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

Government management of outbreak, expert advice
Luke Malpass (Stuff): The political class all agrees on Covid – and that’s a problem
Jamie Morton (Herald): What does our Delta future look like? (paywalled)
Derek Cheng, Jamie Morton & Liam Dann (Herald):  Where to from here? Herald Covid-19 experts on the future for NZ (paywalled)
Tess McClure (Guardian): Against all odds: how New Zealand is bending the Delta curve
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): How to make this the last level 4 lockdown (paywalled)
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Auckland may have to hunker down for a bit longer yet…
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Missing puzzle pieces flag longer Level 4 for Auckland
Ian Taylor (Herald): Prime Minister, it’s time to bring on the bench in the fight against Delta (paywalled)
William Hewett and Emma Stanford (Newshub): Epidemiologist’s grim prediction for Auckland’s COVID-19 lockdown status as mystery cases surge
1 News: ‘Very low’ chance Auckland moves to Level 3 next week, says modeller
Rachel Thomas and Joel MacManus (Stuff):Decision day for level change outside of Auckland
Danielle Clent (Stuff): ‘Highly unlikely’ Auckland will move down alert levels after three more Middlemore mystery cases
Bridie Witton (Stuff): The four ‘mystery cases’ that could keep Auckland in lockdown 
Herald: Experts say mystery cases will affect cabinet’s alert levels decision
Derel Cheng (Herald): The ‘handful’ of cases likely to extend current alert level settings for everyone (paywalled)
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ‘fixated’ on mystery Delta cases ahead of alert level announcement 
Dubby Henry (Herald): Level 3 move would be ‘very risky’ with mystery cases popping up at Middlemore
Shannon Redstall (Newshub): Cases bounce in wrong direction, expert warns ‘with this pattern hard for Auckland to move down alert levels’
Newstalk ZB: Shaun Hendy: ‘Unlikely’ for Auckland to drop levels tomorrow; potentially another cluster out there
Ben Leahy (Herald): What Auckland needs to exit level 4 lockdown – expert
1 News: Modeller fears mystery Covid cases are ‘tip of larger iceberg’
1 News: Hendy: Move to Level 3 may hinge on no mystery cases
1 News:Aucklanders should be told to stay in their postcode, says Sydney expert
1 News: ‘Don’t be like Australia’ — NSW Covid expert urges NZ to ’embrace science’
Richard Hills (Stuff): Auckland’s done the heavy lifting on Covid-19. Please have our backs in return
Henry Cooke (Stuff): The 1pm update review – Grant Robertson gives a weather update
Herald Editorial: D-day for Auckland’s lockdown (paywalled)
1 News: Foon ‘Not good enough’ Pasifika included late in outbreak response
Liam Dann (Herald): It’s hard work holding out against lockdown despair (paywalled)
1 News: Ardern: Today’s 20 new community Covid cases ‘not sign of failure’
Newstalk ZB: Winston Peters: Government’s saliva testing procurement process doesn’t smell right
RNZ: Covid-19 Delta outbreak day 25: how it unfolded
RNZ: Covid-19 Delta outbreak day 24: How it unfolded
Sam Brooks (Spinoff): Ashley Bloomfield fan art reaches new level with romance novella

Vaccine procurement 
Kate MacNamara: (Herald): How New Zealand came to be woefully short of supply in the ‘year of the vaccine’ (paywalled)
Herald: ‘Nothing holding us back now’: Half a million Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines arriving from Denmark
Bridie Witton (Stuff): 500,000 Pfizer vaccine doses to come from Denmark 
RNZ: New Denmark deal for 500k vaccine doses
Dan Satherley (Newshub): ‘Move aside, Justin Trudeau’: Kiwis lust for ‘DILF’ Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez, say ‘thirst’ is new vaccine side effect
John Weekes (Herald): Customs vaccine case will impact all NZ companies, employment advocate says

Mandatory vaccination and passports
Chris Trotter (Interest): Covid dissidents should be required to explain why they refuse to be vaccinated
RNZ: Opposition questions international, domestic use of vaccine passport
Alex Cook (Newshub): Debate looms as COVID-19 vaccine passports set to become ‘the new norm’ in New Zealand
RNZ: Military personnel take legal action against vaccine directive
Jimmy Ellingham (Stuff): Personnel take court action over Defence Force anti-vaccine stance
Herald Editorial: Vaccination is a balancing act of carrot and stick (paywalled)
Alexa Cook (Newshub): Government could ‘take a leaf’ from US and mandate vaccine for businesses – Business NZ
John Weekes (Herald): Customs vaccine case will impact all NZ companies, employment advocate says
RNZ: Requiring staff to be vaccinated now a top concern amid proposed changes to Holidays Act

