Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.  Click here to subscribe to Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup and New Zealand Politics Daily.

Today’s content

Housing
Keith Lynch (Stuff): What happened after Jacinda Ardern said house prices can’t keep skyrocketing
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Housing crisis: Greens push to end equity-only mortgage deposits in bid to lower prices
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Megan Woods reminds foreign investors their money is still welcome in parts of housing market
Richard Prebble (Herald): How to fix the housing crisis (paywalled)
Brooke van Velden (Herald): Families can’t live in warm intentions from Jacinda Ardern’s government (paywalled)
Tony Alexander (One Roof): 12 reasons why housing market fixes could make things worse
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Housing crisis: Economist says curbs on interest-only lending for investors could be partial solution to rocketing house prices
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Shouldn’t we be honest and admit entire generations are now locked out of home ownership – what do we do now?
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Housing crisis: Record profits reaped by property owners and investors revealed
Ashley Church (OneRoof): Are Kiwi house prices really in danger of crashing?
David Hargreaves (Interest): Kiwibank economists see 25% house price inflation
Nikki Mandow (Newsroom): Small apartment crisis: The fight back begins
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Nearly 99 per cent of Kiwi house sellers score big gains
John McDermott (NBR): Should central banks take account of house prices? (paywalled)

Government and Parliament
Nikki Macdonald (Stuff): Official Information Act review deferred because of justice ministry policy work overload
No Right Turn: Really not a priority
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Jacinda Ardern needs to convert spin into action (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): National wants to bring Bill of Rights debate to Parliament
Katie Harris (Herald): Luxon, Collins and Bishop: National reacts to 1News/Colmar Brunton poll
Martyn Bradbury (Kiwi Blog): Latest TVNZ Poll – Winners & Losers

Foreign affairs: Australia
Andrea Vance (Stuff): New Zealand refused to call out Australia at UN over deportees
Elle Hunt (Guardian): ‘Rogue nation’: anger in New Zealand after Australia deports teenager
Teuila Fuatai: (Herald): NZ needs to step up fight against Australia’s 501 deportations (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor, Mitch McCann and Perry Wilton (Newshub): Nanaia Mahuta alerted to Australia’s deportation of 15yo, Golriz Ghahraman says issue should be taken to United Nations
Jason Walls (Herald): Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta learned of 15-year old who was deported ‘some weeks ago’
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Australia a ‘rogue nation’ NZ needs to call out at the UN after 15-year-old deported, say Greens
Herald: Editorial: No justification for Australia’s appalling 501 deportations (paywalled)
RNZ: Australia’s deportation of 15-year-old boy heartbreaking – Green MP
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Judith Collins says NZ-Aus relationship at its lowest ebb in a generation, slams Peter Dutton for calling Kiwis ‘trash’ in same week March 15
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Judith Collins wants ‘verbal shots’ between Australia, New Zealand to end amid concerns about relationship

Foreign affairs: China
Stuff Editorial: NZ must stand up for human rights in China
Louisa Cleave and Paula Penfold (Stuff): ‘Extremely sensitive’: Another NZ government-backed business linked to blacklisted Chinese company
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says Beijing has ‘undermined’ Hong Kong’s autonomy
Zane Small (Newshub): Deputy PM Grant Robertson seeks ‘more information’ on possible Government link to Uighur atrocities
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Grant Robertson wants answers over possible Government links to human rights abuses in China

Foreign affairs: UK
Thomas Manch (Stuff): United Kingdom’s initial market access offer falls short of New Zealand’s free trade expectations
Luke Malpass and Thomas Manch (Stuff): British high commissioner wants to put the New Zealand’s ‘great abandonment’ story to rest
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): New Zealand won’t become a republic until it grapples with the monarchy’s celebrity

Covid
Tom Hunt (Stuff): More than 11,000 foreigners granted New Zealand entry as Kiwis struggle to secure MIQ spots
Richard Harman: Trans-Tasman travel bubble still on (paywalled)
Claire Trevett (Herald): Government points finger back at Australia over transtasman travel bubble hold-ups
TVNZ: Australians pose ‘incredibly low’ Covid-19 risk to NZ, but two-way bubble could create new problem — Michael Baker
Luke Malpass and Henry Cooke (Stuff): Hipkins says New Zealand may soon open border to Australians
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): Australia backed out of trans-Tasman bubble plans in February – NZ government
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): National calls for trans-Tasman travel to open immediately
Claire Trevett (Herald): National leader Judith Collins ramps up transtasman bubble call, says PM will have ‘the death of Queenstown’ on her hands
Brittney Deguara (Stuff): Quarantine-free travel for expats returning from Australia ‘should start tomorrow’, trans-Tasman bubble should follow
Cecile Meier (Stuff): Anti-lockdown group of academics criticised for promoting conspiracy theorists
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): The world is moving on, and we’re at risk of being left behind
Lee Kenny (Stuff): Most deprived the most mobile during Covid-19 lockdown, and the most at risk
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Rule for MIQ guests to stay in their room post day-12 test scrapped
Stuart Smith; Arena Williams (Stuff): We are being let down by the slow and tardy vaccination roll-out

