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
AUKUS, foreign affairs, trade
Audrey Young (Herald): Preparing for war between US and China – what it means for NZ and Australia (paywalled)
Keith Locke (Daily Blog): Many anti-nuclear reasons to oppose AUKUS
Geoffrey Miller (Democracy Project): New Zealand could be the big winner of Aukus fallout
Pete McKenzie (Guardian): Aukus pact could push New Zealand to deepen relations with Europe and Pacific
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Why doesn’t New Zealand have submarines? AUKUS highlights pressing military question for Government
Alexander Gillespie (The Conversation): ANZUS without NZ? Why the new security pact between Australia, the UK and US might not be all it seems
Johnny Blades (RNZ): Aukus pact strikes at heart of Pacific regionalism
Scott Palmer (Newshub): New Zealand labelled ‘a joke’ after nuclear-free stance blocks Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Why Aukus should make us reconsider parts of our nuclear-free stance
Nicholas Khoo (Stuff): Australia has learnt about China the hard way. When will NZ wise up?
Herald Editorial: Aukus security pact has rocky start; could make China, Asia tensions worse (paywalled)
Don Brash (Bassett, Brash, Hide): Readying for a war of the elephants
Ben Uffindell (The Civilian): Experts warn exclusion from AUSUK pact could see New Zealand miss out on future catastrophic wars
Richard Harman (Politik): Ardern lays it on the line (paywalled)
Richard Harman (Politik): Ardern sees the world differently (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Grant Robertson denies New Zealand ‘soft touch to China’, believes CPTPP request not connected to AUKUS deal
ODT Editorial: Scotty’s submarines steaming ahead
Newstalk ZB: Foreign Affairs Minister: Preference not to have nuclear-powered vessels in NZ respected
Marena Mane (Māori TV): Is Aotearoa being left out of the AUKUS pact?
Wilson Longhurst (1 News): ‘No concern’ around NZ Navy ships in South China Sea – Henare
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Chance of war between China and West ‘low’ but still a risks of ‘incidents’ – former New Zealand Defence Minister
Newstalk ZB: Former Defence Minister: We need to show bigger commitment to maritime security
Newstalk ZB: Foreign policy expert: NZ’s exclusion from AUUKUS could be a benefit
Bernard Hickey (The Kākā): Dawn Chorus: China tries forcing us to choose
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): NZ oddly mute on China’s trade overture (paywalled)
Curwen Ares Rolinson (Daily Blog): Why I’m OK With NZ Not Being In New Anglo Alliance
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): The true price of a NZ Independent Foreign Policy in the shadow of AUKUS
The Economist (Stuff): What does the Australian nuclear submarine deal mean for non-proliferation?
RNZ: Human rights should be separate from trade deal – Meat Industry Association
Parliament
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Cool, calm and connected: Meet New Zealand’s top lobbyists (paywalled)
Brian Easton (Pundit): Big Challenges For The Government
Peter Wilson (RNZ): The Week in Politics: Vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate
Phil Smith (RNZ): The safe bet and the cash cache: imprest supply
Andrew Gunn (Stuff): Opposition’s leaders accused of reprising classic movie roles
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Chathams conundrum keeps legislators busy
1 News: Labour’s McAnulty swapping famous red ute for hybrid wagon
National Party
Dan Satherley (Newshub): ‘National shouldn’t overreact’ – Simon Bridges talks down leadership spill rumours
Claire Trevett (Herald): A Simon Bridges, Judith Collins, National Party coup – whose terms would it be on? (paywalled)
1 News: Luxon defends Collins’ leadership despite poor polling
Janet Wilson (Stuff): We’re talking about nothing short of a National Party revolution
Herald: National’s pollster David Farrar on what the party needs to do better
Michael Neilson (Herald): National MP Christopher Luxon defends embattled leader Judith Collins
Heather Du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Judith Collins is gone – the question is when (paywalled)
Jon Johansson (Stuff): Political purgatory mirrors Auckland’s lockdown woes
