party
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): National MP Denise Lee now ‘accepts’ Auckland Council policy she criticised in leaked email
Jason Walls (Herald0: Judith Collins says she made a ‘leader’s call’ and didn’t create policy on the fly
1News: National a ‘chaotic shambles’ Labour’s Grant Robertson says, after email leak
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Labour rips into National, Judith Collins over Auckland Council email leak controversy
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Scott Palmer and Jenna Lynch (Newshub): National leadership spat: Paula Bennett rubbishes Matthew Hooton’s ‘utter disaster’ after barb over ‘no policy’
Re: Church and State interview: Judith Collins on white privilege and politics
Ben Uffindell (The Civilian): Collins ‘popped in’ to Anglican church to briefly threaten God before voting
Curwen Ares Rolinson (Daily Blog): On Judith Collins’ Curious Posturing At Her Rendezvous With The Other JC
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Anna Whyte (1News): National promise to create 10K jobs a month, halt 2021 minimum wage increase
Jason Walls (Herald): National promises 4 per cent unemployment rate by 2025 and 10,000 jobs a month
Thomas Manch (Stuff): National sets job creation target of at least 10,000 a month
RNZ: National would set a target to get unemployment down to 4% by 2025
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): James Shaw slams National’s ‘cruel’ economic plan
Election
1News: ‘Disgusting’ – Voters frustrated after electorates struggle with Māori roll for advance voting
Herald: Port Waikato voting papers reprinted after mistake leaves no circle for Vision New Zealand voters to tick
1News: Ardern snaps back at claims she ‘politicised’ Covid-19 announcement – ‘We are in a campaign period’
Dan Satherley (Newshub): ‘Really unfair’ for Opposition to criticise 1pm press conferences – Jacinda Ardern
Andrew MacFarlane (1News): Most left and right-leaning electorates: Where does yours sit?
Kate Newton (RNZ): Booth of truth: NZ’s bellwether voters
Richard Harman (Politik): While National reels, NZ First plays for time
Molly Houseman (ODT): 271,369 advance votes cast nationwide
Madeleine Chapman (Spinoff): The week in memes: more ethnic diversity chat, yay!
Stuff: No ‘I voted’ stickers this election because of coronavirus
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The Hui: Te Tai Tonga candidates Rino Tirikatene, Tākuta Ferris, Ariana Paretutanganui-Tamati and Anituhia McDonald go head-to-head in The Hui debate
The Hui: Te Tai Tonga electorate contenders to face off in The Hui debate
Māori TV: Ko te reo Māori ki runga!
Brittany Keogh (Stuff): Auckland Central candidates square off with each other – and audience – at debate
Christina Persico (Taranaki Daily News): Candidates heckled at feisty New Plymouth meeting
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Can Labour’s Anna Lorck make it ‘third-time lucky’ in Tukituki?
Euthanasia and cannabis referendums
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Group opposing euthanasia referendum claims to have no idea how its flyers got in EasyVote packs
RNZ: Vote Safe flyers found in EasyVote envelopes
David Williams (Newsroom): A question of life and how to die
Jo Lines-MacKenzie (Stuff): Palliative care doctor sees change ahead of End of Life referendum
Caroline Ansley (Stuff): The End of Life Choice Act trusts doctors too much
David Barber: There’s nothing new about the concept of end of life choice
Joel MacManus (Stuff): Second poll in two days shows slight lead for cannabis legalisation
Mark Thomas (Herald): Voting on cannabis and euthanasia (paywalled)
ACT
Sue Bradford (Pundit): Who We Should Be Really Worried About This Election
1News: Firearms advocacy group apologises after ‘how to vote’ email includes ACT authorisation statement
Scott Palmer (Newshub): David Seymour mocks critics of Donald Trump impersonation
Amelia Wade (Herald): Act wants to ‘build like the Boomers’ and let councils create alliances
1News: ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden details struggle to get into housing market as young Kiwi
Greens
Geoffrey Ford, Bronwyn Hayward and Kevin Watson (The Conversation): Analysis shows how the Greens have changed the language of economic debate in New Zealand
Richard Prebble (Herald): Look hard at what the Greens want to do (paywalled)
Stuff: Green Party co-leader joins politicians immortalised in dessert
Scott Palmer (Newshub): James Shaw struggles with monster ice cream
Uma Ahmed (Manawatū Standard): Greens make a relaxing start to a day of campaigning
Sophie Trigger (Stuff): Green Party proposes electric trains three times a day between Picton and Christchurch
NZ First
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Shane Jones prepares for biggest spend from Provincial Growth Fund
Jason Walls (Herald): NZ First leader Winston Peters labels push for early voting a ‘fear campaign’
Anna Whyte (1News): ‘Know all the facts first’ – Winston Peters urges public to vote on election day
Newstalk ZB: Shane Jones on NZ First’s drop in popularity with rural New Zealand
Labour
Te Ao with Moana: The Jacinda Ardern Interview
Te Ao with Moana: The Willie Jackson Interview
Lana Andelane (Newshub): Andrew Little hits back at suggestion that Labour shouldn’t prioritise conversion therapy ban
Harry Lock (RNZ): Labour’s promise to ban conversion therapy receives mixed response from other parties
Liz Gordon (Daily Blog): The long way around: a personal story
New Conservatives
Amelia Wade (Herald): New Conservatives take TVNZ to High Court over debate snub
RNZ: New Conservative Party to appear in court over exclusion from multi-party debate
Coronavirus
Newstalk ZB: Grant Robertson: Auckland’s move to level 1 ‘never in doubt’
1News: Cabinet made ‘wrong choice’ to move Auckland down to Alert Level 1 – epidemiologist
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Aucklanders warned not to fall ‘into a slumber again’
Alice Wilkins (Newshub): Kiwis returning from ‘high-risk’ countries could face tougher restrictions on arrival
RNZ: Economist warns of Covid-19 fatigue if more lockdowns occur
George Block (Stuff): Jet Park doctor on frontline of fight against coronavirus speaks out
Travel bubbles
Jonathan Mitchell (RNZ): Cook Islands travel bubble step closer but hinges on no community transmission
ODT Editorial: Half-steam ahead on bubble
Economy
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Time to rewrite borrowing rules that no longer make sense
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): Can we please move on from fretting about government debt and focus on things that really matter
Brent Edwards (NBR): The New Zealand economy’s longer-term challenges (paywalled)
Michael Andrew (Spinoff): Minor party leaders talk business and economic recovery
Michael Reddell: And so another term passes and nothing changes for the better
RNZ: Post lockdown spending lift may not be repeated in final quarter
David Hargreaves (Interest): Days of wine and vegetables – how Covid has changed us
Environment
David Galler (Spinoff): A short note on Judith Collins’ apathy over carbon emissions
Breanna Barraclough (1News): NZ faces ‘considerable warming’ without climate change action – expert
John Gibb (ODT): Climate warnings borne out
Guardian: New Zealand bushfire that demolished village leads to climate crisis debate
RNZ: The Detail: Is renewable energy a victory or a diversion?
