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
1 News Colmar Brunton poll, Parliament
1 News: David Seymour overtakes Judith Collins in preferred PM rankings – 1News Colmar Brunton Poll
1 News: Collins must ‘work really hard’ to keep leadership – Jessica Mutch McKay
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Judith Collins remains on borrowed time, but worrying signs for Labour
Claire Trevett (Herald): Covid lockdown poll slump a warning to PM that patience is wearing thin; and things get worse for Judith Collins (paywalled)
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Ardern sinks despite constant TV exposure (paywalled)
RNZ: Judith Collins sinks below David Seymour as preferred PM
Henry Cooke (Stuff): New poll has ACT riding high, Labour and National both losing ground during Delta outbreak
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): National, Labour down; Judith Collins crashes to 5% as preferred PM
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): TVNZ Poll – The rise of ACT
—————
Audrey Young (Herald): Why there is an ever-passing parade of ex-politicians (paywalled)
Herald: Only in NZ: ‘Security uncles’ – Kiwis’ hilarious reaction during Jacinda Ardern’s walk
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Video of Jacinda Ardern spotted on weekend walk with security guards goes viral
John Key weighs in on Govt Covid response
Chris Trotter (Bowalley Road): Off-Key
Simon Wilson (Herald): Sir John Key, the smiling assassin, is back (paywalled)
Claire Trevett (Herald): Is Sir John Key’s comments a bigger headache for Judith Collins or Jacinda Ardern? (paywalled)
Jason Walls (Newstalk ZB): John Key takes aim at Government but hits National in the crossfire
Jo Moir (Newsroom): Key’s threat greater than Seymour or Collins
Anna Fifield (Stuff): No, Sir John Key, New Zealand is not like North Korea
Henry Cooke (Stuff): John Key dramatically re-enters political spotlight, Jacinda Ardern fights back
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Sir John Key hits out at ‘self-congratulatory’ Jacinda Ardern as Michael Baker calls former PM’s criticism ‘simplistic’
RNZ: ‘Take away some of their rights’ – Sir John Key on incentivising vaccinations
Renee Liang (Newsroom): Paediatrician: Covid is not a choice for the sick children I treat, Sir John
RNZ: Jacinda Ardern says fear not part of Covid-19 vaccine rollout strategy
Newstalk ZB: University professor: Government is relying too much on fear to get people vaccinated
1 News: Ardern says Govt already using Key’s ‘reasonable’ Covid response ideas
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern hits back at Sir John Key’s accusations of ‘fear and luck’ COVID-19 response
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Government will ‘try’ and not use lockdowns if 76 percent of total population is vaccinated – Jacinda Ardern
Ian Powell (Second Opinion): Covid-19 elimination strategy, smug hermit kingdoms and Kim Jong-Key
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Sir John Key is reading the room right
Kerre McIvor (Newstalk ZB): How and why are we working on a former PM’s suggestions on Covid?
Kate Hawkesby (Newstalk ZB): Sir John Key is on the money, but will the Government listen?
The Country (Herald): Winston Peters says John Key is right about Covid response (paywalled)
Border, MIQ, immigration
Zane Small (Newshub): John Key and David Seymour say private MIQs the way – but how do they work overseas and are they foolproof?