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Why replacing Judith still can’t save National
Māori Party
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): The Māori Party need to take a leaf from ACT’s book
Conor Whitten (Newshub): Backstory: Rawiri Waititi and the West Auckland street that produced 4 Māori MPs
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): A Curia poll the media have overlooked
Government management of outbreak, expert advice
Dan Satherley (Newshub): MPs unwilling to say how many deaths they’d accept in exchange for opening up
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Will Auckland drop COVID-19 alert levels? Experts weigh in ahead of Government decision
RNZ: Epidemiologist Michael Baker on Waikato Covid-19 cases: ‘It does change things’
1 News: Michael Baker: Waikato Covid cases ‘complicates’ alert level decision
RNZ: Waikato should join Auckland in level 4 – Māori health expert group
1 News: Covid modeller says Level 3 ‘quite risky’ for Auckland
Herald: Expert on what Waikato cases could mean for Cabinet’s big lockdown decision
1 News: Caution and optimism ahead of alert level announcement
Ben Leahy (Herald): Government faces tough alert level decision
Adam Pearse (Herald): Experts predict Auckland’s lockdown exit – worth the risk?
Jamie Morton (Herald): What models can – and can’t – tell us about how this outbreak ends
Luke Malpass (Stuff): What do we know about today’s alert level decision?
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Cabinet could make ‘cautious’ alert level decision to extend Auckland lockdown, adding Waikato, expert says
1 News: Winston Peters has ‘serious worry’ about Govt’s handling of Covid pandemic
Dan Satherley (Newshub): David Seymour says Govt ‘cannot prevent all deaths’, says money spent on COVID can’t be spent preventing deaths from other causes
Marena Mane (Māori TV): A ‘risky decision’ going to level 3, says Covid analyst Professor Rawiri Taonui
Rachel Moore (Stuff): More lockdowns ‘unlikely’ if vaccination surpasses 90 per cent, Govt says
William Hewett (Newshub): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern assures Aucklanders shift in alert levels still on the cards
Natalie Brown (news.com.au): How Australia is reporting New Zealand’s success against Delta
William Hewett (Newshub): Australia raves about New Zealand’s battle against Delta variant
Phil Goff (Stuff): We’re beating Delta, now let’s finish the job
Duncan Garner (NBR): Ardern must take us out of level 4 and never return (paywalled)
Kate Newton (Stuff): How Auckland’s pandemic experience has drastically departed from the rest of the country
Jack Tame (Newstalk ZB): The most important week in our Covid response
Kerri Jones (Stuff): I believed in the ‘Jacinda effect,’ now Covid-19 has made me critical
Steve Bayliss (Herald): How key players have rated heading into the Delta outbreak’s third quarter (paywalled)
ODT Editorial: More mask encouragement needed
RNZ: Government announces $36m investment in Covid-19 research fund
Vaccine rollout
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Andrew Little says he’d ‘be surprised if we ever see a level 4 lockdown again’ if vaccination coverage reaches 90 percent
Sophie Cornish (Stuff): Accessibility, hesitancy and encouraging youth will be biggest hurdles to 90 per cent vaccination target, experts say
Michael Neilson (Herald): The 90% Project – Who of our MPs have been fully vaccinated? (paywalled)
Geraden Cann (Stuff): About 60,000 Aucklanders still need first Covid jab to hit 80% goal by end of week
John Bonning (Stuff): Doctors band together to stand up for vaccination
1 News: Getting rangatahi Māori vaccinated ‘a challenge’ – Willie Jackson
Samson Samasoni (Spinoff): If we want to reach 90% vaccination, we need to change up our strategy
RNZ: Shot Bro buses reaching communities and raising smiles in South Auckland
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): How vaccine passports could impact festivals, cafes, work and our freedom
Peter Davis (Herald): Vaccine passport and smoke-free law (paywalled)
Anne Gibson (Herald): SkyCity Entertainment Group runs in-house vaccination hub
Siouxsie Wiles (Spinoff): Should I get vaccinated if I’m pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or breastfeeding?
