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

Vaccine mandates, Wellington anti-mandate protest
Luke Malpass (Stuff): The protesters who set fire to their own cause
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Questions over how protest grew so large, and on misinformation, loom over the future (paywalled)
Ben Thomas (Stuff): A fantasy of connection in the real world
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): The day the grounds of parliament burned
Richard Harman (Politik): It was always going to come to this (paywalled)
Chris Trotter: The Twenty-Third Day
Herald: Parliament occupation: Former police negotiator says sprinklers hardened standoff resolve
Stuff Editorial: Fire and force, milk and menace
Mark Daalder (Newsroom): Clashes a catalysing moment for NZ’s fringe
Jo Moir (Newsroom): The day the music died
David Farrar: Despicable scenes at Parliament
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): 2/3/2022 has been a terrible day for NZ Democracy – the rough Beast of Bethlehem burns
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Parliament’s Lawns burn while Mallard fiddles as the woke cheer – this is who NZ is now
No Right Turn: Thoughts on a riot
Herald Editorial:Parliament protest broken up having proved nothing (paywalled)
Herald: World reacts to Wellington protesters setting ‘Parliament lawn ablaze’
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Zane Small (Newshub): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemns ‘violent’ Parliament demonstration ‘fuelled by conspiracy theories’
1 News: ‘Foreign influence’ involved in protest misinformation, PM says
RNZ: PM Jacinda Ardern on violence outside Parliament: ‘We will restore these grounds’
Herald: Trevor Mallard believes wall around Parliament may be needed
Herald: MPs call out ‘shocking and distressing’ scenes on Parliament grounds
Glenn McConnel (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern promises peace will return to Wellington
Jane Matthews (Stuff): Taranaki MP’s heartbreak at violent scenes as police bring an end to occupation of Parliament grounds
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1News: Police won’t tolerate renewal of protest at Parliament – Coster
Blair Ensor and Sam Sherwood (Stuff): Baptism of fire: The police operation that ended the occupation of Parliament
André Chumko, George Block and Erin Gourley (Stuff): Protesters disperse from Parliament after major police operation
RNZ: Parliament grounds ‘reclaimed’: Police operation ends 23-day protest
Herald: 12 hours of mayhem – How standoff went up in flames
Herald: Commissioner Andrew Coster reveals why police moved on protesters today
1News: Growing concerning behaviour led to protest operation – Coster
Ben Strang (Stuff): ‘It will take as long as it takes’: Coster vows to bring Wellington protest to an end
Anna Leask (Herald): Police won’t stop until occupation cleared out, says former frontline cop
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1News: Wellington mayor working on support package to ‘reactivate’ city
Anna Leask (Herald): ‘Thank you’ – Parliament’s neighbours applaud, cheer police after 23 days of worry and fear over protest
Erin Gourley (Stuff): Parliament grounds clean-up crew to show ‘what community actually looks like’ 
André Chumko, Matthew Tso and George Block (Stuff): Clean-up begins for Parliament and Wellington after protesters evicted
1News: Mass of debris strewn across Parliament grounds after protest
Herald: Riots, fire and violence as police end occupation
Herald: Police fire sponge rounds at mob; protesters smash university campus; PM blasts occupiers ‘desecrating’ Parliament
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Parliament protest damage bill climbs: $242,000 children’s slide set ablaze among extensive destruction
Zane Small (Newshub): Parliament’s $500,000 playground set on fire in shocking scenes as police circle in on protesters
Herald: Police storm occupation site – tents on fire, slide torched as Parliament lawn cleared
Sophie Trigger (Herald): Card spending down 50% in Wellington, level of protest pollution unknown
Laura Walters (Stuff): Protesters lose ground, key amenities in assertive police operation
Steven Walton (Stuff): All Wellington trains stopped amid ‘deteriorating’ Parliament protest
Laura Walters (Stuff): Fires burn at Parliament as protesters mount last-ditch effort to hold on
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Herald: Heart-stopping moment protester aims car at police
RNZ: Photo essay: Fires, explosions and violence on grounds of Parliament
Herald: Through the lens: Police action in Wellington
Stuff:  Photos & Videos: Police have taken back control of Parliament grounds
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Nadine Porter and Amber Allott (Stuff): Wellington protesters heading to Cranmer Square, Christchurch protesters say 
Dylan Reeve (Spinoff): As police target parliament grounds, clone protests spring up around New Zealand
James Halpin (Stuff): Council quiet on negotiations with Auckland Domain protesters
RNZ: Kiingitanga calls for resolution to occupations on Covid-19 measure
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Matthew Scott (Newsroom): Hipkins: Schools interpreted sports vaccination rules too narrowly
Zoë George (Stuff): Vaccine mandates may be gone in time for winter sport
Diane McCarthy (Stuff): Whakatāne hospitality businesses tell MP – mandates are killing us
Evan Harding’ (Stuff): Mandate injured’ teacher supporting High Court action
Luisa Girao (ODT): Demand to end vax mandate rejected