Vaccine rollout
Heather Du Plessis-Allan (Herald): David Seymour’s real mistake in race row (paywalled)
Herald Editorial: David Seymour and the Māori access code (paywalled)
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Kelvin Davis says Govt not to blame for low Māori vaccination rate, blames ignorance instead
1 News: Epidemiologist bets on another Delta outbreak this year without more vaccines
Claire Trevett (Herald): What will a future ‘lockdown’ look like for the vaccinated? (paywalled)
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): Businesses roll out worker mass vaccinations (paywalled)
Cate Broughton (Stuff): Mark of the beast or manna from heaven? Christianity’s vaccine issue 
Siouxsie Wiles (Stuff): Vaccines should work against new Covid variant Mu
Amanda Cropp (Stuff): Workplace Covid-19 vaccination roll-out cops flak for being too slow and favouring larger workplaces
Lucy Xia (Stuff): More than 1.5 million doses of Pfizer given in Auckland metro
RNZ: More than 26,000 Aucklanders vaccinated yesterday
Herald: Two days, 80,000 jabs – Aucklanders turn out for vaccinations
Emma Russell (Herald): Half a million eligible Aucklanders unvaccinated
Katie Todd (RNZ): ‘Enormous opportunities’ for Aucklanders to get vaccinated this weekend
Cate Broughton (Stuff): Canterbury behind other main centres on vaccine roll-out
RNZ: Iwi urge Māori over 12 years to get Covid-19 vaccine to ‘save lives’
Taroi Black (Māori TV): Pūkaki Marae vaccine pop-up clinic on the cards
Graeme Jarvis (Herald): Your ‘free’ jab will save lives and save the world trillions of dollars (paywalled)
Lisette Reymer (Newshub): Rise of New Zealanders getting ‘quad-vaxxed’ to travel causing concern among vaccinologists
Logan Church (1 News): Third Pfizer jab offered to hundreds caught in vaccine botch up
Dubby Henry and Craig Kapitan (Herald): Teenager’s death not related to Pfizer jab, Prime Minister says
William Hewett (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern says Auckland teenager’s death not related to Pfizer vaccine
Emma Russell (Herald): Pregnant women delay getting vaccine – worrying misinformation
Hannah Paine (news.com.au): Pfizer vaccine to seek approval for use on children
Lee Suckling (Herald): Why more queer people have had vaccine
Polly Gillespie (Stuff): History’s vaccination lessons are good enough for me
Jake McKee (RNZ): Families ending up in arguments as some refuse Covid-19 vaccine

Inequality, charities
1 News: ‘We’re paying the cost’ – Expert says inequality adding to NZ’s Covid issues
Lucy Xia (Stuff): $10m to help Aucklanders access food and essential items during lockdown
Herald: Govt pumps $10m more into food parcels, essential items distribution
Kirsty Wynn (Herald): Builder gives $100,000 to fund food parcels
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Teens homeless for first time in level 4 as bubbles break down
Richard Harman (Politik): South Auckland poverty drives Covid outbreak
1 News: More families seek support as demand for food parcels soars
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): ‘Regrettable’ demand for Auckland City Mission food parcels
Bryce Marsden (Stuff): Charities, and families, need our help more than ever
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): Whānau-driven non-profit feeds hundreds in the Far North
Mike O’Donnell (Stuff): Why this lockdown feels different
Susan St John (Daily Blog): Is an appeal to self-interest the only solution?

