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

Russia invasion of Ukraine
Alexander Gillespie (The Conversation): How will NZ’s sanctions law against Russia work – and what are the risks?
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Putin’s villainy moves political will on autonomous sanctions
Michael Neilson (Herald): Jacinda Ardern beefs up Russia sanctions; 100 banned from NZ travel; moves to block superyachts
Richard Harman (Politik): Abramov not on sanctions list: (paywalled)
James Perry (Māori TV): Russian oligarch with marae connection may be on NZ’s new sanctions list
Amelia Wade (Newshub): The number of Russians who have invested their way into New Zealand revealed
Stuff Editorial: More sanctions welcome but aid remains an imperative
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Russia sanctions bill: It’s vital NZ send ‘very clear message’ over Ukraine – expert
Stuff: Russia includes New Zealand in list of unfriendly countries
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Government to pass law urgently to freeze Russian assets, close New Zealand airspace and waters to Russian aircraft and vessel
Zane Small (Newshub): New Zealand to freeze assets of Russia’s elite, ban super yachts, ships and aircraft in support of Ukraine
Anna Whyte (1News): NZ to introduce targeted sanction regime against Russia
RNZ: PM Jacinda Ardern speaks after Cabinet meeting, confirms new Russia Sanctions Bill
Eva Corlett (Guardian): New Zealand to ramp up Russia sanctions with ‘first of its kind’ law
Caitlan Johnston (Herald): ‘We do want to do more’: Jacinda Ardern says bespoke Russian sanctions bill would target oligarchs, Cabinet meets today to discuss
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Government to introduce sanctions targetting supporters, decision-makers of invasion
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Foreign fighters: NZers want to take up arms in Ukraine
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Ukraine artwork unveiled at Beehive in solidarity against Russia invasion

National Party
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): The most interesting thing about Chris Luxon’s tax cut speech (paywalled)
Gordon Campbell: On Luxon’s tired tax plan
Bernard Hickey (The Kākā): There’s a $2b hole in Luxon’s tax cut plan (paywalled)
Liam Hehir (The Platform): Luxon hit the big issues
Liam Hehir: Inflation-proofing is a fight worth having (paywalled)
Michael Reddell: Not being entirely straightforward
Eric Crampton: Luxon’s tax proposals
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): Luxon thinks the answer to the cost-of-living crisis is less taxes
No Right Turn: The selfishness of tax cuts
Curwen Ares Robinson (Daily Blog): On Luxon’s Muscovite Specter Speech Purportedly Haunting The Nation
Liam Hehir: On the dumbest critique of the Luxon speech (paywalled)
David Farrar: National pledges to reverse tax bracket creep
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): PM Jacinda Ardern says National’s proposed tax cuts would increase debt or force cuts to essential services
1News: Tax cuts would benefit those who earn the most – Ardern
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Stefan Dimitrof (Māori TV): He Puapua: National still troubled by ‘separatist’ document
Whatitiri Te Wake (Māori TV): Nats in conversations with ‘high calibre’ Māori to contest Māori seats

Supermarket competition
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Live: Moves to improve competition but no supermarket split
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Live: Commerce Commission releases final report into supermarkets
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Day of truth arrives for supermarket competition
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Supermarket study – has the Commerce Commission stuck to its guns?
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Consumer NZ outlines its wishlist for supermarket change

Anti-mandate protests, misinformation, rule breaches
André Chumko (Stuff): Worries for Wellington’s homeless population after Parliament protest
Paul Hunt (Stuff): Why I listened to the Parliament protesters – and what we should do now
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Conservatives and Revolutionaries: Together At Last!
Steven Cowan: Angry voices that remain unheard
David Farrier: Looking back at the Wellington Riots
Duncan Greive (Spinoff): The protest lost at parliament – but it unequivocally won the social media war
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Parliament protester comes forward after anti-mandate crowd accuse him of being police plant, Antifa infiltrator or Clarke Gayford
Gianina Schwanecke (Stuff): Police yet to reveal what officers were sprayed with during clash with Wellington protesters nearly two weeks on
RNZ: 28 Parliament protesters believed to have tested positive
Lane Nichols (Herald): Anti-mandate protester regrets calling Auckland iwi ‘violent’ and denies being racist
Lane Nichols (Herald): Anti-vaccine mandate protesters disparage iwi, laugh at haka after standoff at Auckland beach
William Hewett (Newshub): Woman filmed in heated confrontation with anti-mandate protesters
Steven Walton (Stuff): Anti-mandate protesters to vacate Christchurch public park by Thursday morning
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Dear Destiny Church – it is your democratic duty NOT to pay the $24,000 invoice from the Christchurch City Council
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Stuff: Zero tolerance for unvaccinated doctors and teachers necessary to prevent transmission, Crown tells judge
Sam Olley (RNZ): Pair who caused Northland lockdown won’t be charged

