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
Covid-19 – NZ enters Level 4 lockdown
Tim Watkin (Pundit): The Lucky Lockdown? Is This The Kick Up The Bum NZ Needs?
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Best case scenario: This level 4 lockdown looks like an overreaction
Andrew MacFarlane (1 News): Opinion: NZ’s best shot is a tough Covid lockdown
Jo Moir (Newsroom): Cabinet not beating around the bush with Delta
Stuff: Experts praise community case response, but question why no mandatory masks
Zane Small (Newshub): Epidemiologist Michael Baker’s ‘big message we need to recognise’ if Delta is in Auckland community
Siouxsie Wiles & Toby Morris (Spinoff): Delta makes this a new kind of challenge. But we can smash it again
Derek Cheng (Herald): Why we should be worried, and the signs of optimism to look for today (paywalled)
Michael Plank (The Conversation): After its first suspected Delta variant community case, New Zealand goes into short, sharp nationwide lockdown
1 News: NZ better off against Delta with strict lockdown – expertsRichard Prebble (Herald): What worked last year may not work against Delta (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Four key questions about the likely-Delta case
Kate Newton and Felippe Rodrigues (Stuff): How prepared are we for the coronavirus Delta variant in the community?
Henry Cooke (Stuff): New Zealand plunges back into lockdown after mystery community case ends golden weather
—————
RNZ: Four new community cases include nurse at Auckland Hospital
1 News: Auckland case is Delta; four new community Covid-19 cases
Mina Kerr-Lazenby (Stuff): Delta confirmed, four new community cases – Jacinda Ardern
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Covid-19 case reported at Auckland City Hospital, among four new cases overnight
Michael Neilson (Herald): New Zealand lockdown – four new Delta cases including Auckland Hospital nurse
—————
RNZ: Coromandel mayor lax on scanning despite Covid-19 community scare
Newstalk ZB: Coromandel Mayor says there are no testing stations in the area
Molly Houseman (ODT): Southerners warned not to be complacent
Conan Young (RNZ): South Island settles in for level 4: ‘That’s the sacrifice we’ve got to make’
Craig Kapitan (Herald): ‘Children are at home’ even if parents are essential workers — Ardern
Adam Pearse (Herald):23 exposure events for Auckland positive case
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Locations of interest linked to first Delta community case
Herald: Auckland community case – locations of interest; ’70-80′ people in Coromandel bar on same nights
Vaimoana Tapaleao (Herald):Coromandel cafe Umu shocked after hosting Devonport man three times
Herald: What level-4 lockdown means for you: Everyone asked to wear a mask when they leave home
Herald: Level 4 lockdown – what you need to know
RNZ: What the different alert levels mean
Herald: Where to get tested in Auckland tomorrow
Hannah Martin (Stuff): How to set up a work-from-home arrangement that won’t cause you pain
Kimberley Gillan (Stuff): A ‘third space’ is vital for our wellbeing. Here’s how to create one at home during lockdown
RNZ: Covid-19 community case: Nationwide level 4 lockdown
Tess McClure (Guardian): New Zealand to go into national lockdown over one Covid case
Michael Neilson (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces level 4 lockdown for Auckland, Coromandel, New Zealand
—————
Herald: ‘Moronic’ supermarket shoppers seen sprinting for supplies
1 News: Ardern says panic buying unnecessary – ‘Be kind, courteous’
RNZ: Supermarkets warn against panic buying
Daniel Smith (Stuff): Rush on supermarkets as shops prepare for potential alert level change
Herald: Aucklanders rush to supermarkets despite pleas not to panic-buy
—————
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): Wage subsidy applications open on Friday as NZ moves to alert level 4
RNZ: Lockdown triggering support payments for businesses
Herald: Wage Subsidy Scheme available nationally – Finance Minister Grant Robertson
Herald: Covid-19: Government to trigger income support
—————
Charlie Gate (Stuff): Lockdown for New Zealand a blow, but the right thing to do, business leaders say