Border, MIQ, immigration
Barbara Dreaver (1 News): Bloomfield’s dismissal of Pacific man’s suffering ‘jaw dropping’
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): New Zealand’s MIQ twice as likely to leak COVID as Australia’s – research
Felix Desmarais (Local Democracy Reporting): MIQ in Rotorua: Local MP Todd McClay demands clarity, consultation in letter to Hipkins
Māori TV: Decision ‘imminent’ on Rotorua MIQ, claims local MP Todd McClay
Steven Walton and Liz McDonald (Stuff): Trans-Tasman bubble: It may reopen next year and it might not be the same as before
Christine Rovoi (RNZ): NZ takes ‘cautious approach’ to Fiji’s plan to reopen border amid Covid-19 crisis
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Speed entry for wealthy and wise (paywalled)
Nikki Mandow (Newsroom): Delta stalls urgently-needed self-isolation trial
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): We’re becoming more and more isolated from the world
RNZ: Plea for more countries to be added to visa scheme for RSE workers
Māori TV: RSE workers allowed one-way quarantine free travel in October
Dita De Boni (NBR): Labour shortages, bumper crops threaten problem for hort sector this summer (paywalled)
Greg Ninness (Interest): Population growth from migration rises in July with more than 3000 long term arrivals a month coming to New Zealand
Newstalk ZB: Kris Faafoi: Hints at good news for the Primary sector; can’t say why his ministry granted three criminals New Zealand residency

Siouxsie Wiles rule-breaking allegations
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): New Zealand urgently needs a serious opposition leader
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Judith Collins’ leadership flagging before Dr Siouxsie Wiles scandal (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Controversial blogger Cameron Slater still in regular contact with Collins – ‘Judith’s a good friend’
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Williams + Slater + Judith = the old Dirty Politics Team back together again
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Smearing Dr Siouxsie Wiles: Dirty Politics Judith Collins edition
Greg Presland (The Standard): Dirty Politics does not work any more
Francesca Rudkin (Newstalk ZB): Judith Collins’ attack on Siouxsie Wiles unnecessary
Herald: National leader Judith Collins calls Dr Siouxsie Wiles ‘a big, fat hypocrite’
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Donations fly in for Dr Siouxsie Wiles’ research after Judith Collins calls her a ‘hypocrite’
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Dr Siouxsie Wiles warns of ‘disinformation’ after claims she was caught breaking lockdown rules
Mark Longley and Zane Small (Newshub): Siouxsie Wiles hits back at Judith Collins over ‘big fat hypocrite’ jibe
Newstalk ZB: Siouxsie Wiles hits back at accusations she broke lockdown rules
William Hewett (Newshub): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern defends Dr Siouxsie Wiles over maskless beach visit after Judith Collins labels her ‘hypocrite’
Zane Small (Newshub): Ashley Bloomfield defends Siouxsie Wiles’ maskless beach visit as Judith Collins labels her ‘hypocrite’
Victor Billot (Newsroom): An ode for .. Siouxsie Wiles

Alert level rules, compliance, enforcement
Cecile Meier (Stuff): Hospitality staff anxious about having to be ‘policemen’ and ‘bouncers’ under strict level 2 rules
1 News: ‘I’m going to spit on you’ – Retail workers being abused over masks
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Opening Auckland childcare centres at level 3 could risk outbreak — expert
Dianna Vezich (Newshub): Government reveals vast majority of people applying for special travel exemptions are denied
RNZ: More than 550 vehicles turned away at Auckland borders in past three days
Stuff: Auckland couple crossed border and flew to Wanaka for holiday, 20 new community Delta cases in Auckland
Mina Kerr-Lazenby (Stuff): Auckland couple face prosecution after flying to holiday home in Wanaka, police say
RNZ: Auckland couple to be prosecuted after flying to Wanaka
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Wanaka jaunt condemned
1 News: ‘Could end up like Auckland’ — Mayor ‘disappointed’ lockdown pair flew to Wānaka
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff):Shocked and suffocated – woman who cannot wear a mask told she was not welcome at Dunedin supermarket
RNZ: 61 people charged for breaching Auckland lockdown so far
RNZ: Recently expired WOF, rego and licences can be used until end of November
Māori TV: Government parks the expiry of Tamaki licences, WoFs and regos
Will Trafford (Māori TV): Heartwarming haka for locked down whānau who’ll miss their father’s tangihanga
Michelle Cooke (RNZ): Bubbles within bubbles: How communal living facilities handle lockdown
Jenny Nicholls (Stuff): This virus has turned the Hauraki Gulf into a moat
Paul Mitchell (Stuff): Cafe owner stands against Covid-19 restrictions and public criticism
Herald: Dangerous Delta liaisons an employment, legal risk
Herald: Stephen Colbert reacts to Auckland Hospital sex
1 News: Colbert teases Ardern, NZ about sex in hospital claims
(Stuff): Auckland City Hospital sexcapade gains global attention on Colbert’s Late Show
Bernadette Basagre (Stuff): Police thwart stampede through Auckland border checkpoint … by cows
Mike Mather (Stuff): A Herculean effort: Planeload of police arrives in Hamilton to bolster Covid boundary checkpoints
Carly Gooch (Stuff): Dream wedding ‘down the drain’ with Covid-19 restraints 