RNZ: New MIQ system rated just 3.6 out of 10 in Grounded Kiwis survey
Tom Hunt (Stuff): MIQ head says no technical glitch in virtual lobby – many users disagree
Louisa Steyl and Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Growing MIQ capacity a challenge but doable, experts say
RNZ: Grant Robertson answers questions over government’s Covid-19 self-isolation trial
Siobhan Downes (Stuff): Everything we know so far about the self-isolation trial
Richard Harman (Politik): Opening up the border (slowly) (paywalled)
RNZ: Government announces more details on home isolation pilot scheme
Anna Whyte (1 News): Up to 150 double-jabbed Kiwi business people will trial self-isolationhttps://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/up-150-double-jabbed-kiwi-business-people-trial-self-isolation
Herald: PM Jacinda Ardern fronts post-Cabinet update, outlines self-isolation travel trial; RSE bubble
Herald: Trial to begin allowing some travellers to self-isolate at home
RNZ: MIQ a bigger risk to businesses than Covid-19 – business leader
Esther Taunton (Stuff): Seasonal workers from some Pacific Islands can skip MIQ next week
Nicholas Jones (Herald): ‘Unwelcome’ nurses leaving NZ over immigration rules
Christopher Reive (Herald): Start of a large exodus? Why New Zealand’s best athletes are moving overseas (paywalled)
Kate MacNamara (Herald): Paper-based visa applications stalled by Immigration New Zealand (paywalled)
Govt Covid response, modelling advice
David Williams (Newsroom): Baker’s warning on Delta: ‘I’d love to be wrong’
Newshub: NZ Herald journalist Fran O’Sullivan sorry for calling COVID-19 expert Shaun Hendy a ‘bogus’ modeller in accidental tweet
Ryan Bridge (Newshub): When the polls say we’re sick of it, lockdowns will end – and the Govt won’t care if we’re 5pct off some mythical vaccine target
Duncan Garner (Newshub): Vaccine fail: Ardern dumps elimination (paywalled)
Newstalk ZB: Deputy Prime Minister: Current Delta case numbers are in line with expectations
1 News: NZ ‘making progress’ in Delta outbreak – Bloomfield
Michael Neilson (Herald): Self-isolation pilot welcomed, but still fears about Delta’s ‘long tail’
Paul Henry (Herald): I love this country – but I’m not sure I have the heartbeats for it any more (paywalled)
Vaccine passports, mandates and incentives
1 News: Majority of Kiwis support making vaccine compulsory
1 News: Govt will use ‘every other tool’ other than mandatory Covid jabs – Robertson
Bernard Hickey (The Kākā): Dawn Chorus: Vaccination passport coming (paywalled)
Michael Daly (Stuff): Vaccine certificates may be needed for a ‘classic Kiwi summer’, Jacinda Ardern says
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern confident of a classic Kiwi summer of sounds but event planners want certainty
1 News: Govt ‘exploring’ vaccine certificates in time for summer
Bonnie Flaws (Stuff): Restaurants, bars ‘worried about enforcing vaccine passports’
Jake McKee (RNZ): ‘So many unknowns’- Businesses respond to vaccine passport idea
RNZ: The Detail: The rules and rights when it comes to vaccinated work places
Stuff: Former border worker who lost her job after not getting jabbed loses High Court challenge
RNZ: Legal challenge against vaccination order dismissed by High Court
Daniel Smith (Stuff): Air New Zealand reveals which workers will be required to have mandatory vaccinations
Vaccine rollout
Gordon Campbell: On Covid vaccine inequality, plus Cowboy Bebop
Dave Armstrong (Stuff): Educating people is key to behaviour change
Angela Dalton (Herald): Why such a low take-up of vaccine among Māori and Pasifika? (paywalled)
The Hui (Newshub): Fears young Māori being targeted by white supremacists making COVID-19 vaccine misinformation
Henry Cooke (Stuff): First doses drop to lowest rate since July, Government still consulting on vaccine certificates
Adam Pearse and Chris McDowall (Herald): 90% vaccination target still possible despite falling first-dose levels – experts
Herald Editorial: Getting on with the task will get NZ closer to reopening goal
Dr Mataroria Lyndon (Herald): What we can do to protect our youngest from Delta (paywalled)
RNZ: Call for Tuvaluans to vaccinate against Covid-19 amid celebrations
Sally Murphy (RNZ): ‘Frustrating, disappointing’ – Call for better vaccine rollout in rural areas
Tim Brown (RNZ): The three DHBs outside Auckland leading the way in Covid-19 vaccinations
Ethan Griffiths (Herald): Almost a quarter of Whanganui DHB workforce unvaccinated
Vera Alves (Herald): I’m double-vaxxed, and it feels like progress
Davide Comoletti (Newsroom): NZ needs to produce its own vaccines
Testing
RNZ: Door-to-door Covid testing vital to curbing Delta outbreak – expert
Stephen Forbes (Local Democracy Reporting): Frustration, dismay over response to PM’s call for testing in Clover Park
Alert level rules, compliance, enforcement
RNZ: Four people charged with Covid-19 offences since Auckland moved to level 3
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland’s Covid-19 alert level 3 isn’t freedom, it’s parole – with strict rules
Adam Burns (Local Democracy Reporting): Hospo staff fed up with abuse over level 2 rules: ‘People should know by now’
Zoe Holland (Herald): Relocating Auckland couple left confused by lack of Government communication