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Businesses would support ‘short, sharp’ lockdown
Rahul Bhattarai (Herald): Retail and hospitality industry nervous and stressed about lockdown
Melanie Carroll and Susan Edmunds (Stuff): ‘Highest possible price’ paid again by hospitality sector
Jamie Gray and Liam Dann (Herald): Community case hits dollar, raises questions about OCR call
Mike Hosking (Newshub): We’re missing massive economic opportunities
Phil O’Reilly (Herald): The next steps as NZ plans to re-open (paywalled)
Herald: Community case hits dollar, raises questions about OCR call
Graham Skellern (Herald): NZ shares plunge as Auckland Covid case unnerves investors (paywalled)
—————
Bridie Witton and Rachel Thomas (Stuff): Nurses, hospital midwives call off strikes after Covid-19 lockdown announced
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Nurses union calls off strike as lockdown looms
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): Koroneihana celebrations at Turangawaewae Marae cancelled
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): NZ Fashion Week organiser ‘in shock’, working to reschedule 20th anniversary event
Mandy Te (Stuff): Events in Wellington come to a halt, public transport timetable changes as country enters alert level 4
Stuff: How the All Blacks, Black Caps and New Zealand’s Paralympians could be affected
Barbara Dreaver (1 News): Cook Islands suspends all travel from NZ for 72 hours
Torika Tokalau (Stuff): Cook Islands travel bubble suspended after NZ community case
Covid-19 – Vaccine rollout
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Where NZ’s vaccine rollout stands as news breaks of Auckland Covid community case
Emma Russell (Herald): Vaccinations suspended for 48hrs
1 News: ACT slams ‘nonsensical’ pausing of vaccinations
Vita Molyneux (Newshub): David Seymour blasts Govt decision to pause vaccinations for 48 hours
RNZ: Why vaccinated must lock down too – Delta’s speedy transmission
Tina Morrison (Stuff): Meat industry ‘frustrated’ at failure to obtain priority Covid-19 vaccinations
Ben Strang (RNZ): Doctor hopeful children as young as 5 can soon be vaccinated
Ella Stewart (RNZ): New Zealand to trial new Covid-19 vaccine
Conan Young (RNZ): Canterbury DHB vaccination rollout making up ground
Whatitiri Te Wake (Māori TV): ‘It’s my choice, God’s got me covered’ – Veronica Allen
Covid-19 – MIQ
1 News: Chief Ombudsman says MIQ complaints have ‘surged’
Felix Desmarais (RNZ): DHB member ‘strongly opposed’ to more MIQ facilities in Rotorua
RNZ: Covid-19 transmission at Jet Park when doors opened for seconds
Stuff: Delta transmission at Auckland’s Jet Park MIQ hotel via opening of doors
1 News: Changes made after Covid-19 transmission inside Auckland MIQ facility
Zane Small (Newshub): Covid-19 transmission at Auckland’s Jet Park quarantine facility likely from room doors being opened simultaneously
Afghanistan
Keith Locke (Spinoff): New Zealand should never have joined the war in Afghanistan
RNZ: The Detail: The catastrophe that is Afghanistan, and NZ’s part in it
1 News: NZDF’s first attempt to get NZ citizens out of Afghanistan has failed
Stephen Hoadley (The Conversation): As New Zealand mobilises to help in Afghanistan, its rescue response faces serious challenges
Emma Hatton (RNZ): ‘We didn’t know we were going to be at this risk’ – Afghans await NZ answers
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Afghanistan: Most of the 37 Afghans to be rescued by New Zealand forced into hiding far from Kabul
Luke Malpass, Lucy Xia and Thomas Manch (Stuff): Number of stranded New Zealanders doubles to 104
Kirsty Lawrence (Stuff): Confusion in Afghanistan around who’s eligible for New Zealand mercy flight
RNZ: Defence Force will not land in Afghanistan – Peeni Henare
Irra Lee (1 News): Jacinda Ardern: NZDF may help foreign nationals flee Afghanistan
Simon Ewing (Unclas): Ardern’s C130 Gambit: Too Little Too Late
RNZ: Afghanistan: PM says situation is ‘distressing’, focus is on bringing NZers home
Stuff Editorial: Not all that our troops achieved in Afghanistan has been lost
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): A win for humanity
Herald: Taliban seize Afghanistan: 200 locals could be rescued by NZ rescue operation