Contact tracing, testing
Andrea Vance (Stuff): In trying to get out of a Covid-19 emergency, are we now triggering a privacy crisis?
Caroline Williams and Josephine Franks (Stuff): The huge drop in testing numbers that could keep Auckland in lockdown
Katie Kenny (Stuff): What are ‘unlinked sub-clusters’, and should we be concerned about them?
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): Chief executive of Government’s chosen saliva testing provider lashes out at criticism
Irra Lee (1 News): Privacy concerns remain over mandatory Covid record-keeping
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Wellington, we have a problem – The real mass surveillance danger in mandatory tracing data
1 News: Many Auckland Covid testing sites are largely empty despite plea
1 News: Auckland Covid surveillance program tests 12,000 essential workers
Paul Mitchell (Stuff): QR codes beside ‘no cellphone’ signs at petrol pumps baffle motorists

Cases, demographics
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Seven Auckland suburbs focus of mystery cases
Justin Latif (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘I would never wish this on anyone’: Life inside Jet Park with six kids and the Delta variant
Rukuwai Tipene-Allen (Māori TV): Whānau of 10 fighting Delta together, with the youngest just three months old
RNZ: MIQ worker at Auckland Holiday Inn tests positive for Covid-19
RNZ: Middlemore Hospital: 36 patients and some visitors potential Covid exposures
Melanie Earley (Stuff): Seven police officers stood down after contact with Middlemore case

Health
1 News: Oversight of Auckland Hospital visitors in disarray, nurse says
RNZ: Nurses forced to deal with unmasked visitors alone
RNZ: Auckland Hospital tightens visiting rules but doctors union wants it to go further
1 News: Nurses’ union takes legal action against Auckland DHB over hospital visitor policy
Herald: South Aucklanders reassured that Middlemore Hospital ED is safe to visit
Sophie Trigger (Herald): Middlemore Hospital not unique in lacking isolation space for patients awaiting Covid test results
—————
Steve Stannard (Stuff): Accusations of a racist health system alarmist and unhelpful
Stuff Editorial: Flailing Southern DHB needs intensive support
Louisa Steyl (Stuff): Health minister calls for ministry to step in at Southern DHB
Louisa Steyl (Stuff): SDHB takes steps to avoid a ‘collapse’ of southern maternity units
Ian Powell (Second Opinion): Media muddle muffles Canterbury DHB’s deficit importance
Scott Yeoman (Stuff): Waikato DHB to tell 4200 people their personal information was disclosed on the dark web, following May cyber attack
Herald: Waikato DHB cyber attack: 4200 people’s personal details disclosed on dark web
1 News: Waikato DHB: 4200 patients had data shared on dark web in cyber attack
Herewini Waikato (Māori TV): Out with the Tohunga Suppression Act – Māori rongoā used by ACC
RNZ: Nurses elect president who resigned in protest
Bernadette Basagre (Stuff): Employment Relations Authority orders urgent mediation between nurses’ union and Auckland District Health Board
Dahlia Malaeulu (E-Tangata): Saving our boys from their shadows
Olivia Shivas (Stuff): Golriz Ghahraman: I was told by a doctor to be ‘rational’ when trying to get a diagnosis for multiple sclerosis

