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

Mall terror attack
Andrew Geddis (Pundit): Why Not Just Send The Auckland Terrorist Back?
Paul Buchanan (Kiwipolitico): The supermarket stabbing spree was not a terrorist act
Hanlie Booysen (The Conversation): Social inclusion is important in Aotearoa New Zealand — but so is speaking honestly about terrorism
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Act and Greens agree on counter terrorism laws; they may have a point (paywalled)
Waatea News: Terror laws only work against Māori – McCarten
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Maori Party hopelessly compromised on terrorism
Lincoln Tan (Herald): Auckland professor says ‘specific nation-building’ course to get citizenship could counter terrorism
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): No immigration ‘knee-jerk’ needed after Auckland terror attack
Adam Burns (Local Democracy Reporting): Mosque attack survivor calling on Government to take tougher stance on terrorism

National Party, Parliament
Matthew Hooton (Metro): The National Party Death Spiral
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Political Roundup – What’s going on in the National Party?
Dan Satherley (Newshub):Judith Collins blames latest leadership spill rumours on Labour ‘activists’
1 News: Bridges rules out bid for Nats leadership in horror-themed escape room
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Why replacing Judith still leaves National hollow
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): The one building in Wellington still in Level 4
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Betting agency ranks Jacinda Ardern as top female candidate for Nobel Peace Prize

Housing
RNZ: Housing affordability at its worst level in 18 years – CoreLogic
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Housing affordability as bad as it has been in 18 years – CoreLogic
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Housing affordability worsens ‘with little sign of easing’ – new report
David Hargreaves (Interest): Firing blanks into the riotous housing market
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Reserve Bank cracks down on first-home buyers
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Massive housing issues are still coming
Tess McClure (Guardian): Home affairs: New Zealanders forced to turn to dating sites to find a mortgage mate
Phil Pennington (RNZ): New builds ‘absolutely not’ recommended for first-home buyers
Felix Desmarais (Local Democracy Reporting): $113 million, 5236 homes: council’s bid for govt housing cash
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Huge new Drury subdivision to be finished by 2024

Vaccine rollout, mandatory vaccination
Graham Adams (Democracy Project): David Seymour is cast into hell… alongside Tova O’Brien
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Why ethnicity matters in public policy and the Covid-19 response
David Seymour (Herald): Why I published the priority access code for Māori
Whatitiri Te Wake (Māori TV): Shane Reti calls David Seymour sharing Māori access codes ‘disgusting’
Craig Ashworth (RNZ): Providers say Māori-only vaccination clinics vital (paywalled)
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Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Judith Collins says Government should look at everything to learn lessons from slow vaccine rollout
Bruce Munro (ODT): Call for global vaccination before booster
Eleisha Foon (RNZ): Pasifika mass vaccination events launching around New Zealand
Daniel Dunkley (Stuff): Vaccines are a legal minefield for employers
Michael Andrew (BusinessDesk): Bosses swaying, not paying, staff to vaccinate (paywalled)
Catherine Harris (Stuff): Not one critical border worker has sought a vaccination exemption
Herald: Workplace vaccination programme includes family bubble
Amanda Cropp (Stuff): Businesses advertising a fully vaccinated workforce to attract customers will need staff consent to publicise their jab status
Henry Cooke and Kate Newton (Stuff): New Zealand’s vaccine roll-out explained in 10 charts, and compared with the rest of the world
1 News: How does NZ’s 4 million Covid-19 jabs stack up against the world?
Craig Platt (Stuff): Qantas confirms unvaccinated passengers will be banned from international flights
Jo Spratt (Herald): Your ‘free’ Covid jab is making billionaires richer (paywalled)
Stuff Editorial: Novavax – an old-school approach catching up with the innovators
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Novavax booster shot decision surprises experts
Sam Stubbs (Stuff): How to get 90 per cent of Kiwis vaccinated, quickly
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Health officials refuse to release jab numbers for scrapped Auckland vaccination site

