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
New Year’s Honours 2021 list announced
Amber Allott (Stuff): Christchurch’s new knight reflects on nearly 30 years in politics
Rahul Bhattarai (RNZ): David Carter on knighthood: Speaker’s role vital in a democracy
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Wellington epidemiologist who pushed for lockdown honoured
John Weekes (Herald): New Year 2021 Honours: Constellation of Kiwi stars shine bright
Caroline Williams (Stuff): New Year Honours: Dame Anne Salmond lands New Zealand’s highest royal honour
John Weekes (Herald): New Year 2021 Honours: Dame Anne Salmond on why we can be optimists
Denise Piper (Stuff): New Year Honours: Former children’s commissioner Prof Cindy Kiro made dame companion
Mikaela Collins (Herald): New Year Honours: Professor Cindy Kiro made a dame
Troels Sommerville (Stuff): New Year Honours: New Zealand’s top scientist Dr Juliet Gerrard becomes a dame
John Weekes (Herald): New Year 2021 Honours: Dave Dobbyn’s slices of heaven rewarded with knighthood
RNZ: New Year’s Honours 2021 list announced
Aimee Shaw (Herald): New Year Honours: Rob Fyfe, companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit – for services to business and tourism
Ripu Bhatia (Stuff): New Year Honours: Auckland physicist Shaun Hendy commended for Covid-19 response
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): The New Year Honours recognise those who took personal responsibility in a crisis
Katy Jones (Stuff): Proud history of collaboration for veteran environmentalist
George Heagney (Stuff): ‘New Zealand flavour’ to Sir Mason Durie’s latest honour
Mikaela Collins (Herald): New Year Honours: Bishop Te Kitohi Pikaahu made officer of NZ Order of Merit
Brittany Keogh (Stuff): New Year Honours 2021: ‘Accidental’ Kiwi Suzanne Snively made an honorary dame
Dan Brunskill (Business Desk): Suzanne Snively (almost) becomes a Dame (paywalled)
Parliament, and end of year reviews
Charlie Dreaver (RNZ): Green co-leaders reflect on 2020 and plans for 2021
John Armstrong (1News): What presents should Santa give to some of NZ’s top politicians this year?
Anna Whyte (1News): 2020 in review: The top political moments
Peter Wilson (RNZ): The Year in Politics: ‘Be strong but be kind’
Tim McCready (Herald): Looking back on the Herald’s 2020 cover stories (paywalled)
NBR: Out of Office Reply: Labour MP Michael Wood (paywalled)
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): 2020: The year everything changed & why it’ll get worse
1News: Year in review: NZ First falls, ACT soars and the Māori Party returns in colourful year for minor parties
Covid, vaccine, and border
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Time to settle the Covid account in 2021 (paywalled)
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Managed isolation and quarantine health and safety committees took months to roll out
Torika Tokalau (Stuff): Covid-19: Jury out on whether vaccinated travellers will need to go through MIQ
Rachel Thomas (RNZ): Newsmakers of 2020: Bloomfield reflects and looks to the future
RNZ: Number of passports issued this year drops by 79%
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Returnees from higher risk countries to face extra testing amid concerns over new coronavirus variant
Economy, inequality and work
Anuja Nadkarni (Stuff): Companies repay $536m of the Covid-19 wage subsidy
Stephanie Ockhuysen (Stuff): Stay@home: More than half of all preschool children in some from of daycare
1News: Lunch provider for students in need says kids should continue to receive meals during holidays
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): NZ companies must show same spirit as the Black Caps and Team NZ (paywalled)
Mackenzie Smith (Newsroom): Are bed sheets a product of slave labour?
Waikeria prison protest
Te Aorewa Rolleston (RNZ): Waikeria inmates protesting about conditions, lack of supplies
Herald: Waikeria uprising: Prisoners still rioting at Waikato jail
Karen Rutherford (Newshub): A third of Waikeria Prison’s cells destroyed as riot enters third day
Other
Brook Sabin (Stuff): Code brown: More than 80 rivers and beaches around New Zealand are unsafe for summer swims
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Drug testing agency sounds warning over MDMA in NZ
Keith Woodford (Interest): House-price inflation and interest rates are bound at the hip
Logan Savory (Stuff): Invercargill City Council observers hopeful they can ‘get in and get out’
Cate Broughton (Stuff): GP appointments stretched as calls to Healthline spike
RNZ: DOC urges respect for environment as New Zealand travel spikes
Sam Kilmister (Stuff): Restorative justice ‘a sea of hope’ in an ocean of crime
Karl du Fresne: In New Zealand today
Kurt Bayer (Herald): Christchurch mosque shooting victim’s sister Aya Al-Umari warned public, mayor’s response to ‘racist rant’
Luke Blincoe (Herald): An open letter to Meridian Energy (paywalled)
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): NZ can’t ignore China’s latest human rights crackdown