Omicron outbreak, Cases
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Doctors, technicians filling in as Middlemore Hospital hit with staff shortages
1News: Hospitals entering ‘critical point’ in Omicron outbreak – Ardern
Tom Kitchin (RNZ): Hawke’s Bay Hospital services reduced as Covid-19 outbreak grows
Piers Fuller (Stuff): Record number of 111 calls leads to delays
RNZ: Record 111 calls made to ambulance services over weekend
Alex Kazemi (Spinoff): Avoiding the icebergs: Healthcare after Covid
Northern Advocate: Dr Shane Reti’s column and graphics removed for more analysis
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Shane Reti article on mental health deleted after data in it attacked as misleading
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Nearly 4 percent of NZ is an active case
Māori TV: Māori second-highest daily cases; 300,000+ Māori unvaccinated
Dave Armstrong (Stuff): Plague times in the capital
RNZ: Chatham Islands ramps up Covid-19 response as first cases detected
Eva Corlett (Guardian): Chatham Islands, one of world’s most remote places, records first Covid cases
Jake Kenny and Amber Allott (Stuff): Student parties attended by ‘hundreds’ leave neighbours fearing super-spreader event
John Lewis (ODT): ‘No joke’: Bid to sell positive Covid tests ‘distressing’
Will Trafford (Māori TV): Self-isolation policies hit home as food parcel demand soars
Jody O’Callaghan (Stuff): ‘We need help’: Rising costs of living, Omicron leaves preschool struggling to support needy families

Public health measures, Testing, Vaccine, Isolation, lockdown
Joel MacManus (Stuff): Self-reported Covid case numbers now ‘unreliable metric’ – epidemiologist
RNZ: Aim is for 90% of people to access RAT within 20 minute drive – MOH
Denise Piper (Stuff): Kaipara ‘left out again and again’, facing hours-long trip for tests
Penny Mackay (RNZ): Getting a rapid antigen test on the Kapiti Coast – an exercise in the absurd
Mike Houlahan and Tracey Roxburgh (ODT): Inquiry into vax failure
Jared McCulloch (1News): Around 1600 affected after Covid vaccines stored incorrectly
RNZ: More than 1500 people affected by incorrect storage
Louisa Steyl (Stuff): Southern DHB alerted to vaccine storage breach
Mike Houlahan and Tracey Roxburgh (ODT): Doubts over booster protection from Queenstown provider
Kate Nicol-Williams (1News): Booster shots for 16 and 17 year old’s recommended – Bloomfield

International Women’s Day, women in business, employment
Susan St John (Newsroom): NZ still a long way from gender equality
Luana Scowcroft (Herald): Wellington City Council- Time to ditch the men?
Herald Editorial: International Women’s Day should be every day (paywalled)
Lyn Farry (ODT): A day to celebrate women but there is still work to be done
Andy Fyers (BusinessDesk): Few top companies reporting pay gaps (paywalled)
Dita De Boni (NBR): Pay gap peer pressure initiative ready for lift-off (paywalled)
Theresa Gattung (Herald): Angel investors key to unlocking female potential in 2022 (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Women bearing work-from-home load, research shows
Zoë George (Stuff): The state of pay for women in sport on International Women’s Day
Indira Stewart (1News): International Women’s Day: Inspirational wāhine making a difference
Herald: International Women’s Day: Five Kiwi women who left their mark last year
Stephanie Ockhuysen (Stuff): International Women’s Day: The bubble tea business boss

Parliament, MPs, Parties
Duncan Garner (NBR): Why is telling the truth so hard? (Paywalled)
Anna Whyte (1News): Number of MPs test positive for Covid-19
RNZ: National Party leader Christopher Luxon and MP Simon Bridges test positive for Covid-19
Henry Cooke (RNZ): Christopher Luxon tests positive for Covid-19, feels ‘fine’
Zane Small (Newshub): National leader Christopher Luxon, MP Mark Mitchell test positive for COVID-19
Herald: National leader Christopher Luxon tests positive
Naomii Seah (Spinoff): Why you should care about youth parliament

Economy, business
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Kiwis hit back after PM Jacinda Ardern declines to call cost of living spike a crisis
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): PM Jacinda Ardern denies Government spending wasteful, pushes back on claim NZ in cost of living crisis
Aimee Shaw (Herald): Cost of living fuelling concerns: Consumer NZ
Mike Yardley (Stuff): Cost of living could be a tougher mountain to climb than peak Omicron
David Hargreaves (Interest): ASB economists now see NZ inflation driving up over 7% in the first half of this year, mainly on the back of surging oil prices
Liam Dann (Herald): Deepening war in Ukraine means more price pain for Kiwis, more pressure on Government (paywalled)
Jean Bell (Newsroom): Workforces wiped out, executives feeling the heat in Omicron outbreak
Matthew Tso, Bill Hickman and Kate Green (Stuff): Staff shortages in supermarket supply chain leading to empty shelves in Wellington stores
Matt Nippert (Herald): Where’s Eric Watson? US regulators seek to serve embattled Kiwi in insider trading case (paywalled)
RNZ: Mainzeal directors made rational decisions for company, Supreme Court hears
Rob Stock (Stuff): Former prime minister Jenny Shipley and fellow Mainzeal directors seek to overturn $36 million damages at Supreme Court
Nicholas Pointon (RNZ): Mainzeal case before the Supreme Court today
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): Promised law changes to rein in NZ building society exports in the slow lane
Riley Kennedy (ODT): Scarcity of materials hits builders
Helen Harvey (Taranaki Daily News): NPDC looking at $100,000 package to help businesses struggling as people stay home
Martin Devlin (NBR): For business sakes open the gates (paywalled)