Kerre McIvor (Herald): The 90% Campaign – do your bit and get jabbed (paywalled)
RNZ: Pasifika vaccination rates prove value of grassroots leadership – doctor
Herald Editorial: Boosters debate carries a large dose of politics (paywalled)
Herald: The 90% Project – NZ Herald campaign to vaccinate Kiwis, save lives and enjoy freedom
John Roughan (Herald): Follow the lead of the over-65s and vaccinate against Covid (paywalled)
Jess Berentson-Shaw (Stuff): Facts and logic alone won’t persuade people to get vaccinated. We need connection and trust
Debbie Ngawera-Packer (Herald): Why I got vaccinated against Covid
Māori TV: Te Whānau o Waipareira health vaccinators hit the streets
Māori TV: Major milestones for Māori Covid-19 vaccine rollout
Madison Reidy (Newshub): Health officials hoping entrepreneur’s new website Time in the Line will speed up vaccinations
Katie Doyle (RNZ): Men offering $100 vaccines in Christchurch ‘not legitimate’
Border, MIQ, immigration
1 News: Trans-Tasman travel bubble pause extended for further eight weeks – Robertson
Eva Corlett (Guardian): New Zealand extends Australia travel bubble pause as Covid cases drop to 11
Hannah Sampson (Stuff): Almost 10,000 people tested negative before flying. Just one was positive after landing, a study shows
Delilah Whaitiri (Herald): Fourth MIQ for Rotorua would be ‘too much of an impact’ for tourism industry
Sophie Cornish and Benn Bathgate (Stuff): New MIQ ‘lobby’ system a step into the unknown for Kiwis stranded overseas
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): Govt needs to end “queue of human misery” (paywalled)
Melanie Carroll (Stuff): ‘No way home’ for workers travelling overseas on business without MIQ spots
Jody O’Callaghan and Jake Kenny (Stuff): Essential workers leaving Aotearoa for other ‘open doors’ to residency
Contact tracing, testing
1 News: Privacy Commissioner warns against paper-based Covid tracing registers
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Govt considers rules against paper contact-tracing data misuse, a year after concerns raised
Jane Phare (Herald): A bit of spit keeps businesses running and staff safe (paywalled)
Cases, demographics
1 News: Child in Waikato with Covid-19 was symptomatic at school
1 News: Three people test positive for Covid-19 in Waikato
Jamie Morton (Herald): Three new Waikato cases as Cabinet decides Auckland’s fate
John Weekes (Herald): Prisoner went to court, later tested positive at Mt Eden jail
Herald: Three prisoners at Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility isolating
Sophie Trigger (Herald): Delta eliminated in Wellington – all 17 cases recovered
Rawiri Taonui (Māori TV): Māori Covid cases rise – race on to vaccinate
Alert level rules, compliance, enforcement
Steve Braunias (Herald): The secret diary of the Wānaka incident (paywalled)
Victor Billot (Newsroom): An ode for .. the Wānaka wanakers
1 News: Aucklander allegedly broke lockdown rules with Queenstown trip
Sam Sherwood (Stuff): Pair arrested in Wellington after allegedly travelling from Auckland
ODT: Another breach claimed
Lincoln Tan (Herald): Police dealing with multiple breaches of Aucklanders fleeing lockdown city
Herald: Aucklanders try forging letters, driving through paddocks to flee locked-down city
Polly Gillespie (Stuff): ‘Put them in the stocks!’ An old-fashioned punishment for lockdown flouters?
