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

Parliament, political parties
Michael Neilson (Herald): Government communications spending increases 50 per cent in four years (paywalled)
Jo Moir (Newsroom): What’s eating Kris Faafoi?
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Mystery delay to National Party donations trial
Ben Thomas (Stuff): Collins lurches off-road in search for culture wars vote
1 News: Labour’s ‘massive’ drop in poll a ‘wake up call’ for Govt – Collins
Greg Presland (The Standard): Judith’s last stand?
Waatea News: National eyes treaty clause
Karl du Fresne: A transformational government unlike any other
Tess McClure (Guardian): Ardern’s popularity stumbles on New Zealand’s slow road to vaccination
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Anti-vax protesters rattle Parliament’s doors, as Labour laughs off the naysayers
Waatea News: Billy TK mounts mini-riot
David Farrar: My submission on the Maori electoral option timing
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Teens take fight for right to vote to Court of Appeal
RNZ: Group wanting lower voting age takes fight to Court of Appeal
Ethan Sills (Herald): Jacinda Ardern turned down cameo role in RuPaul’s Drag Race
RNZ: Prime minister turns down cameo on RuPaul’s Drag Race series
Bess Manson (Stuff): National Portrait: Margaret Wilson – the change-maker

Aotearoa or New Zealand?
Herald Editorial: Referendum on Aotearoa fails at every turn (paywalled)
RNZ: National Party leader Judith Collins ‘very happy’ to call the country Aotearoa
RNZ: Judith Collins ‘happy with either’ New Zealand or Aotearoa, but wants it put to public
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Judith Collins defends day spent demanding ‘Aotearoa’ referendum
Zane Small (Newshub): ACT leader David Seymour not a fan of proposed ‘Aotearoa’ vs ‘New Zealand’ vote
Dan Satherley (Newshub): ‘Feelings are hurt’: Judith Collins insists she’s fine with ‘Aotearoa’, but others are feeling ‘left out’
Duncan Garner (Newshub): Should we change the name of New Zealand to Aotearoa? No – and here’s why
Tumamao Harawira (Māori TV): Who needs a referendum on using Aotearoa? Not teenagers

Covid-19
Claire Breen (The Conversation): How far should compulsory proof of vaccination go — and what rights do New Zealanders have?
Thomas Manch (Stuff): District health board plans show Covid-19 vaccinations could extend to February
George Block (Stuff): Google billionaire Larry Page travelled to NZ amid Covid border restrictions
Arvind Kumar (Stuff): UN’s Fiji medical evacuation flight unfair, says human rights advocate
1News: National releases plan to fix ‘broken immigration system’
Zane Small (Newshub): National MP Chris Bishop suspects clinicians were ‘pressured’ to U-turn on Fijian United Nations COVID-19 patient
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Demand for MIQ rooms triples since April, ‘forcing’ Kiwis to break laws by overstaying
RNZ: Covid-19 vaccine update: Two million doses administered in New Zealand
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Charting New Zealand’s vaccine rollout
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Rate of vaccination slower than expected in the South
Hamish MacLean (ODT): University hopes for mass jabs for students in October
1 News: Hipkin’s message to Kiwis as Covid misinformation spreads
RNZ: Port worker vaccinations: ‘A disproportionate uptake of misinformation’
RNZ: Call for MIQ booking system reform – ‘The government just doesn’t get it’
Emma Hatton (RNZ): Some Kiwis stuck in Australia may lose superannuation payments
Sam Olley (RNZ): Travel bubble: MSD to partially refund beneficiary stuck in Sydney
Jo Spratt (Spinoff): Why we should share our vaccines
Grant Bradley (Herald): Air New Zealand downgrade: What it means for planned capital raise (paywalled)
David Hargreaves (Interest): Air New Zealand sees bigger losses next year – will dip further into Govt loan money
Herald:  Air NZ forecasts losses up to $530m with transtasman bubble impact
Anuja Nadkarni (Newsroom): Companies survive Covid – but not recovery