Wage subsidy, business, economy
David Williams (Newsroom): ‘Timely’ wage subsidy review due in 2022
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Jetconnect workers fall through ‘bureaucratic gap’ and miss out on wage subsidy (paywalled)
Peter Dunne: Like Little Britain’s computer, MBIE says “no”
Todd Niall (Stuff): Big changes sought to reduce Auckland’s future lockdown risk
Liam Dann (Herald): Recovery position – Grant Robertson on beating Delta and the path to reopening (paywalled)
Zane Small (Newshub): Finance Minister Grant Robertson granted authority to spend up to $41 billion as contingency
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Government empowered to spend billions more than what was budgeted for
1 News: More financial support for businesses struggling in higher Covid alert levels
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): More resurgence support payments coming for battling businesses
RNZ: Second round of resurgence support payments announced
Marena Mane (Māori TV): $5m whānau recovery fund available for Māori and iwi groups
Rahul Bhattarai (Herald): More support payments for struggling businesses, but not enough says restaurant owner
Sarah Robson (RNZ): Auckland businesses call for creative thinking if level 4 continues
Herald: Auckland businesses need urgent comprehensive support package, says business association
Jane Phare (Herald): The ‘other virus’: Businesses urge change to Covid-19 strategy (paywalled)
Bill Ralston (Herald): Cleaning up the economic mess will be an even harder fight than Covid (paywalled)
Bruce Munro (ODT): Buying into it: Consumer Lifestyles Survey
Herald: Research reveals how New Zealanders’ spending habits changed in lockdown
RNZ: Consumer spending dropped as country went into lockdown
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): As we beat back the virus, what next for the event industry and the task of ‘picking winners’?
John Anthony (Stuff): Covid-19 Delta outbreak deals $6m blow to events sector, alert level 2 ‘not workable’
Reweti Kohere (Spinoff): ‘It’s all about surviving’: Inside the hospo industry’s Covid situation room
Vicki Anderson (Stuff): The summer of no fun: Is the country’s summer festival season over before it starts? 
RNZ: As auto-makers cut production, consumers could feel the pinch in NZ as supply is hampered
RNZ: Construction industry feeling the pinch of shortages, staffing
Kim Moodie (RNZ): Hospitality businesses say level 2 quieter this time, hope for bustling weekend
Nathan Morton (Stuff): Auckland business owners ‘hit harder’ than previous lockdowns
Chris Tobin (Stuff): Pork industry urges Kiwis to buy local to help avoid oversupply
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): SMEs will be able to take banks to dispute resolution schemes under govt’s proposed merchant service fee regulation
Amy Ridout (Stuff): The small granola business tackling the supermarket duopoly and plastic pollution

Mall terror attack
Andrew Geddis and Robert G Patman (Stuff): The potential dangers of pre-emptive anti-terrorist legislation 
Damien Grant (Stuff): Upholding the rights of the worst amongst us protects the rights of us all
David Fisher (Herald): Special investigation: Inside mall terrorist’s 10 years to meltdown – and how he could have been stopped (paywalled)
Dan Satherley and Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Revealed: How many people with ‘extremist views’ in the community are being watched closely
Lana Hart (Stuff): Attack aftermath brings questions about how it was all handled
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Terrorist tried to revoke NZ residence but his request was ‘not progressed’
Jehan Casinader (Stuff): The makings of a terrorist – and the people who tried to help him
1 News: Could the New Lynn terrorist attack have been prevented?
Cameron Sumpter (Stuff): How should we disengage people from violent extremism? 
Rahul Bhattarai (Herald): I feel ‘apologetic’ for the crime we didn’t commit, says a Kiwi Sri Lankan after terror attack
1 News: Collins calls for public inquiry into Countdown terrorist attack
Newstalk ZB: National calls for public inquiry into supermarket terror attack
Arthur Taylor (Daily Blog): “Countdown Stabber Was Not a “Terrorist”

Afghanistan
Dan Satherley and Perry Wilton (Newshub): ‘Stain on our character’: War journo says NZ has to accept some of the blame for the failure in Afghanistan
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Helen Clark defends sending Kiwi troops to Afghanistan, blames failure on US invasion of Iraq
1 News: Mahuta: ‘We will do the best we can, as soon as we can’ for Kiwis in Afghanistan
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Acting US Ambassador to New Zealand Kevin Covert says Afghanistan situation ‘not how we wanted this to end’
Juliet Speedy (Newshub): New Zealand aid worker staying in Afghanistan to help feed desperate population

9/11
Geoffrey Miller (RNZ): How 9/11 changed New Zealand’s foreign policy
John Minto (Daily Blog): 9/11 anniversary – why is it so hard to ask the simplest and most important question?
1 News: Ardern pays tribute to lives lost 20 years on from 9/11
Stuff Editorial: The world changed forever in 17 minutes
ODT Editorial: The grief goes on
Helen Clark (Stuff): 9/11 changed how we viewed the threat of terrorism 
Newstalk ZB: Helen Clark: America didn’t see 9/11 attacks coming
Mitch McCann (Newshub): 9/11 anniversary: New Zealand’s leaders reflect on the day which shook the world
John Lewis (ODT): 20 years on: Some 9/11 footage too gruesome for film
RNZ: Former RNZ reporter remembers witnessing 9/11
RNZ: Memorial held in Christchurch for 9/11 terror attacks
Cherie Sivignon (Stuff): ‘Run for your lives’: NZ-based diplomat recalls fleeing US Capitol on 9/11
John Roughan (Herald): 20 years ago nearly all the 20th century’s problems seemed to be resolved (paywalled)
Jack Tame (Newstalk ZB): 20 years on – did the terrorists win?
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): ‘I remember 9/11 like it were yesterday’: New Plymouth woman recalls horror day in New York 20 years on
Georgia Forrester (Stuff): The day before 9/11: A look back at what New Zealand life looked like before the twin towers fell

