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
Election
Graeme Edgeler (Democracy Project): How to vote, and how to think about voting
John Armstrong (1News): Pressure on Collins to lift National votes, even in defeat
Colin Gavaghan (Pundit): The Comforting Myth Of The Referendum ‘Soft Option’
Jehan Cassinader (BusinessDesk): Dull old-school election campaign in the online era (paywalled)
1News: Ardern, Collins vying for votes in tight seats of Ōhāriu, Hutt South just days out from election
Herald: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and National leader Judith Collins return to Wellington in final campaign sprint
Herald: Gender Justice Collective scores parties on equity, Greens top results
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Tracey Martin deletes Facebook video over political neutrality concerns
1News: Law change sees hundreds of prisoners able to vote in this year’s election
Eleanor Ainge Roy (Guardian): New Zealand’s MMP electoral system: what is it and how does it work?
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Labour wants it all, and it wants it now
1News: Meet the young candidates vying to enter Parliament
Irra lee (1News): Young candidates: ‘There are so many other young people who could do an awesome job’ – Greens’ Luke Wijohn
Irra Lee (1News): Young candidates: ‘I can understand why a lot of my peers protest’ — NZ First’s Robert Griffith
Irra Lee (1News): Young candidates: ‘This is what our new style of politics is going to be’ – Labour’s Liam Wairepo
Irra Lee (1News): Young candidates: ‘I think I’m able to connect with students’ – ACT’s Abigail Johnson
Anna Whyte (1News): Young candidates: ‘No age group has a monopoly on good ideas’ – National’s William Wood
Labour and National’s coalition choices
Chris Trotter (Interest): The importance of not eating your Greens
Farah Hancock (Newsroom): Sore toes in negotiation dance
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern could form Government with Greens even with majority
AAP: Lonely landslide possible for Labour as coalition partners slump in polls
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Jenna Lynch (Newshub): More than a third of National’s supporters want Judith Collins to work with Winston Peters
Zane Small (Newshub): David Seymour criticises idea proposed by National as Judith Collins rules out some of ACT’s policies
Wealth tax
RNZ: Ruling out conversation on wealth tax ‘not credible’ – Shaw
1News: Grant Robertson outlines what potential Labour-Greens coalition could look like, rules out wealth tax
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Is National spreading misinformation?
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Judith Collins steps up campaign against wealth tax Labour has ruled out
Audrey Young (Herald): Judith Collins back on the tax attack, Jacinda Ardern says it’s fiction
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Judith Collins continues wealth tax attack, Jacinda Ardern claims ‘misinformation’
1News: ‘You can believe me’ – Judith Collins says National won’t adopt ACT tax policy if elected
Zane Small (Newshub): Judith Collins still convinced Labour will introduce wealth tax
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Why a poverty advocate is against the Green Party’s wealth tax
No Right Turn: A funny thing for Labour to die in a ditch over
Labour
Richard Harman (Politik): Off to the middle of the road
Charlotte Graham-McLay (Guardian): Report card: Jacinda Ardern’s government graded on the past three years
Sarah Robson (RNZ): ‘There definitely is a huge need out there’: Examining Labour’s record on child poverty
Liam Martin (Spinoff): When it comes to criminal justice, Labour is opting to play it safe
Jason Walls (Herald): Jacinda Ardern gets top marks for clash with Mike Hosking (paywalled)
Newstalk ZB: Ardern grilled on coalition partners, economy, Covid response and Ihumātao in Leaders Breakfast
Isaac Davison (Herald): Jacinda Ardern says she hasn’t thought about being in Opposition
Newshub: Jacinda Ardern reveals thoughts on retirement, Judith Collins saying she’s ‘having fun’
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Henry Cooke (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern celebrated and criticised in bellwether Hamilton
Amelia Wade (Herald): Jacinda Ardern’s day of crowds, consensus, farmers in Hamilton
Aaron Leaman (Stuff): Hamilton’s last taste of stardust
Herald: Jacinda Ardern mobbed by fans in Hamilton on campaign trail
Melanie Earley (Stuff): Labour MP Carmel Sepuloni’s signs vandalised with fish carcasses
National
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): The Second Time As Farce: National’s Election Campaign Falls Apart
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): National Party president admits leaked email flattened party’s election campaign
Liam Hehir (Pundit): Five Reasons I Am Voting For National (And Why You Should Too)
David Williams (Newsroom): A very different National Party comes calling
Duncan Garner (Newshub): National claimed it had experience, then couldn’t organise a shop for Judith Collins to walk into
Dominic Harris (Stuff): National’s main policy this week is ‘win the election’
Derek Cheng (Herald): 5 days to go – Judith Collins takes National’s campaign to Christchurch
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Judith Collins doing ‘heavy lifting’ while team failing her – Trish Sherson
Newstalk ZB: Judith Collins calls CDHB cash injection ‘blatant electioneering’
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Judith Collins poses with Christopher Luxon after he refuses to rule out leadership bid
RNZ: National proposes $50k tech PhD scholarships
Zane Small (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern describes Judith Collins as ‘very different’ opponent to Bill English
Herald: Judith Collins to end ‘no-alcohol while campaigning’ rule this weekend
Māori electorates
Joel Maxwell (Stuff): Doubts remain for Labour as Māori Party inches towards comeback
Māori TV: Tāmaki Makaurau candidates finesse MMP game
Joel Maxwell (Stuff): Can the Māori Party reclaim Te Tai Hauāuru or will it remain Labour’s?