Education
Sherry Zhang (Spinoff): Election 2020: the tertiary education policies in two minutes
Jamie Morton (Herald): Massey shake-up: Over a third of academic science staff could go
RNZ: Massey University could cut up to 100 science jobs
Simon Collins (Herald): ‘Child-centred’ teaching blamed for NZ’s educational decline
Laura Wiltshire (Stuff): New Zealand Initiative calls for revamp of ‘unscientific’ curriculum
Sharnae Hope (Stuff): Kiingitanga works with Waikato University to tackle systemic racism
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Schools want to run managed isolation hotel for international students
Neal Curtis (Newsroom): Collins’ worrying contempt for ‘woke
Employment, migrant workers
Kristin Hall (1News): Fresh calls to scrap controversial Hobbit Law after misconduct claims at Wellington film studios
Teuila Fuatai (Herald): Orchard scheme needs to be picked apart (paywalled)
RNZ: Government nixes calls for fruit pickers to be let into NZ, for now
Leah Tebbutt (Herald): Bay of Plenty kiwifruit industry crying out for 14,500 workers by summer (paywalled)
Health
Louisa Steyl (Southland Times): Southern District Health Board applogises for colonoscopy issues
Mike Houlahan (ODT): ‘Lot to be done’ in colonoscopy service
Jamie Searle (Stuff): Blair’s brick the first to arrive for Southland Charity Hospital
Lois Williams (RNZ): Neurologist shortage puts travel burden on West Coasters
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): Breast cancer support needed now more than ever
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Covid-19 disruptions could worsen doctor shortages, experts warn
Tracy Morison (Stuff): We need to tackle the social stigma behind period poverty
David Thomas (Stuff): Specialist review clinics can help cut waiting lists
Housing
Peter McKenzie (Spinoff): Welcome to Mouldy-wood, Aotearoa
Maia Hart (Stuff): Kāinga Ora plans 108 new homes in Marlborough over next four years
Janine Rankin (Manawatū Standard): Labour’s pledge to regulate property managers welcomed by tenants
George Heagney (Manawatū Standard): Palmerston North needs ‘massive upscale’ in housing
Local government
Samantha Motion (Herald): Tauranga council conflict: Investigation finds Larry Baldock breached Code of Conduct (paywalled)
Damian George and Matthew Tso (Stuff): Hutt City councillor Chris Milne guilty of ‘serious and material’ code of conduct breaches
Helene Ritchie (Dominion Post): Library needs a fix, not the wrecking ball
Aaron Leaman (Waikato Times): Coronavirus recession prompts calls for Hamilton City Council to rethink growth, amalgamations
Tracy Neal (RNZ): Mining company agrees to help fund flood warning system for Westport
Skara Bohny (Nelson Mail): Council restructure ‘distraction’ from real issue, says councillor
Gloriavale
Joanne Carroll and Jonathan Guildford (Stuff): Gloriavale leavers launch petition and protests to get Government inquiry
Sally Murphy (RNZ): Gloriavale leavers petition government, plan to protest
Other
David Cohen (RNZ): Victims, IHC and lawyers combine in new chapter of a never-ending process
Joel Maxwell (Stuff): John Tamihere gets into Facebook stoush with Māori Council boss
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Fact or Fiction: Could NZ become the North Sea of the south? (paywalled)
Alice Neville (Spinoff): The welfare and equity policies in two minutes
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Legal union furious over decision to allow lawyer convicted of indecent act with children to continue practising
Matt Shand (Stuff): Court declines call for WorkSafe and minister review following Whakaari eruption
Emma Perry (ODT): Air NZ turns away woman with Tourette’s
Luke Blincoe (BusinessDesk): Time to break up Meridian
Andre Chumko (Stuff): Move to cull 625,000 National Library books ‘cultural vandalism’
Hamish Cardwell (RNZ): Motor industry fears amnesty on warrants of fitness could lead to more crashes
José Barbosa (Spinoff): Watch: The Spitting Image Jacinda Ardern sketch really gets NZ right
