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
Tim Watkin (Pundit): There can be only one… Reason Collins is still in her job
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): This Government is running out of fingers to plug the holes in the dyke
Mike Hosking (Newshub): Two obvious trends are emerging from the polls
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Judith Collins remains National’s best bet despite ‘cataclysmic’ poll results – former Labour Party president Mike Williams
Anna Whyte (1 News): Collins says she’s had a successful career ‘defying expectations’
Zane Small (Newshub): National leader Judith Collins will ‘particularly enjoy defying expectations’ if victorious in 2023
Whatitiri Te Wake (Māori TV): Wāhine Māori MPs reveal the impact of their jobs on their mental wellbeing

Aotearoa or New Zealand?
Maiki Sherman (1News) 1News poll reveals what Kiwis think about changing NZ’s name to Aotearoa
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Revealed: If New Zealanders think we should change our name to Aotearoa
Herald: Aotearoa-New Zealand name change debate: New poll shows while majority in favour of status quo there is support for change
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Rename NZ as Aotearoa so the woke can pretend they’ve done something meaningful
Sahil M Beg (Indian Express): Explained: The debate behind changing New Zealand’s name

John Key weighs in on Govt Covid response
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Pfizer rebuts John Key’s vaccine payment claim
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Pfizer shuts down Sir John Key’s claim Government could have bought vaccines earlier ‘for $40 million more’
Karl du Fresne: John Key’s less than glorious re-entry into the political arena
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Sir John Key & bribing Maori & Young people for vaccinations
George Driver (Spinoff): Being backwards can be our way forward: A case for South Island secession

Border, MIQ, immigration
1News: ‘Stop being smug’: Economist says NZ can’t open borders too soon
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern responds to National’s plan to reopen New Zealand to the world
RNZ: National party set to reveal border reopening plan
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Christmas clash: National’s tantalising travel idea shot down by Jacinda Ardern
Henry Cooke (Stuff): National and ACT say Kiwis should be able to travel freely by Christmas
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Kiwis abroad home for Christmas under National’s plan – Judith Collins
Lincoln Tan (Herald): What needs to happen to regain global mobility again
RNZ: Citizenship approval delays expected to ease mid-2022
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Decision expected this week on residence visas
Ross Stitt (Stuff): Time to open the borders for vaccinated travellers
Teuila Fuatai (Herald): MIQ favouritism unfair for New Zealand’s elite solo athletes (paywalled)
RNZ: Checkpoint: Disappointment for NZers missing out on 3800 MIQ vouchers
Belinda Feek (Herald): Number 26,700 in the queue – Kiwis log on for MIQ spots
Stuff: More than 31,000 Kiwis queue for MIQ vouchers, 6000 secure spots
Ellen O’Dwyer (Stuff): Relief and despair as MIQ rooms in second virtual lobby disappear in hours
RNZ: Thousands of NZers miss out on ‘jackpot’ in second MIQ release
Herald: Overseas Kiwis trying to secure MIQ spot say it’s ‘absolute joke and depressing’
Tom Hunt and Ellen O’Dwyer (Stuff): All rooms booked out in latest MIQ offering as thousands queue for right to return to New Zealand
Lee Kenny (Stuff): Couple stranded in Queensland due to lack of MIQ spots may face $14k pension bill
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): PM’s shade on other countries’ reopenings
Nikki Macdonald (Stuff): MIQueue: What are the alternatives to two weeks in a hotel?
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Home isolation pilot for business travellers warrants ‘high quality enforcement’
RNZ: Coming to grips wth facial recognition scans part of home isolation experience
RNZ: Businesses on home isolation trial: ‘This has been a long time coming’
1 News: Air NZ adds 31 red flights ahead of MIQ room release
Eva Corlett (Guardian): ‘The only way’: Australians stranded in New Zealand charter private jets to get home
Eldrede Kahiya (Newsroom): MIQ slots for exporters sends a message
Tom Kitchin (RNZ): Growers nervous of labour shortages despite imminent arrival of RSE workers