Dubby Henry (Herald): Dame Jenny Gibbs stands by level 4 driveway drinks
Bill Ralston (Herald/:Listener): In praise of our police – courageous and ruthlessly efficient (paywalled)
1 News: Elderly man punched in Auckland Countdown mask altercation
Sandra Conchie (Herald): Mask wearing compliance high but ‘undercurrent of frustration’ (paywalled)
Alex Braae (1 News): ‘Your actions alter my fate’ – Why Covid rule breakers rile community
1 News: New Zealanders prefer ‘own’ style of misinformation – expert
Richard Davison (ODT): Possible crib breaches frustrate Catlins residents
Wage subsidy, business, economy
Liam Dann (Herald): How can the data look so good when we feel so bad? (paywalled)
Esther Taunton (Stuff): More questions over supermarkets’ lockdown pricing as tasty cheese hits $20 a kilogram
Anna Harcourt (Renews): Sex workers can claim the wage subsidy but stigma means many are afraid to do so
Robyn Walker (BusinessDesk): Wage subsidy criteria is getting harder to meet (paywalled)
Piers Fuller (Stuff): What’s essential? While authorities struggle to define what people need, retailers are dying
Sasha Borissenko (Herald): Are employers really looking after staff or just going through the motions? (paywalled)
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Union and Qantas at loggerheads over support for NZ-based Jetconnect staff (paywalled)
Khylee Quince (Stuff): A ‘culture pass’ could help our kids – and the economy
Skara Bohny (Stuff): Struggling accommodation providers call for targeted government help, MP calls for landlord’s support
Steven Joyce (Herald): Small firms bearing brunt of economic pain (paywalled)
Tina Morrison (Stuff): National wants extension of tax scheme for business, Labour not keen
Grant Bradley (Herald): Air New Zealand tapping further into Govt loan
Frances Chin (Stuff): What property do Kiwis look up during lockdown? Turns out it’s ‘beach’
Mare Haimona-Riki (Māori TV): Indigenous businesses discuss social media use to combat Covid lockdown
Cass Marrett (ODT): Skifields hit by lockdown; $3m in subsidy claims
Housing
Ehan Te Ora and Rosa Woods (Stuff): The Whaanga sisters
Iain White (Guardian): New Zealand’s pandemic housing policy has baked in Māori inequality for generations
Judene Edgar (Stuff): The housing crisis is on everyone’s doorstep
Diana Clement (One Roof): Is it game over for house-flippers in NZ?
Miriam Bell (Stuff):Here’s how to make sense of housing market data
Rupert Gough (One Roof):Why haven’t investors completely disappeared from the housing market?
Miriam Bell (Stuff): What does the $850k median house price buy around the country?
Catherine Smith (One Roof): Has Auckland’s lockdown housing market reached tipping point?
Amanda Cropp (Stuff): Buses turned into budget tiny homes are helping families beat rising house prices and soaring rental costs
Lisa Scott (ODT): Throwing stones
Health
Stuff: ‘I am screwed if it comes back’: Experts concerned by Covid’s hidden impact on blood cancer treatments
Nicholas Jones (Herald): Hospitals brace for ‘endemic Covid’
Cecilia Robinson (Herald): The three things the Government must do right now (paywalled)
Ian Powell (Second Opinion): Government’s new health indicators fail to indicate
Jamie Tahana (RNZ): Māori significantly more likely to die after surgery than non-Māori – report
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Worse outcomes for Māori after surgery described as possible breach of the Treaty of Waitangi
RNZ: Dropping childhood immunisation rates leave children vulnerable, new research says
Tom Hunt (Stuff): Missing lockdown cancers yet to be measured, but history paints ominous picture
Louisa Steyl (Stuff): Southern DHB limits joint surgeries at Southland Hospital
Brittany Keogh (Stuff): Mum in labour says she was turned away from Hutt Hospital maternity unit when it was full
Jane Matthews (Stuff): Mental health refuge calling on first-time Government funding as those in need ‘slip through the cracks’
Hawkes Bay Today: None of those on ‘successful’ pilot programme were tested for meth beforehand (paywalled)