Housing
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Life on the public housing waitlist: ‘A never-ending hell’
Reweti Kohere (Spinoff): Under-stress renters have few levers to pull, except for landlords’ goodwill
Diana Clement (OneRoof): How many more hammer blows can first home buyers take?
Sasha Borissenko (Herald): A step in the right direction for New Zealand’s housing crisis? (paywalled)
Catherine Masters (OneRoof): New Zealand’s average house price hits $1m
BusinessDesk: House prices still outpacing household earnings (paywalled)
RNZ: Kiwis sceptical house prices will slow down, ASB survey finds
Bonnie Flaws (Stuff): Kiwis bullish about house price growth, despite headwinds, survey shows
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): How level 4 lockdown could set our massive home building drive back
Aaron Leaman (Stuff): Developers rethink upfront sales as rising building costs, supply delays complicate house builds
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Pitfalls in new bill to remove bright-line trap for home builders
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): Question marks remain over major tax change due to affect most residential property investors from Oct 1
Gary Hamilton-Irvine (Herald): How to save for a home in Hawke’s Bay, when prices are going up by $23 every hour (paywalled)
Steven Walton (Stuff): Christchurch council vying for Government infrastructure money to spur on city housing

Local government
Nicholas Boyack (Stuff): Hutt City CEO threatened legal action against former deputy mayor
Matthew Rosenberg (Local Democracy Reporting): Invercargill’s united front, media scepticism, and aversion to negativity
Logan Savory (Stuff): Review suggests Invercargill City Council scrap controversial media protocol clause
Logan Savory (Stuff): ‘Vastly different council’ works around Sir Tim Shadbolt ‘sideshow’
1 News: Mahuta says opposition to Three Waters reform is ‘curious’
1 News; Councils fighting back against Govt plans for water reform
Tim Newman (Stuff): Changes needed to government water reform model, says expert
Rod Marler (Herald): Council collaboration key to infrastructure success (paywalled)
Fleur Fitzsimons (Spinoff): Wellington City Council is not a ‘brand’
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Wellington City Council forecasts shortfall of $7 million
Damian George (Stuff): Wellington council expects $11.5m loss due to Covid-19 and reduced transport funding
Tina Law (Stuff): City council sticks with ‘sinking lid’ policy on pokie machines
Sheryl Mai (Northern Advocate): Whangārei 2021 Representation Review needs additional public input

Environment, Climate Change
Jack Santa Barbara (Newsroom): The fossil fuel discussion we’re not having
Peter Kalmus (Herald): The dangerous flaws in our ‘net zero by 2050’ goal
Kerre McIvor (Herald): James Shaw proves MPs a law unto themselves (paywalled)
Kate Hawkesby (Newstalk ZB): James Shaw is a complete hypocrite
RNZ: Taxypayers bearing brunt of outdated emissions scheme for pollution producers
RNZ: Dome Valley landfill: Auckland Council declines Waste Management plan change
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Who is responsible for monitoring air quality: Council or Fire and Emergency?
Chloe Ranford (Local Democracy Reporting): Record high air pollution days in Blenheim
RNZ: Cook Islands PM readies for COP 26 in Glasgow

Cyber attacks
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Kiwibank internet banking problems resume on Sunday afternoon
RNZ: ANZ Bank website offline for third day

Primary industries
Rachael Kelly (Stuff): Groundswell NZ hint at upcoming ‘Mother of All Protests’ in November
Joanna Wane (Herald): ‘I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of’: Dairy farmers under siege (paywalled)
Baz Macdonald (Renews): NZ has so many cows. Why do we import millions of tonnes of dairy?
Marena Mane (Māori TV): Ngāti Hei wins rāhui approval from the Ministry of Fisheries
Jessica Tyson (Māori TV): Scallop fishery to close for two years following request from Ngāti Hei Trust

