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
Australia-NZ dispute over terrorist suspect in Turkey
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Judith Collins defends Australia’s move to dump terrorist problem on New Zealand
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): How Australia snookered New Zealand and angered Jacinda Ardern
Audrey Young (Herald): Australia fails to meet its own ‘fair go’ test (paywalled)
David Fisher (Herald): Isis bride grew up in Australia – now they’re sending her to New Zealand (paywalled)
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Trans-Tasman row over terror suspect deepens as Ardern accuses Australia of exporting problems
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): ScoMo seems determined to turn NZ into a penal colony
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Arguing over terrorist in Syria risks further trans-Tasman tension
Tova O’Brien and Zane Small (Newshub): Terrorist citizenship row: Jacinda Ardern’s call with Scott Morrison ‘constructive’, both acknowledge ‘complexities’
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern, Scott Morrison agree to work in ‘spirit of our relationship’ over alleged Isis terrorist
RNZ: Trans-Tasman row: PM’s phone call with Scott Morrison ‘constructive’
Stuff: Plea for compassion towards children of Kiwi ‘terrorist’ detained in Turkey
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Australian PM won’t budge over terrorist, despite Jacinda Ardern’s fury
Thomas Manch (Stuff): New Zealand ‘terrorist’ detained in Turkey becomes trans-Tasman issue
Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): ‘Tired of Australia exporting its problems’: Ardern denounces Morrison over detainee in Turkey
Zane Small (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern accuses Australia of ‘abdicating its responsibilities’ over detainee identified as ISIS terrorist at Turkish border
Anna Whyte (1News): Jacinda Ardern delivers extraordinary broadside at Australia over woman detained in Turkey – ‘Abdicated its responsibilities’
RNZ: Jacinda Ardern slams Australia over Turkey ‘terrorist’ detainees
Newstalk ZB: Brownlee: New Zealand citizen detained in Turkey responsible for herself
Housing and inequality
Chloe Swarbrick (Herald): Tackling inequality in New Zealand requires political guts (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Concerns over housing market frenzy
Liam Dann (Herald): ‘Jaw-dropping’ new data highlights NZ’s housing crisis challenge (paywalled)
Melanie Carroll (Stuff): Median house price jumps $118,000 in a year, says REINZ
Tony Alexander (One Roof): Revealed: The Kiwis who want house prices to rise the most
Lisette Reymer (Newshub): New Zealand’s housing market hottest it’s been in almost two decades
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): First-home buyers’ hurdle increases again, data shows
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): House price index up 19% last month as buyers flock to auctions
Herald: Wellington housing market: Median house prices see 27.7 per cent increase
Ethan Te Ora (Stuff): First-home buyer ‘nightmare’: Wellington house prices hit record high as stock at record low
RNZ: Median house price goes up 2 percent – REINZ
Anne Gibson (Herald): REINZ data: Auckland house prices drop $25,000, sales fall 46%
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Major bank clamps down on new build lending to investors ahead of LVR changes (paywalled)
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Govt calls for councils’ support: ‘What we say we’ll build – we’ll build’
Amy Ridout (Stuff): ‘All we want is a chance’: Rental shortage continues to bite
Georgia-May Gilbertson (Stuff): Hastings District Council addresses housing crisis as more than 1000 people remain in motel accommodation
Salvation Army State of the Nation Report
Sarah Robson (RNZ): Salvation Army calls for ‘brave policy action’ to stem increasing inequality
Geraden Cann (Stuff): Salvation Army urged govt to use pandemic recovery to address inequality
Alex Braae (Spinoff): Those with less getting left behind, new Sallies report shows
Inequality
Max Rashbrooke (Spinoff): New housing and incomes data underscores breadth of Ardern’s problems
Melanie Carroll (Stuff): Household income was up, but so were housing costs, before Covid-19: Stats NZ
Brent Edwards (NBR): Household incomes rising but the wealthier are doing better (paywalled)
Covid: Lockdown decisions
Lucy Xia (Stuff): Hipkins ‘optimistic’ lockdown will be lifted with no new cases overnight
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Government to make alert level decision after possible ‘false alarm’ lockdown
1News: NZ’s Covid-19 response ‘lagging’ because it’s ‘extremely slow’ at embracing new science — Michael Baker
Richard Harman: Covid debate becoming ideological
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Covid-19: Ideal scientific policy doesn’t exist and if it did, you might not like it
Sharon Brettkelly (Stuff): Why Government pulled the trigger on lockdown
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Leaving lockdown a risky move
Jason Walls (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Cabinet decides today on lockdown, alert levels
Claire Trevett (Herald): Cut and Thrust: Covid-19 Parliament – National holds back, David Seymour lets rip (paywalled)
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern snaps at David Seymour, Chris Bishop after questions on Covid-19 saliva tests
Alan Kenyon (1News): ‘Glad there is an expert’ – Ardern appears frustrated at interjections during Covid-19 debate at Parliament
Siouxsie Wiles & Toby Morris (Spinoff): How NZ sleuths are investigating the new mystery Covid cases
Covid: Saliva testing
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Ministry of Health has completed just 140 saliva COVID-19 tests, despite having ability to do them six months ago
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Judith Collins keen to see mandatory daily saliva tests for all arrivals and border workers
Amelia Wade (Herald): National wants daily saliva testing at MIQ as epidemiologist slams ‘extremely slow’ embrace of scientific advances
Jamie Morton (Herald): Explained: What are saliva tests and can they beef up our borders? (paywalled)
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Experts weigh in on effectiveness of saliva tests versus nasal swabs
Zane Small (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern pushes back on ‘attempt to build a case for our opposition to saliva testing’ as Judith Collins digs in
Covid: Economics
Richard Meade (The Conversation): Would ‘COVID loans’ be a more affordable and sustainable way to support national economies?