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Man the Mongrel Mob have it sweet
Justice, corrections
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): 90 percent of High Court, Court of Appeal judges Pākehā
Māori TV: Low rates of Māori granted name suppression a systemic issue – Māori lawyer Khylee Quince
Jarrod Gilbert (Herald): Navigate unit at Christchurch Men’s prison offers hope (paywalled)
Ryan Boswell (1 News): Discharge without conviction for Gloriavale man who abused three teen boys
Rob Kidd (ODT): Rapist’s polygraph extends distress
Nikki Macdonald (Stuff): Coroner’s Court failing bereaved families and the public – chief coroner
Environment, Climate change
RNZ: NZ criticised over abstention in vote on deepsea mining
RNZ: The Detail: Thirty years of climate change inaction
Rod Oram (Newsroom): Govt lacks integrity, skill and will on climate
Peter Griffin (Stuff): Australian bush fires created an algae bloom east of New Zealand
Taroi Black (Māori TV): Treaty partnership that never ‘existed’ could solve climate change
John Lewis (ODT): Plan aimed at reducing light diesel
Chloe Ranford (Local Democracy Reporting): Waste ‘footprint’ concern sees salmon farm request rejected
Mitchell Alexander (Newshub): Revealed: The multi-million price tag required to keep NZ’s endangered native species alive
Te Reo Māori
Moata Tamaira (E-Tangata): My complicated relationship with te reo Māori
Heta Gardiner (Māori TV): David Seymour says the economy and Covid his focus not Māori language week
Sapeer Mayron (Stuff): Human Rights Commission will stop taking complaints about use of te reo Māori
Anton Blank (E-Tangata): Solar power and forgiveness
Rangimarie Sophie Jolley (Spinoff): ‘It has nothing to do with Lorde’
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer (Stuff):We’ve come a long way as a nation, using te reo Māori more and everywhere
Te Rawhitiroa Bosch (E-Tangata): We must be brave and use the reo
Māori TV: Te Reo Māori turns full circle in Parliament
Oriini Kaipara (Newshub): Police say incorporating te reo Māori helps fight crime, seek total immersion recruits
John Tamihere (Herald): What’s in a name for today’s proud citizen’s of Aotearoa
Ellen O’Dwye (Stuff): Porirua high school students create website to improve pronunciation of Māori and Pasifika names
Afghanistan
Tess McClure (Guardian): ‘Living in terror’: Afghans left behind by New Zealand struggling to survive
Lawrence Gullery (Stuff): Afghan interpreters say family members ‘on the run’ from Taliban
Caley Callahan (Newshub): Plea for New Zealand Government to provide urgent visas to Afghan women at risk from Taliban
Media
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Mediawatch: Rule-breaking fires up debate on fairness and privilege
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Sean Plunket: putting the unfashionable back on air
Alex Latu (Spinoff): Why NZ is unlikely to follow Australia’s lead on social media defamation law
Eva Corlett (Guardian): How Māori women have reshaped New Zealand’s media through their native language
Sarah McMullan (Stuff): TVNZ’s bite-size Panthers spin-off is the long overdue education we all need
Jane Bowron (Stuff): Covid reality TV is the new frontier
Oranga Tamariki
Damien Grant (Stuff): What happened to ‘Moana’ was abuse at the hands of Oranga Tamariki
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Why Damien Grant is a wimp in today’s MUST READ Oranga Tamariki Stuff Column
LynMall attack
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): National, charities critical of gaps in terrorist inquiry
Bernard Sama (Newsroom): Time to review asylum-seeker support
Education
RNZ: Land taken by government officials won’t be returned to Taihape school – minister
Digby Werthmuller (1 News): Educators concerned over curriculum change
Cecile Meier (Stuff): Student anxiety around sexual harassment in media prompts external review at broadcasting school
Daisy Hudson (ODT): Student cheating concerns as assessments move online