Govt Covid response, modelling advice
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Postcode-style restrictions in Auckland need ‘serious consideration’ – epidemiologist
Scott Palmer (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern says she’s considered localised lockdowns for Auckland, but implementation difficult
Herald: Health expert says Auckland should stay ringfenced to contain the spread
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Auckland’s boundary ‘critical’ if region moves down alert level – expert
Derek Cheng (Herald):Expert says ‘very resistant’ tail puts level 2 in Auckland next week in doubt
Jamie Morton (Herald): NZ tops world for trust in scientists, govt – study
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Kiwis’ trust in scientists credited with successful handling of COVID-19
RNZ: ACT proposes abandoning ‘eradication’ strategy
Michael Neilson (Herald): Act Party wants end to lockdowns, vaccinated Kiwis home MIQ-free by Xmas
Luke Malpass (Stuff): National and ACT plans to get out of Covid will reveal a divided New Zealand
Claire Trevett (Herald): Act leader David Seymour’s borders and bounty strategy to lift vaccination rates (paywalled)
Herald: ‘Jessica thenTova’: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s curious 1pm news conference habit

Vaccine passports, mandates and incentives
Lana Andelane (Newshub): Government hoping to introduce vaccine passports by early November – Grant Robertson
Vaimoana Tapaleao (Herald): Vaccine passport app to be available in just over a month
Stuff Editorial: We need to make vaccination passports work
Michael Neilson (Herald): Alert level review on way with new vaccine passport – Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson
Bernard Hickey (The Kākā): Dawn Chorus: ‘Vaccine certificates for summer’
RNZ: Events industry wants information about vaccine passports as soon as possible
Debbie Jamieson (Stuff): Tourism business offers free school holiday entry to vaccinated visitors
Nikki Mandow (Newsroom): Business to Govt on vaccinations: ‘We are flying blind’

Vaccine rollout
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Vaccinations are hitting a wall and the Government needed a plan for this yesterday
Ben Goodale (Herald): Hitting 90% is ‘a big hairy audacious goal’ – can NZ do it?
Rebecca Moore (1 News): Vaccine expert ‘upset’ pregnant Canterbury mum cautioned about Pfizer jab
Adam Pearse (Herald): Auckland GPs turn detective to debunk Covid myths
Alice Angeloni (Local Democracy Reporting): Kai a natural fit at marae vaccine event, says chair
Tina Tiller (Spinoff): Auckland’s Cook Islands vaccination event, reviewed
Mark Levesley (Newsroom): Why quick vaccine development is a good thing
Laura Walters (Stuff): Papua New Guinea forced to transfer vaccines donated by New Zealand
Adam Pearse (Herald): ICU nurse Jenny McGee – ‘When people plead for the vaccine … it’s far too late’

Inequality
Justin Latif (Local Democracy Reporting): Disability advocates fear lockdown is leaving many alone, confused and short of food
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): KiwiSaver hardships claims spiked during lockdown, manager fees too
RNZ: KiwiSaver withdrawals for significant hardship up 42.8 percent

Alert level rules, compliance, enforcement
1 News: Police officer allegedly breached Auckland border to attend funeral
RNZ: Police commissioner concerned about interest, potential size of Tamaki protest
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Police Commissioner meets with Destiny Church’s Brian Tamaki on ‘freedom’ protests, warns risk of ‘enforcement’
1 News: Police meet with Brian Tamaki over planned lockdown protest
Carolyne Meng-Yee (Herald): Top police bosses met with Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki over planned protest (paywalled)
Derek Cheng (Herald): Auckland Mayor Phil Goff slams Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki over lockdown protest plans
Craig Kapitan (Herald): Investigation after police officer allegedly breached Auckland’s border for funeral
Melanie Earley (Stuff): Dad expecting triplets denied travel exemption to enter Auckland for birth
Craig Kapitan (Herald): Rotorua father denied re-entry to Auckland for birth of triplets
Zane Small (Newshub): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern outlines new categories of permitted travel across alert level 3 Auckland boundary
1 News: Rules around travelling out of Auckland during Level 3 loosened
Zoe Holland (Herald): Relocating Aucklanders pleased with relaxed boundary rules
Ella Stewart (RNZ): Moving company flooded with clients after govt announcement