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (RNZ): Waiariki: Māori Party makes push for Rawiri Waititi in race with Labour’s Tāmati Coffey
Gavin Ogden (Herald): Local Focus: Should we tax the rich more? Waiariki candidates say āe and kāo
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (RNZ): Labour MP Meka Whaitiri leading Ikaroa-Rāwhiti electorate
Nikki Preston (Herald): Māori Party candidate arrested in Hamilton land protest, Council claims it was a publicity stunt
RNZ: Māori Party candidate among four arrested for trespassing in Hamilton
Stuff Finance Debate
Henry Cooke and Thomas Manch (Stuff): The answers Grant Robertson and Paul Goldsmith didn’t have in the Stuff Finance Debate
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Finance minister candidates at odds over job creation and climate change
Thomas Manch (Stuff): A ‘sugar hit’ tax cut or public spend-up ‘waste’: the Stuff Finance Debate
Advance voting
Brittney Deguara and Henry Cooke (Stuff): Early vote cracks one million after biggest-ever day of advance voting on Saturday
RNZ: Early voting up 50 percent on 2017
RNZ: More than 450,000 votes cast over weekend before election
Lisette Reymer (Newshub): More overseas New Zealanders voting early in this election
Eugene Bingham and Adam Dudding (Stuff): Tick. Tick podcast: Overseas voters using online system in record numbers amid Covid-19 uncertainty
New Zealand First
Jason Walls (Herald): ‘Senior Lives Matter:’ NZ First leader Winston Peters fires up over elder abuse
James Fyfe (Newshub): New Zealand First unveils agriculture policy, promises changes to freshwater rules, ‘incentives to reopen pathway to farm ownership’
ACT
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Spinoff): Future Act MP held ‘climate hysteria skeptics’ meetings at high school
Nikki Mandow (Newsroom): ACT’s small business owners find their natural allies
Advance NZ
Stuff: The anti-Semitism behind Billy Te Kahika’s conspiracy theories
RNZ: The Detail: Billy Te Kahika – the conspiracy theorist with a hidden following
Crystal Wu (Newshub): Advance NZ denies candidate’s claim Lake Ōhau fires were caused by ‘direct energy weapon’
Cannabis Referendum
Jane Clifton (Listener): Smoke signals: Why cannabis referendum supporters should be careful what they vote for (paywalled)
David Farrar: Why I voted Yes on the Cannabis Referendum
Liam Hehir (Newsroom): The failings of the pro-cannabis campaign
Russell Brown (Public Address): The long road to “Yes”
Ben Strang (RNZ): Medical Association now neutral
Anna Whyte (1News): Helen Clark criticises Medical Association after ‘very late’ clarification on cannabis stance
Farah Hancock (Newsroom): Do cannabis ‘hangovers’ impair you at work?
Newshub: Kiwi doctors on opposite sides of cannabis legalisation referendum share views
Fiona Hutton (Newsroom): Cannabis, myths and evidence
Greg O’Connor: “Yes” to cannabis
Graham Sharpe: “No” to cannabis
Roderick Aldridge (Spinoff): I’m 80 years old. I’ve never touched cannabis. And I’ve changed my mind on legalisation
Robert Hamlin (Stuff): Why the proposed legislation is likely to cost taxpayers a fortune
Louise Thornley (RNZ): A gain for pain: legalising cannabis could help people in pain
Euthanasia referendum
Matt Vickers (Stuff): Lecretia Seales’ widower says we must vote to stop people’s pain
Miles Williams (Newsroom): What I have seen as a cardiologist has changed my mind about assisted dying
Caroline Ansley (ODT): Doctors do not have magical powers
Philip Patston (Stuff): Don’t oppose the End of Life Choice Act, lobby for a better support system
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Euthanasia referendum: A tale of two Heathers
Kim Baker Wilson (1News): Kiwi convicted of mother’s death hopes for pardon if euthanasia referendum passes
Housing
Max Rashbrooke (BusinessDesk): Busting the housing bubble: a lesson from NZ history (paywalled)
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Labour, National, Act, NZ First, and Green’s housing policies
Eva Corlett (RNZ): Homeless youth ‘not able to get the support they need’
Health
Frank Frizelle (Press): Comprehensive cancer centre would improve survival rates
Joanne Carroll (Press): Breast cancer survival rate could double if new cancer centre wins funding
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): DHBs still operating under strain and in deficit under Labour
1News: Waitara dentist inspiring other rangatahi Māori to get into the profession
Education
Harry Lock (RNZ): Universities urged to financially assist returning foreign students
RNZ: Checkpoint: Education NZ chair details exemptions for foreign PhD students
RNZ: Government to let 250 international students into New Zealand
Laura Wiltshire (Stuff): International PhD and postgraduate students granted exemption to enter New Zealand
1News: New border exemption sees some international students allowed back into NZ