Russia invasion of Ukraine
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): The ins and outs of autonomous sanctions
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): British High Commissioner Laura Clarke says autonomous sanctions good option
Simon O’Conno (Herald):  NZ needs power to impose autonomous sanctions (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Christopher Luxon says New Zealand must keep independent foreign policy in aftermath of Ukraine conflict
RNZ: National Party leader Christopher Luxon calls for Russian ambassador to be expelled
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): NZ agrees to release oil reserves as part of response to war on Ukraine
Shane Te Pou (Herald): Why the war in Ukraine matters to Kiwis (paywalled)
RNZ: New Zealand to contribute in global oil stocks release – Minister
Emile Donovan (RNZ): The Detail: What we don’t want is World War III’ – Clark on Ukraine
Merepeka Raukawa-Tait (Bay of Plenty Times/Herald):  Russia-Ukraine war a sign leaders have learned nothing (paywalled)
David Chaplin (BusinessDesk): The Russian exit: why the way out is not easy for investors (paywalled)
Will Trafford (Māori TV): Putin’s invasion could be blow to fisheries – Jones

Public health measures, Testing, Masks, Vaccine, Isolation
Toby Morris (Spinoff): The Side Eye’s Two New Zealands: The left behind
Derek Cheng (Herald): Fears vulnerable patients falling through cracks due to ministry IT issues
Keith Lynch (Stuff): Omicron NZ: Will everyone catch Covid in the current wave?
Paula Tesoriero (Stuff): ‘Oh well, we’ll all get it’ attitude to Omicron ignores increased risk to people with disabilities
Nadine Porter (Stuff): New website allows people to order free RATs online 
1 News: Free rapid antigen tests now available for home testing
RNZ: Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins on RATs: ‘We don’t want people stockpiling’
Herald: Minister doesn’t want Ashley Bloomfield to resign over testing failure
Soumya Bhamidipati (RNZ): Delays in RAT delivery the latest government failure during pandemic, doctor says
Leon Grice (BusinessDesk): RATs not good enough for our coming omicron peak (paywalled)
Daniel Smith (Stuff): Price gouging concerns raised for rapid antigen tests – Consumer NZ
Aimee Shaw (Herald): Kiwi RATs importer on incoming sales boom – why NZ should be safe from price gouging seen in Australia (paywalled)
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Wellington test sites under pressure, stadium being set up instead
Herald: Health services report high demand for tests

Govt response to Omicron outbreak, Cases
Jamie Morton (Herald): The biggest Covid 19 question: What comes after Omicron? (paywalled)
Kate Newton and Steven Walton (Stuff): Covid-19 in 12 charts as cases and hospitalisations take off
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Majority of residents at Dunedin rest home test positive for Covid-19
Mike Houlahan (ODT): 20 of 26 infected as rest-home infiltrated
Melanie Earley (Stuff): One death during Omicron outbreak was infected with Delta variant
Herald: Doctor says gastro symptoms in children with the virus are typical of viral illness
Mina Kerr-Lazenby (Stuff): More than 22,000 community cases, MIQ to be shrunk
Susana Suisuiki (RNZ): Pasifika need to be proactive in phase three of Omicron response
Arena Williams and Stuart Smith (Stuff): Propaganda isn’t new, what’s different is how social media weaponises misinformation

