Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. You can sign up to NZ Politics Daily as well as New Zealand Political Roundup columns for free here.

Today’s content

Plan for re-opening border
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Needed: A post-lockdown reopening plan
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Travellers to New Zealand ‘a serious threat’ to another Delta outbreak
Bernard Hickey (The Kākā): Dawn Chorus: Time to stop kidding ourselves with the re-opening dream
Richard Harman (Politik): Nothing is clear (paywalled)
RNZ: Delta outbreak could push NZ’s reopening back by months, expert says
Michael Neilson (Herald): Chris Hipkins says outbreak could push back phased reopening to world
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): The government will have to re-open the borders next year
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): We have to push ahead with our re-opening plans
Newstalk ZB: Epidemiologist: Will still need light restrictions after opening the border
Russell Palmer (RNZ): No reason to delay ‘overall’ plan for reconnecting – Ardern
1 News: Delta shakes up plans to reopen New Zealand
Brook Sabin (Stuff): Vaccine passports this year: PM says no change to 2022 border opening
RNZ: Opposition questions international, domestic use of vaccine passport

Vaccine rollout, mandatory vaccination
Claire Trevett (Herald): Ardern’s vaccines deal saves face but is it politics over principle? (paywalled)
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Government buys 250,000 extra Pfizer vaccine doses from Spain, another deal in works
Eva Corlett (Guardian): New Zealand Covid update: Ardern secures 250,000 Pfizer doses from Spain as 13 new cases recorded
Michael Neilson (Herald): Pfizer vaccines from Spain mean no slowdown in rollout
Zane Small (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern admits good relationship with Spanish President Pedro Sánchez ‘possibly’ helped secure extra Covid-19 vaccines
1 News: More Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines to arrive Friday
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Discussions on Novavax vaccine booster are ‘ongoing’, Chris Hipkins says
Stuff Editorial: Seymour’s stunt could do real damage
Jamie Tahana (RNZ): Māori still behind on Covid-19 vaccination numbers: ‘We need to do something different’
Stuff: Getting the Covid-19 vaccine may cost me my family
Torika Tokalau (Stuff): Tongan rugby league-inspired pop-up event to vaccinate Pacific community
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Can a 12-year-old give consent for the Covid-19 vaccine?
Tom Kitchin (RNZ): Hastings pastor partners with DHB to get homeless and vulnerable vaccinated
Natalie Brown (news.com.au): Singapore highly vaccinated, but under siege from Delta
Benn Bathgate (Stuff): Town backs doc in fracas over Covid consent comments

Wage subsidy, business, economy
Max Rashbrooke (Stuff): Why the leniency for Covid wage subsidy fraud, but not for welfare fraud
Bonnie Flaws (Stuff): Farmers department store paying 80% of wages, despite claiming wage subsidy
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Infometrics would like more details about Government’s $41b funding request
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government will review economic support package after outbreak passes
Marta Steeman (Stuff): SME income plummets more than 70 per cent in lockdown with hospitality hardest hit, MYOB data shows
RNZ: Co-operative businesses are weathering the storm of Covid-19
Grant Bradley (Herald): Auckland tourism businesses face fresh blow (paywalled)
Ranjana Gupta (Herald): How ‘tax forgiveness’ could help SMEs weather financial woes
Andre Chumko (Stuff): Arts, events sectors call for urgent lifelines from Government
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Thousands of businesses waiting more than three days for wage subsidies
1 News: Hard-hit businesses call for Resurgence Support Payment to be made weekly
Chris Keall (Herald): Rocket lab reveals wider loss, fatter pipeline, cost of Covid delays (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Rocket Lab ‘in good position’ to catch-up later on revenues lost to Delta delay
Rahul Bhattarai (Herald): Hospitality group asks for more ‘targeted financial support’ for its survival
Sophie Cornish (Stuff): Wellington hospitality businesses face ‘dire’ situation, consider laying off staff while earning third of usual turnover under level 2
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Wellington’s Prefab café ceases operations, staff given notice of redundancy
Kate Green (Stuff): Prefab Eatery will only reopen ‘when safe to do so’, owner’s concerns raised in Parliament during Question Time
Daniel Smith (Stuff): The battle to run a bar in the age of Covid-19
Georgina Campbell (Herald): ‘Devastating decision’ made to cancel World of Wearable Arts
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): Business in the time of delta (paywalled)
RNZ: Job listings fall as Covid-19 restrictions reintroduced
Amy Williams (RNZ): Manufacturers say more building products in short supply than MBIE list