Cases, demographics, testing
Melanie Earley (Stuff): 78% of community cases in Delta outbreak had not been vaccinated
1 News: Level 3 workers asked to get two Covid tests in next fortnight – Bloomfield
Melanie Earley (Stuff): No new locations of interest for first time since Delta outbreak began
Scott Yeoman and Michael Daly (Stuff): Tauranga leaders cautious over Covid in wastewater
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): No plans to increase Tauranga’s alert levels after viral fragments found in wastewater – Jacinda Ardern
Bay of Plenty Times: Positive wastewater test result in Tauranga
Liam Napier (Herald): Brisbane Covid-19 outbreak forces All Blacks indoors
Jacqui Southey (Herald):  Children bear the burden of Covid-19 lockdowns (paywalled)
Vaimoana Tapaleao (Herald): Positive case at Auckland MIQ facility transferred to hospital

Business, economy, employment, wage subsidy
Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): Government debt is becoming less of a big deal
Richard Prebble (Herald): Muldoonism looms large – and that’s a problem (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): 8000 more on the Jobseeker benefit since lockdown began
Andre Chumko (Stuff): Delta-related losses for Aotearoa’s cultural sectors total $466m
Ethan Sills (Herald): Government brings forwards $37.5 million in funding for arts, cultural sector
Grant Bradley (Herald): Crunch time looming for airlines to NZ (paywalled)
Devon Bolger (Herald): NZ Cup and Show week: Almost $1 million a day on the line for Canterbury if events don’t go ahead as planned
Rahul Bhattarai (Herald): Online shopping up 9% annually: new Westpac survey studies pandemic’s effects (paywalled)
Cameron Bagrie (BusinessDesk): Which big bank will back NZ business? (paywalled)

Housing, property investment, tenancy rules
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Tax change expected to cost property investors $1b over four years
Zane Small (Newshub): Two decade exemption for new builds in tax change meant to deter property investment
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Interest deductibility policy is a ‘tenants’ tax, property investor group says
Tony Alexander (OneRoof): 20-year tax rule will keep investor eyes on new builds
Anna Whyte (1 News): Govt releases property investor interest deductibility rules
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Tax to sting landlords unveiled, with 20-year exemption for new builds and boarders
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Govt floats bigger tax break for build-to-rent homes (paywalled)
RNZ: Some developers may be offered incentive by tax-rule exemption
Daniel Riordan (NBR): Property investor tax still ‘very complex’, ‘poor policy’ (paywalled)
RNZ: New tenancy clause to provide ‘certainty, clarity’ for renters, landlords, govt says
RNZ: New tenancy scheme likely to deter first home buyers – advocate
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): ‘This is completely out of the blue’: Property industry blindsided by commercial lease changes (paywalled)
Zane Small (Newshub): Surprise tenancy changes: Level 4 terminations banned, mandatory commercial rent compromise
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): Epidemic lease clause a ‘kick in the teeth’ (paywalled)
Tina Morrison (Stuff): Law change to encourage landlords and tenants to share financial burden of Covid-19
Anne Gibson (Herald): Residential landlords keener to sell, more reluctant to buy: new Crockers/Tony Alexander survey (paywalled)
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): NZ’s housing market ‘severely unaffordable’ (paywalled)
Vita Molyneux (Herald): Wellington house prices skyrocket, giving first-buyers ‘steep hills to climb’
Vandhna Bjhan (1 News): Social housing complex has tenants cars towed in Auckland lockdown

Water reforms
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Mahuta won’t rule out forcing councils into Three Waters reforms
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (RNZ): Bill amended to include need for warrant to enter a marae
Matthew Littlewood (Stuff): Timaru District Council opposes Three Waters reform
Logan Savory (Stuff): Invercargill councillor: Government’s Three Waters reform a telethon
Susan Botting (Local Democracy Reporting): Whangārei Mayor says don’t force the proposal on councils