Health
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Surgery centre cuts services, diverts staff to Middlemore amid Omicron woes
Hannah Martin (Stuff): New Zealand’s hospital and ICU beds in numbers, as Omicron cases rise
Louisa Steyl (Stuff): Rural hospitals prepared to take patients 
Katie Townshend (Stuff): Specialised ward opens as Nelson-Marlborough daily cases top 250
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Cancer services plan ‘just adequate’
Sophie Harris (Stuff): Fears mothers and newborns put at risk by a lack of Plunket support
Olivia Shivas (Stuff): World Hearing Day: New Zealand needs accessibility legislation for ‘freedom and choice’ 

Border
Zane Smith (Newshub): National leader Christopher Luxon accepts ‘we do need to get through the peak’ of Omicron before welcoming tourists
RNZ: Border restrictions: Tourists could be welcomed to NZ earlier than expected – Sir David Skegg
Lorna Thornber (Stuff): Overseas travel: Is it time for New Zealand to scrap pre-departure tests?
Jonathan Leask (Local Democracy Reporting): Fears border changes may burst domestic travel bubble
Jane Phare (Herald): ‘I owe how much?’ Sir Ian Taylor chased by debt collector for an MIQ bill

Employment
Ryan Boswell (1News): Gloriavale gets $2m a year in tax credits, court hears
Ryan Boswell (1News): Gloriavale member tells court wages donated back to trust
Joanne Naish (Stuff): Founder’s son fails to give evidence for Gloriavale in Employment Court
Rachel Thomas (Stuff): Employment Court to assess bid to halt 10,000 allied health workers from striking
Alisha Evans (Local Democracy Reporting): Union labels DHBs’ court action a ‘cynical move’
RNZ: Employment Court to consider injunction to stop health workers’ strike
Daniel Smith (Stuff): Restaurant to pay former employee $11,500 after post-lockdown redundancy ruled unjustified
David Dyason (Herald): Our window on workers is closing

Parliament, MPs
Jaydene Buckley (Stuff): Covid-19 makes need for open government more important than ever 
Thomas Coughlan (Herald):  Jacinda Ardern besting Christopher Luxon in Question Time (paywalled)
Brigitte Morten (NBR): Labour’s ego stops bipartisan progress (paywalled)
Herald: Jacinda Ardern reveals she forgot anniversary with Clarke Gayford on air with Jono and Ben

Housing
RNZ: Credit approvals continue to be hit by changes to rules – Centrix
Rob Stock (Stuff): Increase in loan rejections sharpest for people with high 700-plus credit scores, Centrix says
Tamsyn Parker (Herald):  Lower risk borrowers more affected by credit law change (paywalled)
Riley Kennedy (ODT): Housing market slows as lending becomes restrictive
Cameron Bagrie (BusinessDesk): More to housing slowdown than CCCFA lending rules (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Consents drop but turning them into houses ‘still the bigger problem’
Nicholas Pointon (RNZ): House price growth rate lowest since Sept 2020 as property market loses strength
Greg Ninness (Interest): CoreLogic says rising property values may have peaked and are likely to start falling soon
Stuff: Billion-dollar Sleepyhead project given official go-ahead