Sapeer Mayron and Danielle Clent (Stuff): Afghan Kiwis desperate to help family members stuck in Kabul
Negar Partow (Stuff): International legitimacy of Taliban government only tool for protecting Afghan people
Zane Small (Newshub): Judith Collins brands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ‘staggeringly cruel’ for ‘snail’s pace’ response to Afghanistan crisis
Russell Palmer (RNZ): No women’s rights in Taliban’s Afghanistan – Judith Collins
Dan Satherley (Newshub): ‘Catastrophic’ withdrawal from Afghanistan ‘one of the lowest points of Western foreign policy in decades’ – Helen Clark
RNZ: Former Kiwi soldier unsurprised by unfolding situation in Afghanistan
1 News: ’20 years of sacrifice gone to nothing’ — Kiwi Afghan fears for homeland
David Fisher (Herald): Father of fallen soldier’s message to veterans: You did make a difference – you gave a glimpse of freedom (paywalled)
Sahiban Hyde (Herald): SAS soldier’s widow ‘deeply saddened’ but not bitter after Taliban takeover in Afghanistan (paywalled)
Housing
Rob Stock (Stuff): Hope and despair of ‘Generation Rent’ laid bare in report
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): Only 40% of ‘generation renters’ own homes (paywalled)
Dan Satherley and Caitlin Ellis (Newshub): Bank makes prediction for when NZ house prices will start falling
Georgina Campbell (Herald): A Capital Letter: It’s going to be a painful wait for new housing in Wellington
Amy William (RNZ): First home buyers to pay thousands more when deposit rules change
Aaron Leaman (Stuff): State housing development gets green light from Hamilton City Council
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Search for new home: ‘The children keep asking where we are going to go’
Riley Kennedy (ODT): Owning home unattainable, young believe
Cherie Sivignon (Stuff): Council backs Tasman developments that may provide 5000 homes
Kelly Makiha (Herald): Wylie Court motel: Glenholme petition launched calling for transparent Rotorua council process (paywalled)
Simon Bridges’ book, National Party
Newstalk ZB: Simon Bridges: Former National Party leader on his new book
Simon Bridges (NBR): Extract: On being ‘born again’ (paywalled)
ODT Editorial: Gloom continues to hang over National
Opinion polls
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government spend $200k with polling firm months before 2020 election
David Farrar: UMR poll July 2021
Health
RNZ: Nurses pay equity negotiations: Cabinet gives green light, agrees to funding – Andrew Little
Michael Neilson (Herald): Nurses’ pay: Government’s green light for equity negotiations worth ‘hundreds of millions of dollars’
1 News: Govt wants nurses’ pay equity settlement talks to begin
Chloe Blommerde (Stuff): ‘I have no magic answer’: Hospital boss battles lack of staff as expansion looms
Paul Mitchell (Stuff): Mother furious son with life-threatening pneumonia twice turned away from Palmerston North Hospital
Helen Harvey (Taranaki Daily News): Taranaki waiting lists for specialists longest in the country
RNZ: ACC removes bonuses for executive staff
Will Trafford (Māori TV): Rongoā Māori clinic opens at Bay of Islands Hospital
MIke Houlahan (ODT): Call soon for outpatients building proposals
Energy
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Power cut blame: Government should have answers in October
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Grant Robertson says there will be enough power, but warns cable won’t be fixed tonight
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Contact Energy rejects low-price power initiatives for vulnerable consumers
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Transpower: Power cut risk has passed
RNZ: Transpower issues grid emergency notice for North Island
RNZ: Electricity Authority resets spot electricity prices from December 2019
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Electricity Authority finalises fix for 2019 hydro spills, with few changes
RNZ: Dry weather and plant outages cuts Mercury full year profit by third
Environment, climate change, conservation
Hannah Skelton and Andrew Geddis (Spinoff): Why are so many climate activists taking legal action, and does it do any good?