MIQ, immigration
1 News: Pacific agency partners with Govt to address MIQ failures
1 News: Ardern defends MIQ system despite some Pasifika cases battling to get medical care
Zoe Holland (Herald): Pasifika community leader struggled to receive hospital care despite severe symptoms
RNZ: Checkpoint: NZ woman given MIQ spot after launching legal action
Tony Smith (Stuff): Why home quarantine or a sports MIQ facility could help athletes stuck in limbo
Georgia-May Gilbertson (Stuff): Tough path ahead for chef after family denied entry into New Zealand
Joseph Pearson (Stuff): Sports stars stranded overseas call for MIQ overhaul, allege preferential treatment for teams

Government management of outbreak, expert advice
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Rejecting the politics of fear and hate – lessons learned from 9/11 and Covid (paywalled)
Jo Moir (Newsroom): Chris Bishop’s role in a national crisis
Nadine Porter and Steven Walton (Stuff): Rest of NZ unlikely to move to Level 1 while Auckland remains in lockdown
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Winston Peters refers saliva testing contract to Auditor-General
1 News: Bishop: NZ Covid-19 response doing well but can do better
Liam Dann (Herald): Andrew Bayly – ‘Delta virus has changed the game altogether’ (paywalled)
Henry Cooke (Stuff):The 1pm update review – Spain rides to the Government’s rescue
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Government given power to spend up to $41 billion more than was budgeted for this year
RNZ: Covid-19 Delta outbreak day 23: How it unfolded
1 News: NZ to provide additional $12m for Fiji’s Covid-19 response

Alert level rules, compliance, enforcement
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Do as I say, not as I do
Herald: Nearly 18,000 Kiwis dobbed in others, say police
David Fisher and Amy Wiggins (Herald): Tempers frayed inside Waikato’s Spring Hill Prison as level 3 restrictions remain
Nita Blake-Persen (RNZ): Iwi leader urges Covid-19 QR code scanning at Northland border checkpoint
Karen Coltman (Stuff): Police make Auckland butcher shut shop
Adam Pearse (Herald): ‘Discriminating’ – Woman with mask exemption refused supermarket entry three times
Herald: New rules for sex workers under level 2
1 News: Whānau extend tangihanga over regions in lockdown
Melanie Earley (Stuff): Auckland carer crossed Auckland-Waikato border for ‘adventure’ and KFC
Bodo Lang (Newsroom): How to reduce lockdown resistance

Contact tracing, testing
Hannah Martin (Stuff): ‘No conclusive evidence’ of how Delta got into the community
Brittney Deguara (Stuff): Nasopharyngeal swabs, PCR tests still the ‘gold standard’
Waatea: Ministry cartel blamed for slow drip saliva testing

Cases, demographics
Derek Cheng (Herald): How many cases needing hospital care were vaccinated?
1 News: Over 120 cases in Delta outbreak are children under the age of 9
Melanie Earley (Stuff): 36 patients potentially exposed to virus after case visited Middlemore ED
1 News: Another Middlemore Hospital patient tests positive for Covid
George Block (Stuff): Two more NZ Navy personnel catch coronavirus in Canada
Sapeer Mayron (Stuff): Tongan Robin Hood worries for overstayers amid Delta outbreak

