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

Newshub poll
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Judith Collins’ allegations of Māori separatism not working for National in Newshub-Reid Research Poll
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Newshub-Reid Research Poll: The race relations debate – Kiwis think Judith Collins is being divisive
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Judith Collins being replaced as leader is now a matter of when, not if
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Newshub-Reid Research Poll: Majority of Kiwis back trans-Tasman bubble
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Collins’ Orewa politics aren’t just deplorable, they’re unpopular. Can National afford to wait?
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Judith Collins’ personal support crashes in new poll, while Labour remains well-ahead
Derek Cheng (Herald): Latest political poll: Judith Collins plummets in preferred PM stakes
Richard Harman: National caucus to meet today in wake of bad poll (paywalled)
Duncan Garner (Newshub): Judith Collins is in free-fall and no National Party MP is lining up to catch her

Budget 2021
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Budget 2021: How much money will be in the budget?
Luke Malpass (Stuff): ‘Holding pattern’ Budget will need to plot a path to the future
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Budget 2021: Is New Zealand on the eve of a new brain drain to Australia?
Liam Dann (Herald): Budget 2021: Spend or Save? Finance Minister’s dilemma (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): Budget 2021: Why Grant Robertson won’t match big spending Aussies (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): Budget 2021: ‘It’s not a lolly scramble’ this year, Deloitte CEO says
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Pandemic not the only challenge
Claire Trevett (Herald): Labour and the weight of Budget expectation (paywalled)
Warwick Rasmussen, Bridie Witton and Danielle Clent (Stuff): Pre-Budget wishes, expectations, and the lure of working in Australia
Brad Olsen (Stuff): It’s time for the recharge budget
Andrew Bayly (Herald): What I would do if I was finance minister (paywalled)
Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Post-Covid complacency the enemy within for New Zealand
Sarah Dalton (Stuff): Budget must address stressed, overworked health workers who have ‘had enough’

Inequality and poverty
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Political Roundup – Will the Government take the poverty crisis seriously?
Caroline Williams (Stuff): ‘Stop the war on the poor’: Poverty action group protest stops traffic on Ponsonby Road
Brian Easton (Pundit): Are we really serious about child poverty?
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Missioner Helen Robinson — ‘It’s not a job without pain’
RNZ: Major rise in benefits needed to get children out of poverty – Auckland City Missioner
Kerre McIvor (Herald): Kids need free school lunches, they can’t learn when they’re hungry (paywalled)
Rachel Graham (RNZ): Some schools decline government funded lunches

Immigration
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): Population Policy debate comes into focus
Eric Crampton (Stuff): Govt needs to rethink hostile approach to skilled migrants
Anuja Nadkarni (Newsroom): Govt’s new push to attract high-skilled migrants
Herald: Editorial – The immigration battle for skilled workers and investors (paywalled)
Amy Williams (RNZ): Wealthy investors due to arrive on new border exemption
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Immigration Minister to outline border policy changes
Zane Small (Newshub): Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March’s concern as Jacinda Ardern signals shift ‘away from low-skilled, low-paid’ migrants
Tom Peters (World socialist website): Thousands protest against New Zealand government’s anti-immigrant policies
Anuja Nadkarni (Newsroom): Govt’s new push to attract high-skilled migrants
Dan Satherley (Newshub): ‘Perfect storm’ of Covid and complex applications behind visa processing delays – Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi

He Puapua document and Māori self-determination
Emile Donovan (RNZ): What is He Puapua?
Martin Van Beynen (Stuff): Partnership or separatism – negotiating the Treaty relationship
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): It’s fair to ask questions about He Puapua
Māori TV: Nationals’ Shane Reti stands by Judith Collins’ views on He puapua
Steven Cowan: “Systemic racism” is not the source of inequality
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Haka political theatre in Parliament – Winners & Losers