Border, MIQ, immigration
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Chris Hipkins says Delta outbreak has changed international reopening plan, risk-profiling of countries may be scrapped
Eva Corlett (Guardian): New Zealand to rethink plan to reopen borders amid Delta outbreak
Michael Neilson (Herald): Chris Hipkins says outbreak could push back phased reopening to world
Richard Harman (Politik): Covid spooks Government
Newstalk ZB: Des Gorman: Delta caught the Government by surprise
Jo Moir (Newsroom): Government u-turns on pre-flight tests
Herald: New red flight added from NSW to New Zealand
Brittney Deguara (Stuff): Another managed flight taking off from Sydney for emergency cases
Keith Rankin (Evening Report): Quarantine, an effective temporary Public Health measure
1 News: Talks about trans-Tasman bubble reopening ‘a fair way away’ – Hipkins
Brook Sabin (Stuff): Trans-Tasman bubble: No hope of opening soon, stranded Kiwis warned not to wait
1 News: Pasifika struggling to get admitted to hospital despite severe Covid-19
Zoe Holland (Herald): Pasifika community leader struggled to receive hospital care despite severe symptoms
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Phil Twyford grants residency to criminals but says no to doctors
Newstalk ZB: Erica Stanford: ‘Stings’ that Phil Twyford has given criminals residency but not doctors
Adam Pearse (Herald): Original complainant glad to see Crowne Plaza MIQ changes
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Officials deem Crowne Plaza MIQ facility safe to reopen Thursday
Luke Malpass (Stuff): The 1pm update review – Detective Hipkins declares Crowne Plaza case closed
RNZ: ‘Highly unlikely’ community outbreak came through Crowne Plaza’s public atrium
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Sectors desperate for staff still struggling despite promise to let in critical migrant workers

Government management of outbreak, expert advice
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Elimination possible in coming weeks – Covid-19 modeller Shaun Hendy
Zane Small (Newshub): A look inside Shaun Hendy’s COVID-19 modelling that influences Government decisions
Dan Satherley and Lydia Lewis (Newshub): Takeaways loom for Aucklanders as reward for beating Delta – expert
Samuel Yu (Stuff): Innovation missing in the fight against Covid
Andrew Marshall (ODT): Return to Level 1 depends on further fall in cases
Mike Hosking (Herald): Less of the fear, more of the hope, please (paywalled)
1 News: Govt announces $5m fund for Delta-hit Māori communities
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Government asks Parliament for permission to spend up to an extra $41b
Herald Editorial: Auckland hunkering down to save NZ
Herald: ‘Spread your legs’ – Chris Hipkins’ hilarious subtle joke for NZ at press conference
RNZ: Delta outbreak day 22: How it unfolded

Alert level rules, compliance, enforcement
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Judith Collins says venues should be able to bar unvaccinated people from entering
Nathan Morton (Stuff): Vulnerable Aucklander afraid to go out as people break lockdown rules
Adam Pearse (Herald): Anti-maskers having ‘heartbreaking’ impact on disabled community
Shea Jefferson (Hawkes Bay Today): 16 Hawke’s Bay businesses reported to WorkSafe for alleged breaches
Denise Piper (Stuff): Motorists trying to cross Auckland face being turned back by police
RNZ: Police add more officers to assist on Auckland border checkpoints
Caroline Williams (Stuff): Man charged with evading Auckland checkpoint, assaulting police
RNZ: Checkpoint: ‘We need clarity’ for Covid-19 test to cross Auckland border – business owner
RNZ: Nasal swabs at Auckland border will delay deliveries – truck drivers
Rob Stock (Stuff): Insurer invents national ‘state of emergency’ to decline claim
Siobhan Downes and Brook Sabin (Stuff): No social distancing requirement on flights under level 2
Herald: Covid victim’s family grief compounded by L4 restrictions
Sam Sherwood (Stuff): Prisoners put in isolation with new inmates after escorted trips outside the wire
Sarah Templeton (Newshub): Sex workers, clients urged to ‘be inventive’ as face masks mandatory during COVID-19 alert level 2
Cecile Meier (Stuff):‘Like a rave party for over 70s’: Level 2 rule-breakers ‘overwhelm’ cafe
Charlie Gates (Stuff): Performers wear plastic face visors on stage to meet level 2 rules

Contact tracing, testing
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Covid-19 app data protection: Government resists calls for new law
Katie Kenny (Stuff): Contact tracing data remains vulnerable to misuse, experts say, as mandatory record keeping kicks in
No Right Turn: Stupidly counterproductive
RNZ: Researchers welcome mandatory Covid-19 QR codes after ‘complacent’ scanning revealed
1 News: Immunologist does not see ‘huge role’ for rapid antigen testing in NZ
RNZ: Judith Collins reiterates call for use of rapid antigen testing
RNZ: Government criticised over saliva testing ‘misinformation’
Derek Cheng (Herald): ‘Fumbling over saliva testing’: Expert scientist questions whether Jacinda Ardern has been misinformed
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): Saliva testing at the Level 4 Auckland boundary
Arena Williams and Stuart Smith (Stuff): Vaccination rates are increasing, but now it’s time our testing was up to scratch