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Government loosens requirements for lockdown business support
Priscilla Dickinson (Newshub): Economists estimate Auckland’s lockdown will cost ‘$45 million per day’
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Restaurants want immediate Govt support through lockdowns
Madison Reidy (Newshub): Auckland businesses forced to close doors struggling to pay loans from previous lockdowns
Amanda Cropp (Stuff): Cost of cancelled Auckland events runs to millions for affected businesses
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): Air freight subsidy extended for a month
Covid: Vaccine
Collin Tukuitonga and Grace Shaw (Newsroom): Why Māori and Pacific people should get the vaccine first
Meriana Johnsen (RNZ): Māori-specific Covid-19 vaccine plan to account for increased risk – Hipkins
Nicholas Jones (Herald): Expiration dates and ‘inevitable’ computer glitches – what challenges our historic vaccine roll out (paywalled)
Covid: General
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): Government considering making Covid-19 tracer app mandatory
Keith Lynch, Kate Newton and Aaron Wood (Stuff): Covid 19: How the UK variant could spread and restrictions may not be enough
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Pullman Hotel reopens as MIQ facility while air filtration is installed
Rosie Gordon (Stuff): Taranaki health workers plead for more clinics as they struggle with COVID-19 testing demand
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): We haven’t learned any lockdown lessons
Herald: Editorial: Covid 19 coronavirus UK variant even more of a threat (paywalled)
John Gibb (ODT): NZ urged to test wastewater for presence of the virus
1News: No new community cases overnight; Hipkins ‘optimistic’ Covid lockdown could end today
Eric Crampton (Newsroom): We are missing the obvious at the border
Catrin Owen (Stuff): Iwi joining police to control checkpoints on Northland’s southern boundary
Stephen Forbes (Stuff): Fears for south Aucklanders’ mental health amid third lockdown
Rodney Hide: The news is comedy
Local government
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Local government ineptitude has left the country broken
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Heads should roll over Wellington’s $6.4b transport plan (paywalled)
Georgina Campbell (Stuff): Transport Minister speaks after scathing Let’s Get Wellington Moving letter
Harry Lock (RNZ): Wellington density plans face ‘character area’ concerns
Damian George (Stuff): Wellingtonians support housing intensification in central city
Harry Lock (RNZ): Upper Hutt City Council revokes restrictive brothel bylaw
Economy
Dan Satherley (Newshub): New Zealand already back in recession, we just don’t know it yet – economist
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Westpac economists forecast second ‘technical recession’ for NZ (paywalled)
Rodney Dickens (Interest): What the ANZ business survey will and won’t tell you
Brent Edwards (NBR): MBIE mulls mail future when NZ Post funding runs out (paywalled)
Climate change
Jen Purdie (The Conversation): As NZ gets serious about climate change, can electricity replace fossil fuels in time?
Richard Prebble (Herald): Climate Change Response Amendment Bill contains sneaky new tax (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Why Commission called for no new natural gas links
Tim Jones (Newsroom): It’s coal’s turn on the ash heap of history
Media
Newstalk ZB: Media researcher doubts Google will do deal with any NZ media companies
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Identity Politics Acolytes cheer Vodafones creepy corporate blacklist
Devon Bolger (Herald): RNZ and TVNZ Christchurch moving in together
Other
Karl du Fresne (The Spectator Australia): New Zealand is being transformed, but not in a good way
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Kris Faafoi happy with security arrangements at Beijing visa office as Canada opens inquiry
Lorinda Cramer (The Conversation): The politics of the necktie — ‘colonial noose’, masculine marker or silk status symbol?
Guy Trafford (Interest): Exposing our own double-standards for cheap political points
Samira Taghavi (Herald): Irony and obfuscation in Sexual Violence Bill (paywalled)
Bob McCoskrie: Ministry of Health Advised No Ban on ‘Conversion Therapy’
Lana Andelane (Newshub): Conversion therapy: Green Party’s petition to end conversion therapy amasses 100,000 signatures in 48 hours
Mark Reason (Stuff): John Parker’s cunning plan to loosen gambling’s grip on community sports funding