Labour market, industrial relations, migrant workers
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Three-quarters of workers get pay rises that don’t keep up with inflation
Hamish Rutherford: Hot labour market good for workers, but problems ahead (paywalled)
Richard Harman (Politik): Employers embarrass Government and the Nats
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): How NZ became reliant on migrant workers (paywalled)
Henry Cooke (Stuff): National Party wants to clear residency backlog and offer ‘Covid contribution’ visa for workers already here
Herald: National wants ‘Covid Contribution Visa’ to clear immigration residency backlog
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): Couples split by immigration raise money to go to court
Dominic Godfery (RNZ): Open borders for seasonal workers welcomed, but Solomon Islands wants in too
Marena Mane (Māori TV): Prime Minister keen to welcome back Pasifika for seasonal work
ODT Editorial: Nurses negotiations need cool heads
No Right Turn: One way of fixing it
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Midwives to walk off the job after agreement can’t be reached with District Health Boards
Duncan Garner (Newshub): If Jacinda Ardern can give the Mongrel Mob $2.75m for meth rehab, where is the money for NZ’s undervalued midwives?
Joel MacManus (Stuff): Wellington bus drivers win legal battle over rest breaks legislation
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Employment Relations Authority rules in favour of bus drivers on split shifts

Employment figures, economy
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Unemployment plunges to 4 per cent – biggest quarterly fall in 35 years
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): This employment situation is getting ridiculous
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): 4% unemployment – the case for keeping the borders shut
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Are we at peak employment?
No Right Turn: 5,000 employed under Labour
1 News: Construction sector trying to fight labour shortages as unemployment rate dips
Tom Pullar-Strecker and Tina Morrison (Stuff): ANZ and BNZ tip official cash rate to hit 1% by year-end after record drop in unemployment
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): ANZ predicts most aggressive interest rate increases since 2004 as economy overheats (paywalled)

Commerce Commission supermarkets report
Jess Berentson-Shaw (Newsroom): There’s something rotten in the state of supermarkets
Lydia Cheung (Stuff): Competition in NZ supermarkets needs intervention and innovation
Jon Duffy (Stuff): Our supermarket duopoly doesn’t deserve a gold medal
Ben Kepes (Herald): Fixing supermarkets with inspiration from Isaac Newton (paywalled)
Andy Matthews (BusinessDesk): Will supermarkets get broken up? (paywalled)
Philip Stevens (Stuff): The Commerce Commission has an important opportunity, but it’s not a simple one 

Transport
Claire Trevett (Herald):  Known when to walk away – Labour takes Kenny Rogers’ advice in cycle bridge u-turn (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Harbour cycle bridge never had a champion (paywalled)
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Bike Bridge hatred another political warning of Twitter Red Peak syndrome
Kate Hawkesby (Newstalk ZB): Cycle bridge in Auckland ain’t happening
Sophie Cornish (Stuff): Wellington businesses, industry groups form coalition over concerns about focus and progress of Let’s Get Wellington Moving
Todd Niall (Stuff): Border closures, staff shortages lead to near-record Auckland ferry cancellation
Timothy Welch (Newsroom): No place for cars in cities of the future

Health
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Covid-19 NZ: Vaccination mass roll-out is the final test of the DHB system before it disappears 
Kathy Spencer (Herald): Pharmac needs adequate funding and a reasonable time frame (paywalled)
Stuff: Waikato DHB wins injunction to stop Radio NZ using hacked data
Penny Simmonds (Stuff): Southern DHB’s long-term plans are little comfort for the many in need right now
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Emergency patients waiting all night
Sophie Trigger (Herald): Security issues, short-staffing concerns addressed in Wellington’s overcrowded ED
Emma Vitz (Spinoff): Why even ‘wealthy’ New Zealanders are avoiding the dentist

Housing
Bernard Hickey (The Kākā): RBNZ move will hit first home buyers hardest
Tony Alexander (One Roof): The buyers who’ll be hit hardest by the new home loan rules
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Housing crisis: Reserve Bank admits consistently getting house price projections wrong
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): RBNZ admits to underestimating house price inflation over the past decade
Andrew Marshall (ODT): Housing crisis? Mayor at odds with councillors
Geraden Cann (Stuff): Staying put in a rental can save you up to $110 per week, research finds
Nick James (Herald): $400 Wellington house listing asks flatmate to leave six hours of the day

Justice, corrections
Derek Cheng (Herald): And Justice for All? – The ‘transformational change’ trying to keep Kiwis out of jail (paywalled)
Jonathan Guildford (Stuff): Inmates stage protests over moves between South Island prisons
Daisy Hudson (ODT): Prisoners stage protests over move to OCF

Local government
Logan Savory (Stuff): Invercargill city councillors raise concerns over Governments water reforms
Janine Rankin (Stuff): Bid to cut the size of Palmerston North’s council fails for now
Matthew Littlewood (Stuff): Ngāi Tahu representation bill slammed as ‘undemocratic’
Craig Ashworth (Stuff): Māori to get more say on New Plymouth street names after subdivision compromise
Craig Ashworth (Stuff): Iwi say more council seats best chance for New Plymouth Māori
Kiri Gillespie (Bay of Plenty Times): Māori flag to fly at Bay of Plenty regional council buildings (paywalled)
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Options revealed to slice and dice Wellington City wards before local elections
Alex Braae (Spinoff): The controversial Facebook page that made Bruce Smith king of the Coast