Cases, demographics
Michael Neilson (Herald): Calls for greater resources for South Auckland as ‘ongoing frontline against Covid’
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Middlemore Hospital patients closest to Covid-19 case test negative
RNZ: Middlemore Hospital says Covid-19 screening rigorous amid calls for rapid testing after case in wards
Zane Small (Newshub): Health Minister Andrew Little rebukes National’s deputy over Middlemore
Hannah Kronast (Newshub): Dr Ashley Bloomfield refuses to apologise for Middlemore COVID-19 blunder
1 News: Middlemore Hospital’s Covid contacts test negative so far
Lucy Warhurst (Newshub): Why Middlemore didn’t put positive COVID patient in a separate room
1 News: Middlemore adds abdominal pain to Covid-19 symptoms

Health
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Questions remain about isolation room capacity after Middlemore case
Stephen Forbes (Local Democracy Reporting): Unions united in call for mandatory Covid-19 tests for all hospital patients in Auckland
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Auckland DHB’s visitor policy threatens patient, staff safety – union
Emma Russell (Stuff): Auckland DHB getting 600 visitors daily, alleged sex with patient
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Health Minister Andrew Little unsure why private hospitals were told to cancel surgeries
Rachel Thomas (Stuff): Surgeries, scans delayed for 37,000 patients due to lockdown
Lincoln Tan (Herald): Teenagers would still be alive if they had known about meningococcal vaccinations, father believes
1 News: Parents who lost daughter to meningococcal want greater vaccine access
Dougal Sutherland (RNZ): Languishing, burnout and stigma – Delta’s possible psychological impacts
David Skipwith (Stuff): Vaccine stress and dwindling resilience have made this lockdown harder
Richard Simpson (Spinoff): Mapping order in the chaos: a view from the pale blue dot
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Health board misses safe staffing deadline
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Long wait for new health builds (paywalled)
Hamish Cardwell (RNZ): Shortage of psychologists leaving patients on waitlist for 9 to 12 months

Education
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Specialist schools under-reported use of restraint
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Schools prepare for voluntary student mask rules
RNZ: Returning to school poses a risk for children with respiratory illness – report
Spinoff: Back to school in level two: How parents can help kids handle today’s big change
Joel MacManus (Stuff): Forty-one days without school, but Hutt Valley High School students ineligible for extra credits
Lee Kenny and Marine Lourens (Stuff): Student hardship fund is ‘an ambulance at the bottom of a cliff’, union says
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Chlöe Swarbrick launches petition for more COVID-19 student support, says Government’s $20 million boost not enough
Daisy Hudson (ODT): Uni classes restricted
RNZ: Rangi Matamua to head Te Pūtahi-a-Toi at Massey University

Wage subsidy, business, economy
Tina Morrison (Stuff): NZ not likely to suffer as much economic pain during this lockdown
Karen Coltman (Stuff): BNZ: This lockdown could be easier on economy
Nita Blake-Persen (RNZ): Businesses want sector-specific support as wage subsidy bill rises
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Government yet to decide if firms can get wage subsidies for level 2 impacts
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Draft resurgence payment applications to be wiped ahead of criteria change
Phil O’Reilly (Herald):  Five things to consider for post-Covid ‘normal’ (paywalled)
Brigitte Morten (NBR): Govt lack of business nous shows in Covid response (paywalled)
Benn Bathgate (Stuff): Losing $30,000 a month rather than $60,000 the hospitality hope under Alert Level 2
Sophie Cornish (Stuff): Cafe chain shut 24 stores early after ‘disastrous’ first day under level 2
John Anthony (Stuff): Auckland hospitality businesses threaten to boycott GST and stay closed under Covid-19 alert level 2
Amy Ridout (Stuff): ‘Quite simply, we can’t do much at level 2’: quandary for Nelson venues
Richard Harman (Politik): Cook Strait ferry crisis (paywalled)
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Supply chains under pressure: Interislander down to one ferry due to maintenance
Denise Piper (Stuff): Northland businesses struggling after being marooned by Auckland
1 News: Flower growers lobby for change as product heads to compost heap
RNZ: Flower growers forced to dump truckloads of flowers in bin
Sam Brooks (Spinoff): What the 50 person limit means for New Zealand’s live events industry
Tina Law (Stuff): Motelier calls for more Government support after losing home and retirement business from Covid-19
Tara Shaskey (Stuff): Virtual queuing app sees climb in users following Covid restrictions
Marta Steeman (Stuff): Government not keen on bringing back commercial rents dispute scheme which had tiny uptake
Grant Bradley (Herald): Travel agents want refund scheme extension (paywalled)

Building and construction
Amy Williams (RNZ): Warehouses in Auckland ‘completely full’ with building materials
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Building company says material costs are out of control as COVID-19 shortages bite
Anne Gibson (Herald): Four Fletcher factories in Auckland to re-open (paywalled)