Local government
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): It’s time we merge our local councils
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Why Wellington can’t die in a ditch over water meters
Damian George (Stuff): National list MP Nicola Willis says she doesn’t feel safe walking through central Wellington
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Wellington regional council chairman Daran Ponter withdraws from chief executive bid
Te Aorewa Rolleston (RNZ): Hastings, Wellington councils committed to consulting iwi over Three Waters Reform
Mike Mather (Stuff): Councillors could get $6K allowance for childcare – but no such luck for staff
Chloe Blommerde and Sharnae Hope (Stuff): Rate increase for some, rate freeze for others – Waikato councils roll out proposed rate rises for next year
Tim Newman (Stuff): Council debt set to more than double over next 10 years to help smooth rates rises

Media
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Google News Showcase set to launch in NZ, providing new funding for media
Jason Walls (Herald): Google prepares to pay New Zealand media for content on new news service
Malcolm Evans (Daily Blog): The Mock Court of Public Opinion
John Hartevelt (Stuff): Stuff wins funding to counter Covid-19 vaccine misinformation

Ihumātao
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Treasury warned Government against the way it did Ihumātao deal
Jo Moir (Newsroom): New challenges to resolving Ihumātao land future
Zane Small (Newshub): Government accused of trying to ‘hide’ Treaty of Waitangi implications of Ihumātao deal
RNZ: National probes Ihumātao land purchase by government: ‘Troubling precedent’

Climate change and environment
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): The secretive auction designed to cut our climate pollution
Matt Burgess (Herald): Emissions offsets can protect our heritage better than the Climate Commission (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): ACT MP makes misleading coal claim
Matthew McKinnon (Listener): A ‘make-or-break year’ for a planet on red alert (paywalled)
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Coal import spike shows oil-gas ban was a ‘whoops’ from Government
Matt Burgess (Herald): Emissions offsets can protect our heritage better than the Climate Commission (paywalled)
Susan Krumdieck (The Conversation): Why New Zealand should invest in smart rail before green hydrogen to decarbonise transport
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland transport plan shows climate change dial is still set on ‘talk’ not ‘do’
Justin Latif (Spinoff): Can Auckland’s $150m climate change plan save the city from disaster?
Jenny Ruth (Business Desk): EV subsidy would tax the poor to give to the rich (paywalled)

Police
TVNZ: Police force stats are ‘shocking’ when broken down by race, but nuances need to be studied, top cop says
RNZ: Police launch investigation into ‘unconscious bias’ against Māori
Stuff: Sir Kim Workman called in to look at police racial bias
No Right Turn: Fox investigates henhouse
The Hui staff and Lana Andelane (Newshub): Police Commissioner Andrew Coster rejects accusations he made comparison between terrorism and Māori youth
Brent Melville (Business Desk): Police sitting on empty properties worth millions (paywalled)

Inequality, poverty
Janet McAllister (CPAG): What the annual child poverty stats tell us
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Social Justice is the problem, Economic Justice is the solution
Christchurch mosque attacks
Kawsar Ali (Guardian): The Christchurch massacre continues to haunt Muslims across the world – online and offline
Jody O’Callaghan (Stuff): Payouts to Christchurch terror attack victims about ‘justice, not charity’

Education
Phil Pennington School’s (RNZ): 13ha farm transfer: ‘We were never actually informed’ – former principal
RNZ: AUT comms school denies sidelining Pacific Media Centre

Primary industries
Hugo Cameron (RNZ): Organic food reforms: MPI seeks feedback on enforcable rules
Jacqueline Rowarth (Herald): The problem with cheap tomatoes

Animal welfare
Anneka Carlson (Stuff): Why live exports need to be banned
Lynn Charlton (Herald): Rodeo injuries are a snapshot of a sport out of time (paywalled)

Other
Emile Donovan (Newsroom): The Detail: Are budget caps forcing Pharmac to make too many high-stake calls?
Benedict Collins (TVNZ): Air NZ not in breach of export rules after helping Saudi Navy
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Auckland Action Against Poverty slams ‘cruel’ decision to deport family who wrongly claimed food vouchers during lockdown
Marta Steeman (Stuff): Retirement village residents and owners square off over who gets the capital gains
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Reform of ‘broken’ system needed after New Zealand gambling spend hits record high – problem gambling expert
Debrin Foxcroft (Stuff): Workers are increasingly blurring the lines between home and work since lockdown
Martyn Bradbury: Are Labour going to repeal racist cannabis laws or not?
Peter Cullen (Stuff): Does the law do enough to protect women and minorities?
Liam Dann (Herald): Economy Hub: Businesses failure a necessary part of ‘creative destruction’ (paywalled)
Chris Keall (Herald): Cyber-attacks: Five ways NZ is asleep at the wheel (paywalled)
Zoe Madden-Smith (Re News): We can’t forget New Zealand still discriminates against rainbow communities
Piers Fuller (Stuff): Post Covid-19 lockdown, thousands of people flock to join the construction industry
Tracey Roxburgh (ODT): Ardern will ‘end up with the death of Queenstown on her’