Local government
Luisa Girao (ODT): Support group to stay in place
Dan Sheridan (Stuff): Treaty claim could halt Tauranga reserve development
Matthew Rosenberg (Local Democracy Reporting): Tairāwhiti: Hapū collective making progress with council over land return
Maia Hart (Local Democracy Reporting): Marlborough council backs iwi collaboration on freshwater management
Stephen Ward (Stuff): $300,000 in pest fish machinery sits idle under Waikato Regional Council’s watch
Chloe Ranford (Local Democracy Reporting): Pictures tell story of multi-million dollar council art collections
Felix Desmarais (Local Democracy Reporting): Lake weed stench plagues Rotorua lakefront
Maia Hart (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘Glaring omission’ corrected with extra funds for Marlborough Heritage Trust
Brendon McMahon (Local Democracy Reporting): Council promises flood protection work will start in six months
Tess Brunton (RNZ): Stewart Island/Rakiura: Community board backs doubling of visitor levy, but not triple
Deena Coster (Stuff): Councillor concern over lack of progress on $25m Waitara walkway plans
Glenn McLean (Stuff): NPDC boss spends $30k on professional development
Marjorie Cook (ODT): Quality of Life results disappoint

Education
Ella Stewart (RNZ): Covid-19 taking its toll on university students in halls of residence
Sinead Gill (Stuff): Third of students in Dunedin’s halls of residence isolating with Covid-19
Ellen O’Dwyer and Tom Hunt (Stuff): Isolation food criticised amid hundreds of Victoria University hall cases
Katy Jones (Stuff): College to re-open but questions over hybrid learning
James Halpin (Stuff): Third of ‘precarious academic staff’ face bullying, discrimination – survey
Lee Kenny (Stuff): Former MP Amy Adams named as new chancellor of University of Canterbury

Economy, Business
Daniel Dunkley (Stuff): Fear factor weighs on hopes of return to normal as Covid restrictions ease
John Anthony (Stuff): Covid-hit New Zealand Couriers delivering only critical items to Auckland as Covid bites
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Meat, Starbucks and Hello Fresh in short supply as staff isolate and supply shortages continue
Keiller MacDuff (Stuff): Fight ahead for hospitality operators as Omicron hits
RNZ: Hotels planning full room refits as managed isolation and quarantine comes to an end
RNZ: 16.5m funding available for Matariki-related tourism infrastructure
Andrea Fox (Herald): Auckland importers and exporters’ cargo congestion penalty bill tops $140m-plus
Rahul Sen and Sadhana Srivastava (Herald): An unpredictable road ahead
Tina Morrison (Stuff): Dairy prices jump 5.1% to a record, boding well for milk payments to farmers
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): DOC closes Whanganui River journey after paddlers test positive
Chris Keall (Herald): Telcos cracking down on sim card hijacking, again – why this time is different (paywalled)
Chris Keall (Herald): Consumer group wants roaming charges scrapped, telcos push back (paywalled)
Tim McCready (Herald): Deloitte Top 200 awards: Top business leaders crowned

Environment, Climate Change
RNZ: Govt taking public feedback on managing new forest planting
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): Climate Commission responds before fire closes court: We can’t move as fast as activists desire
Maxine Jacobs (Stuff): ‘We must act now’ — Māori researchers call for action on major climate report
Hamish MacLean (ODT): New inquiry after staff refusal to talk
Stephen Ward (Stuff): River appeal centres on control of up to $40 million in clean-up funding

Other
Susan St John (Daily Blog): The purpose and principles of the social security act
Brent Edwards (NBR): Is Transmission Gully delay a sign of weakness or strength of PPPs? (paywalled)
Dita De Boni (NBR): Mayoral aspirant plugs vision of free public transport nirvana (paywalled)
Stefan Dimitrof (Māori TV): New trade deal’s cultural protection fails against big money
Matthew Hooton: Wellington, Kyiv, the UN and Ashley Bloomfield (paywalled)
Jamie Mackay (Herald): From Russia to Wellington – here’s what I’m thinking (paywalled)
Adam Jacobson (Stuff): Taxpayer bill for Erebus memorial up $1m, caused by protest-related delays and Covid
Andrew McRae (RNZ): Child abuse operation: Level of offending much higher than before – investigator
Edward Gay and Catrin Owen (Stuff): 43 Kiwis arrested, six children rescued as part of global abuse investigation
Dita De Boni (NBR): TVNZ heads have full confidence but little detail on planned RNZ merger (paywalled)