Mike Yardley (Stuff): It’s time to let the South Island off the leash
Cases, demographics
RNZ: 13 police officers self-isolating after arrested woman tests positive for Covid-19
Catrin Owen (Stuff): Woman at Waitākere police cells tests positive, not all staff were wearing PPE
Business, economy, wage subsidy
Andy Fyers (BusinessDesk): Wage subsidy 2021: Aussie retail giant cashes in (paywalled)
Anuja Nadkarni (Newsroom): Integrity checks causing wage subsidy payment delays, MSD says
1 News: Ardern rules out wage subsidy at Levels 1 and 2
Liam Dann (Herald): South Island confidence bounces back – ASB Regional Economic Scoreboard
Daniel Smith (Stuff): 2022 before airports, airlines back on track: S&P
Anna Leask (Herald): Pandemic may rein in Canterbury Cup and show week with plan to shut public out for first time in 117 years
Nona Pelletier (RNZ): Most companies ‘not doing enough’ to support code of ethics
Anne Gibson (Herald): Dominion Constructors’ Brett Russell calls for reform in building industry (paywalled)
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Tiwai Point smelter is likely to stay, Jarden says, boosting outlook for dividends (paywalled)
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Up to six phone calls a day: Report reveals harmful debt collection practices
AUKUS, foreign affairs, trade
Alexander Gillespie (The Conversation): With the AUKUS alliance confronting China, New Zealand should ramp up its anti-nuclear diplomacy
Maja Burry (RNZ): Praise for Zespri response to Covid-positive result on kiwifruit in China
Esther Taunton (Stuff): Zespri’s exports to China continue as normal after Covid-19 found on kiwifruit
Thomas Manch and Jono Galuszka (Stuff): Judge suppresses name of country at centre of soldier spy case
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Secret court risks as espionage trial looms
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Judge moves to suppress name of country in espionage court martial case
Housing
Dan Satherley and James Fleury (Newshub): Economists pick when the ‘turbo-charged’ New Zealand housing market will stall
RNZ: Homeowners gain ‘paper wealth’ at expense of non-owners, would-be first home owners
Anne Gibson (Herald): Why house values in 771 of 983 suburbs rose $100,000+, ‘earning’ more than people’s jobs (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Homeowners cash in: Some suburbs’ median prices jump $500k
Priscilla Dickinson (Newshub): Map reveals New Zealand suburbs with the biggest and smallest property value gains over the year to September
Madeleine Chapman (Spinoff): Find out how much house prices rose in your suburb last year with this fun* tool
Mandy Te and Miriam Bell (Stuff): Fifty-four Wellington suburbs hit million-dollar mark, latest CoreLogic research shows
Ashley Church (OneRoof): How much does fear influence the housing market?
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Housing policy details unveiled today, just days before coming into force
Conan Young (RNZ): Family lose most of their possessions after repair blunder contaminates state house
Ethan Te Ora (Stuff): ‘Eat noodles while you finish your degree’: Is the student allowance payment too rigid to meet inflated housing costs?
Doug Laing (Herald): From a hotel, to a brand new home: Kainga Ora development continues Maraenui’s revival (paywalled)
Jacob McSweeny (Herald): Lockdown ‘wreaked havoc’ on house settlements (paywalled)
Geraden Cann (Stuff): Call for estate agents to stop recommending unaccredited inspectors
Health
Stuff Editorial: We pay too dearly for our cheapest booze
Peter Davis (Stuff):Six challenges for the health reforms
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): ACC reveal proposed changes to cover birth injuries
Imogen Wells (1 News): Dementia rates in Māori, Pasifika, Asian communities set to double – report
Alexa Cook (Newshub): Number of New Zealanders with dementia expected to double to 170,000 in 30 years
Jamie Tahana (RNZ): Momentum slows in reducing child mortality rates; significant inequity found
Jo Lines-MacKenzie (Stuff): Covid-19 serves up a double dose of misery with sepsis also an issue in some cases, says medic
RNZ: Mental health services for youth receive $400k funding boost
Katie Townshend (Stuff): Covid-19 impact on healthcare in Nelson-Marlborough could last three years
Liz Gordon (Daily Blog): A liquor store on every corner
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Contractors sought for Dunedin hospital
ODT: Cadbury no more
Water reforms
Jane Patterson and Russell Palmer (RNZ): ‘Asset grab’ – entrenched local opposition to Three Waters plan
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): How much trouble is the ‘three waters’ policy really in? (paywalled)
Tina Law (Stuff): Govt could have a ‘revolution on its hands’ if it pursues proposed water reforms
Johnathan Milne (Newsroom): Councils face tough calls on water reforms in pivotal week
Devon Bolger (Herald): Christchurch City Council would opt-out of Three Waters reform in current model says report
Zane Small (Newshub): National leader Judith Collins denounces Three Waters ads showing ‘sludge’ from taps as ‘fake news’
Logan Savory (Stuff): Invercargill City Council drafts letter with Three Waters reform concerns
ODT Editorial: Options for Three Waters?