Local government
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland Council: Unexpected boom delivers $1.9 billion surplus
Anne Gibson (Herald): Auckland’s $133m mid-town regeneration plans: Fewer cars, more pedestrians and cyclists (paywalled)
Anne Gibson (Herald): Mothballed for four years: St James Theatre restoration wants $15m from Government (paywalled)
Gary Hamilton-Irvine (Herald): ‘Conflict of interest’ claim as bid to increase size of Hastings District Council heats up (paywalled)
RNZ: Deputy mayor admits wrongdoing after ‘racist’ comments to councillor
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): Mayors, tangata whenua set up group to develop regional climate action plan
Chloe Ranford (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘Outrageous’ bylaw excludes whanau from long coast connection, says iwi

AUKUS, foreign affairs, trade
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Trade Minister Damien O’Connor headed to Europe to talk free trade
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Market access, investment rules hold up UK-NZ FTA as Trade Minister Damien O’Connor heads on trade trip
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Trade Minister Damien O’Connor’s not-so secret Washington trip revealed, other destinations unclear
RNZ: Trade minister finalises trip to US and Europe
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): China’s trade bid exposes fiscal hole in US strategy

Environment, conservation
Amber Allott  (Stuff): Two-thirds of New Zealand river sites have enough poo germs to make people sick
Josephine Franks (Stuff): Waiheke marina stoush: Workers and protectors return to Kennedy Point at level 3

Health
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Mediawatch: Confused claims of Covid-compromised cancer care
Craig Kapitan (Herald): Teen essential worker turned away for tumour scan due to work exposure event
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): Midwives welcome extension of ACC maternal birth injury cover
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Māori will take a century to catch up with Pākehā for life expectancy, new report finds 
Herald: Damning report says governments have breached rights of people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer (Herald): Mental health and Covid pandemic – NZ can be stronger together

Transport
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Auckland police ‘dropped the ball’ on drink-driving and speeding prevention targets – report
Joel MacManus (Stuff): Trams or a bendy bus? Wellington mass rapid transit down to two options
Matt Burgess (Herald): ‘Feebate’ – the Government’s reverse Robin Hood scheme (paywalled)
Tim Brown (RNZ): Electric bus being trialled on Dunedin hills
Andrea Fox (Herald): Christmas warning: Australian strike will worsen shipping woes (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Weekday Te Huia rail link heading to central Auckland, finally
Andrew Owen (Stuff): Port Taranaki looking at rail to deliver more logs for export
Georgina Campbell (Herald): A Capital Letter: More cycleways are coming to Wellington whether you like it or not

Justice
Naomi Arnold (RNZ): Murder victim’s sister in battle to access court documents
Laura Walters (Stuff): Judges sentencing gang members take starkly different views of Mob-led rehab programme
Sarah Moore (Stuff): Where’s the social media outrage and march for Lena Zhang Harrap?

Education
Jamie Morton (Herald): ‘Flatly embarrassing’: 700 scientists call for pay hike for Marsden students
RNZ: NZ’s first Māori Dean of Law excited to lead law school changes
1 News: Otago Uni offer staff voluntary redundancy amid financial woes

Other
Josh Van Veen (Democracy Project): An Illusion of History: Neoliberalism is Just Another Word for Social Democracy
Hugh Campbell (Newsroom): Stop the clocks: The politics of nostalgia in the Groundswell farmer protests
No Right Turn: Our right to know is under threat
Alastair Espie (BusinessDesk): Why workers should have the right to remain private (paywalled)
Michael Neilson (Herald): ‘By Māori, for Māori’ the ‘bare minimum’ expected from Oranga Tamariki review
Jane Tiller and Andrew Shelling (The Conversation): Why New Zealanders are vulnerable to genetic discrimination in health and life insurance
Herald: Customers furious as another outage hits Kiwibank
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Kiwibank app, online banking out of action again: ‘Changing banks soon as I can’
Sahiban Hyde (Hawkes Bay Today/Herald): Spark staff given ‘de-escalation’ training before Havelock North cell tower site installation (paywalled)
Matt Mills (Guardian): ‘Racism is rampant’: Alien Weaponry, the metal band standing up for Māori culture
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Trustpower deal decision highlights regional price differences (paywalled)
Paul Gregory (Newsroom): KiwiSaver upgrades follow ‘annus mirabilis’