Water reforms
Derek Cheng (Herald): ‘Deceptive and wrong’: Ngāi Tahu rejects Judith Collins’ claims of asset co-ownership plans
1News: Govt advances plans to transfer 50 per cent of South Island’s public water assets to iwi ownership – Collins
Newstalk ZB: Judith Collins: Government proposing South Island water assets co-owned by Ngāi Tahu
Guy Williams (ODT): Southern mayors condemn Judith Collins for ‘fear-mongering’
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Government water reforms open the door to privatisation – Phil Goff (paywalled)

Employment relations, pay freeze, and Fair Pay Agreements
RNZ: Finance expert suggests redistribution of public sector CEO salaries
John Roughan (Herald): This government of state servants is bravely tackling its toughest decision yet (paywalled)
Damien Grant (Stuff): The Fair Pay Working Group will undo Jim Bolger’s enduring legacy
Steve Braunias (Herald): The secret diary of the civil service pay freeze (paywalled)
Claire Trevett (Herald): The pay freeze debate: ‘Crisis’ meetings, the Prime Minister steps in as Govt and unions in showdown
Alex Braae (Spinoff): How New Zealand’s employment laws changed forever, 30 years ago today
Steven Joyce (Herald): There’s nothing fair about Fair Pay Agreements (paywalled)
John Braddock (World socialist website): New Zealand Labour-led government imposes public sector wage freeze
Peter Wilson (RNZ): Government ‘pushes the reset button’ on public sector pay

Economy and work
ODT: Editorial – Misleading statements undermine trust
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Even if it can find fraud in the wage subsidy scheme, MSD may be reluctant to chase it
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Is NZ missing our post-Covid window of opportunity?
Heather du Plessis Allan (Newstalk ZB): Hipkins’ comment exposes Labour’s lax approach to our money
Laura Wiltshire (Stuff): Campaign calls for more diversity in care sector hit hard by Covid-19
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Couples sharing domestic burden would boost economy by $1.5 billion
David McLean (Herald): Sharing the load at home lightens load for everyone (paywalled)
Michael Neilson (Herald): Act Party calls for Government to scrap ‘unfair’ road tax applied to marine fuel
Bryan Bruce (Daily Blog): What is an economy for?

Nurses strike
Kirsty Wynn (Herald): Pay restrictions after year from hell a bitter pill for Kiwi nurses
Emma Russell (Herald): Nurses strike: Tens of thousands to walk off the job for 8 hours
RNZ: Nurses vote to strike for 8 hours over breakdown in pay negotiations
Newstalk ZB: NZNO: Strike action a ‘last resort’ but nurses united behind decision

Parliament and Government
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern honoured abroad, less so at home (paywalled)
Jason Walls (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tops Fortune’s list of the world’s greatest leaders
Georgia Forrester (Stuff): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tops Fortune magazine’s world’s greatest leaders list
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern ‘world’s greatest leader’, beating out pioneers of Covid-19 vaccines in magazine rankings
Zane Small (Newshub): Portrait of Jacinda Ardern joins corridor in Parliament featuring artistic impressions of former Prime Ministers
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Eight years on, Labour MP Aupito William Sio stands by vote against same-sex marriage
Claire Trevett (Herald): Beehive Diaries: Simon Bridges’ confessions, MPs’ wayward texts (paywalled)
Stuff: Points of Order: How to get from a gelato store to Parliament
Victor Billot (Newsroom): An ode for Simon Bridges, author

Housing crisis
Simon Wilson (Herald): If house prices fall, will the sky fall too? (paywalled)
Janine Starks (Stuff): Housing market still needs brakes applied, rent control could be the way to go
Jane Matthews (Stuff): New Plymouth man facing another winter living in his car while waiting for a public housing space
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Government must deal with appalling behaviour of emergency housing residents in motels (paywalled)
Tom Kitchin (RNZ): Six-month wait for supplies and becoming worse, builders say
Kelly Makiha (Herald): Emergency housing relief: Rotorua solo mother Sarah Murray reveals motel horror
Newstalk ZB: Housing advocate: Homelessness a problem across NZ
Apanui Koopu (E-Tangata): Things have to change
Māori TV: Davidson pleased with progress toward preventing homelessness