Environment, climate change, conservation
Jordan Bond (RNZ): Farmers, Greenpeace look to different stats to measure emissions
Nadine Porter (Stuff): Agricultural leaders criticised for promoting ‘fear’ over freshwater regulations
Eloise Gibson (Stuff): Controversial ‘climate’ projects still waiting for money, a year on 
Adam Burns (RNZ): National MP alleges climate change cover up: ‘The science of bullsh*t’
Shane Te Pou (Herald): We must adopt water reforms for the benefit of all (paywalled)
RNZ: Hapū seek to stop dredging in Hauraki Gulf

Marsden Point
Phil Pennington (RNZ): NZ ‘naive’ to shut down Marsden Point – Australian analyst
Nita Blake-Persen (RNZ): Marsden Pt workers feel abandoned by govt as job cuts loom

Dawn Raids apology
Melani Anae (Guardian): Ardern’s apology to Pacific peoples lacks concrete actions. We will continue the fight
Adam Burns (Stuff): Dawn raids apology: Racially targeted policy ‘traumatised’ those on both sides
Adam Burns (RNZ): Govt apology: Samoan man’s sister was a Dawn Raid officer
Melenie Parkes (Stuff):New local series chronicles the rise of the Polynesian Panthers 

Media
Kristin Hall (1 News): Former Mediaworks employee says scathing review gives ‘no closure’
Hayden Donnell (RNZ): MediaWorks review exposes alleged sexual assault, ‘boys club culture’
Katie Harris (Herald): MediaWorks sexual assault allegations: Police aware people may want to report allegations
Katie Harris (Herald): MediaWorks CEO apologises ‘unreservedly’ to former and current staff on behalf of firm
Alison Mau (Stuff): Scathing MediaWorks review reveals ‘boys’ club culture’, bullying and racism
Alison Mau (Stuff): MediaWorks harassment, bullying report ‘like Christmas’, former staff say
Katie Harris (Herald): ‘Boys’ Club’ culture, sexual assault, harassment and bullying examined in MediaWorks report
Lizzie Marvelly (Herald): MediaWorks review offers sliver of hope amid sordid revelations (paywalled)
Monika Barton and Daniel Rutledge and Karen Rutherford (Newshub): MediaWorks investigation uncovers multiple sexual assault, racism, sexism, drug use allegations, CEO ‘unreservedly apologises’
Spinoff: ‘A culture of acceptance of misconduct’: The MediaWorks review, explained
RNZ: High Court stops RNZ from using further information stolen in Waikato DHB cyber attack

Sport
Arena Williams and Stuart Smith (Stuff): Forty years on from the Springbok tour, we have fully rejected the myth that politics and sport don’t mix
Gordon Campbell (Werewolf): On whether we’re punching above our weight, and should we care?
Adrian Seconi (ODT): Academic sees Hubbard as a trailblazer

Conversion therapy
RNZ: The Detail: Banning conversion therapy
Newstalk ZB: Simon Bridges: National wants amendments made to conversion therapy bill

Other
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Tiwai Point: Latest document release reveals government concerns about Rio Tinto
Anan Zaki (RNZ): Former advisory group frustrated with EQC’s lack of clarity on new model
Robbie Nicol (Stuff): What’s our endgame in giving Hollywood millions of dollars to film here?
Laura Walters (Spinoff): I really want to move to Wellington, but Wellington is making it really hard
Chris Keall (Herald):  Telcos warned about marketing tactics as copper turned off (paywalled)
Tina Morrison (Stuff): Beef and sheep farmers call for limits to carbon farming
Chris Keall (Herald): Telcos warned about marketing tactics as copper turned off (paywalled)
Newstalk ZB: Police reviewing policy on formal warnings
Don Brash (Bassett, Brash and Hide): Natural and Built Environments Act (RMA replacement)
Newstalk ZB: Latest figures show average NZ personal debt at $23,000
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): Businesses asked to be more proactive in combating money laundering
Will Trafford (Māori TV): ‘Bull**** in my letterbox’ – Outrage over racist booklet
Mark Amery (Stuff): Moving culturally beyond cancel culture
Muriel Newman (NZCPR): Attacking Free Speech