Grant Miller (ODT): Med school entry case settled
Jonny Edwards (Stuff): Otago medical school admissions case settled out of court
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (RNZ): Otago University reaches agreement over medical school admissions dispute
Dominic Godfery (RNZ): Pacific tertiary students see mental health, living costs as election priorities
Victoria Young (BusinessDesk): Education Ministry, Carter Holt cut deal over leaky schools (paywalled)
1News: North Auckland school auctions off hand-drawn artwork by Jacinda Ardern to fundraise
Wage subsidy , business
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): Recruiters accused of ‘double dipping’ on covid wage subsidy (paywalled)
Newstalk ZB: Hundreds of workers at The Warehouse made redundant
RNZ: Tourism NZ predicts international market won’t recover until 2024
RNZ: ‘Transitional pain’ warned as paper mill signals changes to New Zealand operations
RNZ: Future of Kawerau paper mill uncertain
Coronavirus
Matt Burrows and Laura Tupou (Newshub): WHO official’s lockdown criticism probably doesn’t apply to New Zealand – Dr Siouxsie Wiles
Gehan Gunasekara (Herald): Are Covid 19 coronavirus lockdowns dictatorships by stealth? (paywalled)
Jamie Morton (Herald): What you need to know about NZ’s vaccine announcement
1News: Government signs agreement to purchase 1.5m Covid-19 vaccines, enough for 750k people
Herald: NZ signs on to buy 1.5 million doses of vaccine
RNZ: New Zealand to buy 1.5 million doses of potential vaccine
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Fear feeds COVID-19 conspiracy theories, says expert
Lorna Thornber (Stuff): ‘It’s not really a bubble’: Few Kiwis set to make use of limited trans-Tasman travel
Primary industries
Andrew McRae (RNZ): Three years after the Morrinsville protest, farmers reveal if views have changed
RNZ: Farmers share concerns with Labour leader Jacinda Ardern
1News: Grower warns fruit will ‘rot on the ground’ as border remains shut to pickers
Local government
Logan Savory (Stuff): Outgoing deputy mayor: Toxic environment isn’t healthy for anyone
Luisa Girao (ODT): Sir Tim’s pick for deputy mayor defends him
Logan Savory (Stuff): Nobby Clark selected as Shadbolt’s new deputy mayor
ODT: Sir Tim taps Nobby Clark as new deputy mayor
Tom Hunt (Stuff): Wellington needs to spend more than $5 billion on pipes, council estimates
Herald: Napier rating system could undergo greatest change in 30 years
Meridian
RNZ: Checkpoint: Meridian ad ordered off TV over misleading environmental claims
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Complaint against Meridian upheld by Advertising Standards Authority
Transport
Hamish Cardwell (RNZ): Work begins on arterial route for capital
Tom Kitchin (RNZ): Lack of driver licence testing in small towns creating problem for teens
Environment
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland drought: Thousands to get lower-cost access to mains water supply
Jean Bell (RNZ): Water restrictions eased for Auckland businesses
RNZ: Napier residents told not to drink dirty tap water as shortages bite
Tracy Neal (RNZ): New cruise ship berth at Picton could raise pollution – engineer
RNZ: New protocol being explored for offshore marine farms
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Stream illegally diverted, wetland drained by business owners wanting better access to quarry
Other
Dileepa Fonseka and Farah Hancock (Newsroom): The Provincial Growth Fund’s last ride
Brian Fallow (Interest): Our political parties’ energy policies are more important than ever this election
Samantha Olley (Bay of Plenty Times): Whakaari/White Island: Professor questions safety processes (paywalled)
Alexander Gillespie (The Conversation): With foreign policy largely missing from NZ’s election campaign, what global challenges face the next government
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Labour on the spot over digital services tax after OECD fails to reach agreement on multinational tax
Gavin Ellis: This is no celeb-soaked skim read
Cherie Sivignon (Stuff): Police and health response needed to battle meth, says Andrew Little
Rosie Gordon (Newshub): Book Guardians Aotearoa group to challenge National Library planned cull of 600,000 books
RNZ: Bio-threats pose growing risk for New Zealand, Pacific – new report
Dave Armstrong (Stuff): All that glitters isn’t waste
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Minimum wage rises tipped to hit job market harder due to Covid
RNZ: Media companies lodge urgent appeal over name suppression
Greg Ninness (Interest): Net population gain from migration has averaged just 300 a month since April
Stuff: Migration grinds to a halt as Covid closes borders
Andre Chumko (Stuff): Four Toi moko begin their long journey home from Germany
Kurt Bayer (Herald): Christchurch white supremacist Philip Arps has charge dropped