Health
Katie Todd (RNZ): Hospital visitors clustered together during level 4 say cancer patients
RNZ: Nurses’ organisation horrified at hundreds of daily visitors to patients at Auckland DHB
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Auckland DHB visitor policy leaves staff ‘unsafe’, national guidance to be updated
Ireland Hendry-Tennent and Lydia Lewis (Newshub): Nurses call for policy change as Auckland DHB sees hundreds of visitors a day, allegation of sex with patient
Eva Corlett (Guardian): ‘High-risk activity’: Ardern advises hospital visitors against sex with patients during Covid
Herald: Sex during hospital visits ‘a high risk activity, potentially’ – Dr Ashley Bloomfield
1 News: Auckland Hospital visitor has sex with patient, prompting formal complaint
Louisa Steyl (Stuff): All Southern DHB buildings need work for Delta
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Outsourcing more surgery ‘inevitable’
Kiri Gillespie (Herald): Days of methyl bromide at Port of Tauranga ‘numbered’ but concerns remain (paywalled)
Rachel Thomas (Stuff): Wellington children’s hospital, Te Wao Nui, set to open by mid-2022

Education
1 News: Senior secondary school students eligible for support under Level 2
Dubby Henry (Herald): Students outside Auckland fear missing out on NCEA learning recognition credits
Dubby Henry (Herald): NZQA extends bonus credit scheme to all students
Mei Heron (1 News): Kids stuck in Level 4 watch as peers head back to class
1 News: Paediatrician reassures parents school is safe for kids at Delta Level 2
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Children’s Commissioner concerned about restraint under-reporting
Zane Small (Newshub): National MP Paul Goldsmith doubles down on Māori knowledge in education views
Alwyn Poole (Herald): Twenty minutes from aspiration to desperation in our education system (paywalled)
George Heagney (Stuff): Massey University will continue online learning for rest of semester
Troels Sommerville and Denise Piper (Stuff): Schools split as teachers, students separated by Auckland boundaries

Mall terror attack
Chris Trotter (Bowalley Road): Making The Terrorism Suppression Act fit-for-purpose
Edward Gay (Stuff): Auckland terrorist’s bail not opposed by police
RNZ: LynnMall terrorist told prison guards he would hunt them down, documents reveal
Thomas Manch (Stuff): MPs accelerate new terrorism laws, despite protest from Greens and ACT
RNZ: National demands LynnMall attack inquiry, appoints Counter-Terror spokesperson
Laura Walters (Stuff): Is NZ equipped to rehabilitate those who pose a risk of violent extremism?
1 News: Collins calls for public inquiry into Countdown terrorist attack
John Bishop (Stuff): Too much at stake for an independent inquiry into Auckland terror attack
Nelly Martin Anatias (Stuff): We love our fellow Kiwis and Aotearoa, and want to live in peace in our new home
Jay Marlowe and Bernard Sama (Guardian): New Zealand must foster belonging for all refugees in wake of terror attack
Zoe Madden-Smith (Renews): When do we call an attacker a terrorist
RNZ: Countdown staff face rise in abuse after LynnMall terror attack

Housing
Miriam Bell (Stuff): House prices rise by twice the average salary in a year
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Asking prices skyrocket by twice average salary over last year
Mike Mather (Stuff): ‘Show us the money’: Nervous wait for news of Government’s housing crisis cash
Geraden Cann (Stuff): Covid-19 lockdowns, on top of steep house prices, driving Auckland buyers out
Anne Gibson (Herald): Auckland Council examining 360% to 660% Drury development fee rise to cover growth costs (paywalled)
Kiri Gillespie (Herald): Tauranga housing shortfall warning, city leaders plead to Govt for help (paywalled)
1 News: House prices in Manawatu/Whanganui rise by colossal 29.5%: Trade Me

Local government
ODT Editorial: Three Waters plan leaking?
Herald: Q&A: Simon Wilson on Queen St’s future
Matthew Rosenberg (Local Democracy Reporting): Six-figure bill expected for review of council
RNZ: Rule forbidding criticism of council policy ‘restriction on democracy’
Herald Editorial: Mayor Phil Goff late to walk the talk when it comes to maverick Ports of Auckland (paywalled)
Brian Fallow (Herald): Water reform logic flows one way (paywalled)
Lois Williams (Stuff): Kaikōura wants more time over ‘once in lifetime’ water decision
Grant Miller (ODT): Edgar family wants ‘dialogue’ about keeping sports hall in city
Rachel Moore (Stuff): Horowhenua councillors say more can be done to reduce illegal dumping
Sinead Gil (Stuff): Operators of former Mt Lees B & B say council failed to renew lease despite making a profit