Parliament
Liam Hehir (Democracy Project): The authenticity of Simon Bridges
Janet Wilson (Stuff): Confident versus off-message: a stark contrast in leadership styles 
Joel Maxwell (Stuff): Seymour’s switch from politician to entertainer
Stuff: Points of order: Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins ruins a meme
Peter Wilson (RNZ): The Week in Politics: Counter-terrorism bill on the fast track and Spain saves a vaccine rollout slowdown
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Southern say: Diverse concerns heard by MPs in lockdown
Steve Braunias (Herald): The Secret Diary of David Seymour (paywalled)
Don Brash (Bassett, Brash and Hide): Defending democracy is tough these days
Sarah Lang (Woman’s Day): Green MP Julie Anne Genter reveals why her second pregnancy is different: ‘Never been so emotional’

Education
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Education Ministry apologises for transfer of Taihape school teaching farm
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Taihape teaching farm transfer: Ombudsman says Education Ministry ‘unreasonable’
Jimmy Ellingham (Stuff): Ombudsman rules officials wrong to take school land
Katy Jones (Stuff): Think-tank examines how to put new history curriculum into practice
Te Rau Winterburn (Herald): Restoring and normalising te reo Māori (paywalled)
Sela Jane Hopgood (RNZ): Auckland primary schools embrace online celebration for Tongan language week
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Vice-Chancellor behind Victoria University’s controversial name change retires

Energy
RNZ: Transpower shortcomings contributed to winter blackout – report
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Electricity Authority blasts Transpower for role in August power cuts
ODT Editorial: Coal getting us out of a hole
Blair Jackson (Stuff): Exploratory coal drilling in Southland forestry block finished

Media
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Mediawatch: Reporting Afghanistan after abandonment
Hal Crawford (Spinoff): Australian media can now be sued for comments left on their Facebook posts. Could it happen here?
Bruce Cotterill (Herald): Local media need to find their teeth again (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Why the bets are off on who may replace Kevin Kenrick at TVNZ
Damien Venuto (Herald): The 12 contenders who could be the next TVNZ boss (paywalled)
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Ryan Bridge makes AM Show politically relevant again
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Sudden departures from Magic Talk spark fears it’s ‘gone woke’. Can the talkback station be saved?
Michael Bassett (Bassett, Brash and Hide): Media greedies
Mandy Hager (Newsroom): Cheapskates RNZ cough up

Other
Brian Easton (Pundit): Liberal-Conservatives And Social Democrats: The Future Of Māori
Anne Salmond (Newsroom): Te Tiriti and democracy
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Strange and disturbing times 2.0
Steve Kilgallon (Stuff): ‘There’s a clear conflict of interest’: Internal Affairs ‘concerned’ over potential gambling breaches by Auckland pub baron
Rob Stock (Stuff): Campaign mounts to create super-complaints agency
Sebastian JS Potgieter (Newsroom): What we tell ourselves about the Springbok tour
1 News: ‘Both countries learnt a lot’ – Springbok remembers 1981 tour 40 years on
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Mediawatch: Faafoi & Ardern Hate Speech burn so bad it sizzles
Rawinia Higgins (Spinoff): Kia kaha: The intergenerational struggle to preserve te reo Māori
1 News: ‘Disheartening’ lack of trilingual interpreters for Māori deaf
Rod Oram (Newsroom): The hot debate over responsible investing
Adam Burns (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘It will take time and money’ – Canterbury floods fallout
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Oranga Tamariki Critical Race Theory demolished by Judge – Labour must be so grateful to Delta
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Oranga Tamariki decision to be appealed by birth mother
Andre Chumko (Stuff): Major gaps with arts programmes in prisons, despite value – report
David Andrews (Incline): ANZAC Class 2.0? Opportunities for Cooperation Between Australia and New Zealand
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Critics and supporters of crypto-currencies clash in advice to MPs
Simon Draper (Stuff): Covid-19 may consume our daily lives, but we shouldn’t forget about events abroad
Sinead Gill (Stuff): Hate, shame and redemption: The road back from conversion therapy
Hamish Bidwell (RNZ): The latest load of old rubbish out of Gymnastics New Zealand
Mare Haimona-Riki (Māori TV): Sport NZ launches $3.6m funding for disabled rangatahi