Health
Cate Broughton (Stuff): Contractors paid $500 an hour to help health board find ‘significant savings’
Nicholas Jones (Herald): Auckland Hospital surgeons’ pay tops $1m, more staff earn over $500k (paywalled)
Emma Russell (Herald): The uncomfortable truth: Top male doctors earn up to $73,000 more than female colleagues (paywalled)
Newstalk ZB: Herald investigation reveals sexism against female doctors
Stuff: MP sends letter to health minister after concerns of cancer wait times
Henry Cooke (Stuff): National pushes Government to provide 100,000 free counselling sessions
Kirsty Wynn (Herald): Jacinda Ardern replies to boy who gave budget advice on beds for sick kids

Christchurch Call
Derek Cheng (Herald): Two years of the Christchurch Call. Are we any better off? (paywalled)
ODT: Editorial – Christchurch Call not yet realised
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Christchurch Call focuses on tech companies’ algorithms, six countries join
1News: Biden’s absence from Christchurch Call summit does not make USA’s recent joining ‘lip service’ – Ardern
RNZ: Jacinda Ardern opens Christchurch Call second anniversary leaders’ summit
RNZ: Plan for Christchurch Call to target social media algorithms welcomed
Australian Associated Press: Jacinda Ardern calls for ‘ethical algorithms’ to help stop online radicalisation

Covid
Tess McClure (The Guardian): No roadmap’: New Zealand mulls reopening options after a year of closed borders
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern smacks down suggestion New Zealand to move to alert level 2.5 when borders open
Nina Hall (Spinoff): NZ made the right call on supporting the vaccine waiver. Now comes the hard part

Media
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Shocking news reveals southern reporting cutbacks
Kelly Bertrand (Stuff): Hilary Barry on news cleave, ambition and finding joy in the little things
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Access all areas? The past and future of community broadcasting

Climate change
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Climate crimes: Will you be found guilty?
Derek Cheng (Herald): Budget 2021: Public sector carbon cuts – $67m for low-emissions cars, coal burner replacements
RNZ: Government reveals options for climate change policies in transport sector
Todd Niall (Stuff): Government could ban fuel-burning cars by 2050, with imports ending 2035

Local government
Mandy Te (Stuff): Wellington City Council set to have its first rainbow communities advisory group
Sean Rush (Stuff): City councillor: Why I changed my mind about iwi representation
Jono Galuszka (Stuff): People say they want Māori wards in wider Manawatū and Horowhenua
Tim Newman (Stuff): Back of the Agenda – Māori ward decision triggers election shake-up

International relations
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): British High Commissioner Laura Clarke doesn’t believe United Kingdom, New Zealand splintering, insists nations ‘on same page’ on China
Paul Buchanan: Between appeasement and confrontation

Justice
Jarrod Gilbert (Herald): How New Zealand should tackle public gang warfare (paywalled)
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden praises Government for going after gangs

Kiwisaver reform
Jason Walls (Herald): The Government’s KiwiSaver moves will apply ‘competitive pressure’ to funds market
Rob Stock (Stuff): KiwiSaver default fund shake-up has a ‘buy local’ flavour

Education
Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Government on defensive as it chases target for school build programme
Michael Neilson (Herald): Tackling racism in Aotearoa: Should white privilege be taught in schools? (paywalled)

Other
Jane Patterson (RNZ): SFO charges an indictment on political parties – not the system
Jon Johansson (Stuff): Influencing political policy, and the triumph of marketing
Melanie Earley (Stuff): Auckland Libraries say there are no plans to get rid of ‘transphobic’ books
Gordon Campbell: On cancel culture and the ‘hate speech’ laws
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Auckland light rail facing huge hurdles to get back on track (paywalled)
Simon Wilson (Herald): Helen Kelly: Her Life – author Rebecca Macfie on the kindness warrior (paywalled)
Gianina Schwanecke (Herald): Hawke’s Bay sheep numbers drop 346,000 in year amid climate change concern
Alison Mau (Stuff): Want to make a better, safer society? Watch your language
Kennedy Warne (E-Tangata): The hope for change: imagining decolonisation here and now
Herald: Māori Authority wants Eagle Brewing put before Human Rights Commission over racist comments