Stuff: South Taranaki District Council expresses concerns over Government’s Three Waters reform proposal
Chloe Blommerde (Stuff): Matamata-Piako District Council has no ‘faith’ in Government’s water reforms
Local government
Nita Blake-Persen (RNZ): Auckland port CEO’s $1m exit payout ‘unjustified’ – Phil Goff
Adam Jacobson (Stuff): Auckland Council’s $133 million plan to revitalise city’s midtown unveiled
Luke Kirkeby (Stuff): Nazi slur sparks call for South Waikato deputy mayor to resign
Luisa Girao (ODT): Trust in decision-making about local needs drops
RNZ: Michael Fowler Centre car park redevelopment plan set for signoff
Climate change, conservation, environment
No Right Turn: Climate Change: Off to the World Court?
Anne Gibson (Herald): Ngāti Pāoa Trust Board case against Waiheke marina developer fails in Environment Court (paywalled)
Eloise Gibson (Stuff): Why we love it when climate stories have a long tail
Transport
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Fuel taxes could be gone in three years as Waka Kotahi urgently looks to replace funding system (paywalled)
Emma Hatton (RNZ): Porirua Mayor questions Transmission Gully delays
Grant Bradley (Herald): Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Air New Zealand and MBIE seeking operator for plant in New Zealand (paywalled)
Herald: Auckland Transport proposes speed limit changes to 800 Auckland roads
Jane Matthews (Stuff): Uber deal with New Plymouth Airport draws mixed reaction from cabbies
Energy
Anan Zaki (RNZ): Energy firms claim big interest in Southland hydrogen plant proposal
Karen Pasco (ODT): Huge interest in Southland green hydrogen project
Karen Pasco (ODT): Growing interest in plant
RNZ: EA Networks exceeded maximum revenue by $3.3m, Commerce Commission finds
Primary and extractive industries
Jamie Mackay (Herald): Groundswell protests no Bloody Friday – luckily (paywalled)
Laura Smith (ODT): Ministry worried mine may contaminate water
Laura Smith (ODT): Declining school shark numbers lead to submissions for catch reductions
Other
Peter Boshier (Newshub): Kiwis’ right to access official information critical especially during COVID
Sharnahea Wilson (Newsroom): Traumatised, and nowhere to get help: An epidemic in our justice system
1 News: 5 liquor stores lose licences due to worker exploitation
RNZ: Budget advisors push for Govt restrictions on debt collectors
Gavin Ellis (Knightly Views): Discovery gambles on sweeping change at AM Show
Debbie Jamieson (Stuff): Invercargill candidate Basil Walker fined for not filing electoral returns
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Auckland’s America’s Cup dream isn’t dead yet
RNZ: Tarawera Falls land returned to Ngāti Rangitihi
Mihingarangi Forbes (Newshub): Former Labour Minister Dover Samuels calls for Crown apology for caning children speaking Te Reo
Laura Mills (ODT): Prince Charles makes donation to West Coast flood fund
Duncan Sarkies (Spinoff): I am writing an allegorical novel about alpaca breeders and democracy
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern farewells Dame Patsy Reddy as Governor-General, hands her husband Sir David Gascoigne new honour
Jo Moir (Newsroom): Brian Tamaki video catches eye of Facebook
Newstalk ZB: Bonus Bonds investors: Hundreds of thousands of people yet to make contact with scheme
Alistar Kata (1 News): West Auckland flooding victims disappointed by insurance company dealings