Inequality, charities, domestic violence
Russell Palmer (RNZ): ‘Delta thrives on inequality’: South Auckland strategies needed, experts warn
1 News: Work and Income, MSD slammed for ‘humiliating’ treatment of Kiwis in need
Virginia Fallon (Stuff): New Zealanders can’t fight a pandemic on empty stomachs
Marena Mane (Māori TV): More people sign up for benefits but less support given – Child Poverty Action Group
Waatea News: Early benefit increase would ease lockdown pressure

Cyber attacks
Susan Edmunds, Esther Taunton and Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Government still gauging impact of Wednesday’s denial-of-service attacks
RNZ: Checkpoint: Another cyber attack on NZ businesses – analysis
RNZ: NZ Post, MetService, among websites to have outages
Chris Keall (Herald): Cyber attacks against Kiwibank, ANZ, NZ Post, MetService – experts see lockdown link (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (Stuff): The DDoS cyber attack affecting your banking app is nothing serious, so far
Megan Whelan (RNZ): DDoS attacks: What they are and how they’re orchestrated

Transport
Jane Clifton (Listener/Herald): Dunger dilemma: The problems with getting Kiwis out of old cars (paywalled)
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Remember Jacinda’s first promise?
Chloe Ranford (Local Democracy Reporting): Safety barriers on way for Nelson-Blenheim highway
Matthew Littlewood (Stuff): South Canterbury to benefit from major rail upgrades
No Right Turn: More Labour secrecy

Local government
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): Horizons Regional Council proposes two new Māori wards
Jan Heijs (Stuff): Three waters reform: Two mistakes about to happen
Aaron Hawkins (ODT): Water reform needs more time for discussion
Logan Savory (Stuff): Invercargill deputy mayor’s Three Waters reform plea comes up short
Andrea Fox (Herald): No-surprises agreement? Auckland mayor to port chair over CEO payout (paywalled)
Grant Miller (ODT): Council’s national sports hall of fame funding refusal astounds
Damian George (Stuff): City councillors back call for Wellington on a Plate funding to be made public
ODT Editorial: Elephant still in the room
Luisa Girao (ODT): Stress telling, deputy mayor says
Janine Rankin (Stuff): Late rates penalty notice during lockdown causes distress

Primary industries
Keith Woodford (Interest): Carbon farming will determine the future of sheep, beef and production forestry
Baz Macdonald (Renews): Two thirds of dairy farmers report mental health issues. They tell us why
RNZ: Synlait Milk looking to cut 150 jobs – about 15% of staff
Maja Burry (RNZ): Low-emissions New Zealand-specific beef genetics programme launches
Rotorua Daily Post: East Coromandel scallop fishery to close for two years

Environment, Climate Change
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): James Shaw to attend climate talks in Glasgow
Catherine Iorns and Matthew Hall (Newsroom): Limits are limits in high-stakes environment bill
Te Aorewa Rolleston (RNZ): ‘Future Visions For Te Taiao’ film competition explores ideas on environmental protection
Mirjam Guesgen (Spinoff): New tactics against predators and pests promise to be more effective and humane
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Outgoing conservation boss Lou Sanson on New Zealand’s move away from exploiting nature: ‘The balance has shifted’

Other
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Equality, Equity & The Great Race Of Life
Geoffrey Miller (Democracy Project): How 9/11 changed New Zealand’s foreign policy
Peter Griffin (BusinessDesk): 9/11 in the age of social media – imagine it (paywalled)
Stephen Hoadley (Newsroom): Why Afghanistan was worth it
Roderick Mulgan (Stuff): Do Ardern and Faafoi understand how courts work?
RNZ: Higher number of complaints filed over access to official information
No Right Turn: The OIA has a problem with extensions
RNZ: Rise in complaints about insurance and financial services, but most not upheld – Ombudsman
Dan Brunskill (BusinessDesk): Faking it: only half of ethical funds managers meet best practice (paywalled)
RNZ: Investment in ethical funds grows by more than a quarter – report
Aaron Smale (Newsroom): Fallout over critical Māori Council letter
Jamie Tahana (RNZ): Popularity of Te Reo Māori challenge surprises organisers
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): ODT attack a reminder of how damaged the Hate Speech fight will be
Dita De Boni (NBR): Whither Sean Plunket as Magic Talk high flyers lose their footing? (paywalled)
Jessie Chiang (RNZ): The Detail: Cutting covid losses in the film industry
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Green candidate inciting homicide against white people?
Hawke’s Bay Today Editorial: Mongrel Mob rehab funding two months on – how Wellington made a $2.75m mistake (paywalled)
Jamie Gray (Herald): Contact’s ThermalCo’s proposal gets a mixed response (paywalled)