ODT: No issues at Selwyn College ball despite concerns
Local government
Stephen Forbes (Local Democracy Reporting): Council budget cuts will have big impact on South Auckland – Efeso Collins
Grant Stevenson (Stuff): Absolutely Positively Wellington was terrific, but in 2021 we need a bigger idea
Nicholas Boyack (Stuff): Hutt City chief executive wins personal grievance against own council
Tina Law (Stuff): Councillors call for cancellation of LGNZ membership over water reform stance
Mike Mather (Stuff):Battlelines drawn in water stoush, but deputy mayor’s campaign may precede run for top job
Wayne Maxwell (Kapiti News): Three Waters Reform details need to be as accurate as possible
Damian George (Stuff): Wellington City Council recommends demolishing Frank Kitts car park
Guy Williams (ODT): Company not suing over mistaken release
Guy Williams (ODT): Concern for town’s say on council
Debbie Griffiths (Stuff): Tauranga is working to become New Zealand’s most inclusive city
Transport
John Anthony (Stuff): ‘Challenging few weeks’ ahead for NZ supply chain with two out of three Interislander ferries out of service
Nile Bijoux (Stuff): MIA attack on Clean Car Standard ‘surprising’: Transport Minister
1 News: Police, AT join forces amid rise in abuse of bus drivers
Kirsty Frame (RNZ): Wellington may get two new cycleways to hospital and botanic gardens
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Heritage NZ backs down over colour of Wellington train station ticket machines
Cricket
Adrian Seconi (ODT): Accentuating the positive has backfired for NZ Cricket
1 News: Fury in Pakistan over cancellation of NZ cricket tour
Herald: Pakistan Cricket Board, government, players hit back at security concerns after Black Caps abandon first tour in 18 years
Stuff: ‘Shock and disbelief’: Call from Imran Khan to Jacinda Ardern can’t save Pakistan tour
1 News: Black Caps pull out of Pakistan tour following ‘NZ Government security alert’
Electricity regulation
Zane Small (Newshub): 3 in 5 households to get lower power bills as Government axes ‘poorly targeted’ electricity regulation
Herald: Electricity review: Govt to phase out ‘low use’ power plans
John Anthony (Stuff): Shake-up to electricity charges could disadvantage ‘vulnerable households’, Consumer NZ says
RNZ: Power plan regulations change aims to ensure fairness
Other
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Facial recognition systems tests fail to record accuracy for Māori
Meng Foon (Spinoff): In times of crisis we need to look deeply in the mirror
Tom McKinlay (ODT): He Puapua: “Change can often be difficult, but it is a wonderful difficulty”
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Groundswell NZ distances itself from supporter’s ‘racial and abusive’ viral email about He Puapua report, Māori favouritism
Liam Napier (Herald): Dramatic developments as big changes made to New Zealand Rugby’s Silver Lake deal (paywalled)
Eleisha Foon (RNZ): Calls for tougher gambling laws to protect Pasifika in NZ
Alison Mau (Stuff): Suffrage Day: Bold leaders wanted, no pay-gap shirkers may apply
Katie Pickles (The Conversation): On the money: Kate Sheppard and the making of a New Zealand feminist icon
Eric Crampton (Stuff): The ease of dodgy business
Todd Niall (Stuff): America’s Cup: Publicly-promoted home defence bid adrift amid secrecy
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): The GovTech Accelerator, what is it accelerating to?
Philip Matthews (Stuff): The wisdom of Solomon: Tā Mark’s post-Ngāi Tahu journey
Sinead Gill (Stuff): Threshold for ‘serious harm’ too high in conversion therapy bill, say submitters
Jane Clifton (Herald/Listener): The ‘vague and vacuous’ Resource Management Act (paywalled)
Laura Smith (ODT): Winter grazing: council stresses proper planning
RNZ: Siouxsie Wiles on Covid-19, conspiracies and a life in science, at the 2021 NZ International Science Festival
Dale Husband (E-Tangata): Tommy Wilson: The taiaha of knowledge
Maria Armoudian (Newsroom): When will NZ stop honouring this genocidal dictator?