Todd Niall (Stuff): Emission reduction: Submitters back transport plan but demand more
Joe Bennett (Stuff): ‘There’s no way I can responsibly bring a carnivore into the house.’
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Wellington City Councillor Tamatha Paul says MPs acting ‘too slow’ on climate change, should lose their jobs if they don’t move fast
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): Why the Treaty of Waitangi is crucial to our plan to cut greenhouse gas
Stuff: Appeals against water bottling consents confront Environment Canterbury processes
Tourism
Liz McDonald (Stuff): Officials did not refer multimillion-dollar yachting event bid to ministers
Dan Lake (Newshub): Government details where ‘significant’ extra funding for regional tourism operators is going as borders remain closed
RNZ: Main centres biggest winners from regional tourism fund
Skara Bohny (Stuff): Fund for Nelson Tasman tourism welcomed
Local government
Logan Savory (Stuff): Ceo says she should not have shared contents of Sir Tim’s email
Luisa Girao (ODT): Email intercept wrong: CEO
Ben Kepes (Herald): Why the Three Waters Reform makes sense for the regions (paywalled)
Evan Harding (Stuff): Rob Scott to stand for Southland District mayoralty in 2022
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): New Plymouth councillors reject free hour of parking amid rates increase concerns
Transport
Bernard Orsman (Herald): ‘It’s a bad situation’: Auckland councillors worried about $400 million transport funding hole (paywalled)
Oliver Hartwich (Herald): The ‘Green Paradox’ in Government’s CentrePort investment (paywalled)
Janine Rankin (Manawatū Standard): Distraught KiwiRail neighbours want compensation options
Nikki Preston (Herald): Hamilton’s $1.33m innovating street trial upsets businesses, forces council staff to resign
Simon Wilson (Herald): At last, is this safe cycling on Dominion Rd? (paywalled)
Thomas Bywater (Herald): Regional air links prepare to electrify airports for electric aircraft network
Maia Hart (Stuff): ‘Couldn’t be prouder’: Sounds Air locks in electric plane deal
Labour market, industrial relations
Anne Gibson (Herald): SkyCity workers get pay $2.90/hour base rate rise, company and Unite welcome boost (paywalled)
Sandy Eggleston (ODT): Employment scheme given more funding
Greg Ninness (Interest): The number of people in New Zealand on work visas has declined by 40,000 since March last year
Auckland
Herald Editorial: Crime in the city editorial: How can we can tackle the problem (paywalled)
John Weekes (Herald): Crime in the City: Life-or-death decisions frontline cops face on the job
Elizabeth Binning (Herald): Crime in the City: Kiwi cops with guns – What do the public really want? (paywalled)
Michael Neilson (Herald): Crime in the city: Political and city leaders respond to the rise in violent crime
Other
No Right Turn: Public Servants, the OIA, and independent oversight
Gordon Campbell (Werewolf): On The Media’s Handling Of (A) The Afghan Crisis, And (B) The Hacked DHB Material
Sam Stubbs (Stuff): Are economists wrong on interest rates again?
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): Official cash rate hike won’t end winter of discontent
David Capie (Incline): New Zealand Finds its Voice on the South China Sea. But was anyone listening?
1 News: Woman takes fight to pyramid schemes targeting Auckland Pasifika
Louis Ashworth (Telegraph): UK-NZ trade deal ‘highly possible’ by end of August (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Spies: Covid-19 ‘grievances’ could motivate terror attack
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer (Herald): Wāhine Māori must lead dismantling of colonialist mindset in Aotearoa
Tina Morrison (Stuff): Rural real estate boasting best returns in over a decade, fuelled by low interest rates, PGW says
Herald: America’s Cup: Auckland still a small chance to host America’s Cup says Team New Zealand’s Grant Dalton
Rachael Kelly (Stuff): Improvements in Southland winter grazing practices ‘a good start’
Grant Miller (ODT): Public to have say on future of Forbury
ODT: MP Clark moves to new office
Christine Macfarlane (Herald): Raising the ratio of school counsellors (paywalled)