Environment, Climate Change
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Shaw rejects claims of hypocrisy over climate trip to Scotland
No Right Turn: Climate Change: The CCR is a failed, counterproductive policy
RNZ: Coal generation in NZ already outstripping previous years
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): Iwi partner with Horizons Regional Council to tackle climate change head on
Cheryl Adamson (Herald): Businesses must not lose focus on sustainability (paywalled)

Afghanistan
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Route out of Afghanistan remains uncertain as allied countries meet without NZ
Stuff: Afghans trying to come to NZ have made it to Pakistan
Matthew Tso (Stuff): Kiwi brings family home from Afghanistan amid terrifying evacuation

Cyber attacks
Herald: Cyber attack aftermath: ANZ Bank website offline again
RNZ: ANZ Bank website offline again after being hit by cyberattack
Susan Edmunds and Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): NZ Post plans outage and ANZ faces ongoing disruption amid cyber attacks
1 News: Tech expert explains recent cyber attack on NZ banks, businesses

Conversion therapy
Zane Small (Newshub): National MP Simon Bridges calls for more time to consider over 100,000 submissions on conversion therapy law
Jordan Redding (ODT): Even as ‘care’, trying to change who people are is deeply harmful

Colin Craig court case
Sam Hurley (Herald): Colin Craig v Rachel MacGregor: Supreme Court says no to final appeal in long-running defamation case
Alison Mau (Stuff): End of the road for Colin Craig’s case against former press secretary
RNZ: Former Conservative Party leader Colin Craig loses long-running legal battle
David Farrier (Webworm): Platforming a Monster

Primary industries
Maja Burry (RNZ): Pork industry on the verge of oversupply this lockdown
Emma Hatton (RNZ): Council’s waste plan puts Manawatū food production at risk
RNZ: Harvester robots a game-changer for asparagus industry
Maja Burry (RNZ): MPI expecting small number of M bovis infections this Spring

Transport
Shea Jefferson (Hawkes Bay Today): Time to change the commuting mindset as traffic jams return to Hawke’s Bay – councillor (paywalled)
Stuff: Air New Zealand announces temporary Wellington-Kerikeri service
Ethan Griffiths (Herald): What Whanganui gets out $1.3 billion investment in region’s transport (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Sir Brian Roche to leave City Rail Link board

Other
Karl Löfgren and Michael Macaulay (Newsroom): The true nature of NZ’s public service
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Strange and disturbing times 2.0
Roderick Mulgan (Stuff): Do Ardern and Faafoi understand how courts work?
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Faafoi & Ardern Hate Speech burn so bad it sizzles
Robie Nicol (Stuff): How the Hobbit Law weakened workers’ rights to appease giant Hollywood corporations
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Judge dismisses Oranga Tamariki’s bid to remove Māori girl from Pākehā couple
Tim Murphy and Mark Jennings (Newsroom): Public demand sky-high for Covid news
Robin Martin (RNZ): Energy bosses say proposed bill poses risk to electricity supply
Bernard Hickey (Spinoff): What comes after ‘Greed is Good’?
Leonie Hayden (Spinoff): ‘I’m beginning a journey’: The inside story of Lorde’s surprise mini-album in te reo Māori
Lorna Thornber (Stuff): New Zealand notably absent from ‘world’s best cities’ list
Debra Wilson, Annick Masselot and Martha Ceballos (The Conversation): Who are my parents? Why New Zealand’s ‘creaky’ surrogacy laws are overdue for major reform
Hawke’s Bay Today editorial: Mongrel Mob rehab funding two months on – how Wellington made a $2.75m mistake (paywalled)
Duncan Bridgeman (Herald): China’s shake-up heightens regulatory risk for Kiwi businesses (paywalled)