Housing
Geraden Cann (Stuff): Home affordability tumbles 25 per cent in three months, university report finds
Rob Stock (Stuff): Housing boom pushes bank profits to a record $6 billion profit last year – KPMG
Anne Gibson (Herald): Developers, Act, National leaders on Kāinga Ora trouble developing 21 apartments: ’embarrassing’ (paywalled)
Nigel Mayson (NBR): Rethinking our approach to housing (paywalled)
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): Housing crisis: Homeless mother of six says she was forced to pitch a tent during storm
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Another part of NZ joins $1 million asking price club
John Minto (Daily Blog): Demanding the government adopt an industrial-scale state house building programme
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): Brightline has its dark sides – tax specialist (paywalled)

Local government, Three Waters
Simon Wilson (Herald): Party politics and the Auckland mayoral race (paywalled)
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland mayoralty: Viv Beck wants fuel tax gone, but projects to continue
Redline: Defend free speech against the Auckland Council’s dirty tricks
Mona Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘It’s a dog’s breakfast’: Ruapehu joins Three Waters revolt
1News: Rates revolt planned if Tauranga’s commissioners stay on
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Omicron outbreak: Wellington stops glass recycling, public transport to be stretched to the limit
Will Trafford (Māori TV): Exotic tree fallout: Maunga Authority could fight court ruling
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): Rates rises keenly felt in poorer suburbs
Maia Hart (Local Democracy Reporting): What does everyone want for Marlborough in the future?
Janine Rankin (Stuff): Palmerston North’s deputy mayor feels the isolation pain

Environment, Climate Change
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): NZ’s fair contribution to the climate fight
RNZ: Ashburton councillors questioning climate change ’embarrassing’, colleague says
Kristy Frame (RNZ): Porirua council plans to move houses for future flood planning
No Right Turn: The massive cost of climate change
Sara Walton (Newsroom): Business needs to urgently embrace climate resilience
Eda Tang (Stuff): No backing down for freshwater campaigner Marnie Prickett — the voice of rivers

Media
Graham Adams (The Platform): From pigeon to statue: Siouxsie Wiles’ reputation takes a fresh hit
Stuff: Media Council upholds professors’ complaint
David Farrar: Media Council finds Wiles column breach of press standards
Gavin Ellis: Bearing witness against protesters and Putin
Herald: We invited our readers to grill NZH editors. They didn’t hold back

Health
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Disbelief at NZ registration refusal
RNZ: Medical Council taken to court by neurosurgeon after fail bid for specialist registration
Bodo Lang (Newsroom): Not sweet as: Government must deliver on sugary drinks promise
Kim Moodie (RNZ): Smokers more likely to get severely ill or die from Covid-19, research shows
Peter Bale (BusinessDesk): Riana Manuel – on the frontline of Maori health in NZ

Abuse in Care Royal Commission 
Jamie Tahana (RNZ): Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry begins hearing Māori experiences
Maxine Jacobs (Stuff): ‘I was a child at the mercy of a monster’: Survivor of abuse in state care launches royal commission’s Māori hearing
Te Rina Kowhai (Newshub): Māori hearing of inquiry into historical abuse in state care begins with two youth survivors’ evidence
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (1News): Māori victims share horrific details of abuse in state care
Will Trafford (Māori TV): Abused Māori begin contributions to royal commission
Tumamao Harawira (Māori TV): State abuse of Māori heard at Ōrākei marae

Justice, corrections
Paula Penfold and Louisa Cleave (Stuff): FASD prison releasee died of overdose, waiting for help
Katie Doyle (RNZ): How two offenders escaped a youth justice residence – and a response from Oranga Tamariki
Te Aorewa Rolleston (Stuff): Prison Covid restrictions could trigger Waikeria riots repeat, warns partner

Transport
Wilson Longhurst (1News): Road to rail: Can NZ get back on track with trains?
Georgina Campbell (Herald): If Wellington can’t agree on one pedestrian crossing, what hope do we have?
Joel MacManus (Stuff): Minister ‘optimistic’ about Transmission Gully opening date soon
Adam Jacobsen (Stuff): 10% of Auckland public transport cancelled because of staff shortages
Chris Schulz (Spinoff): Think $3 a litre is rough? Petrol prices will only get higher, warns the AA
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Petrol hits $3 a litre
RNZ: Auckland trains running on reduced services due to Covid-related shortages

Education
Kirsty Frame (RNZ): Student claims hall removed them due to mental health problem
Karl du Fresne: Otago University pioneers bold new approach to the study of conflict

Other
Gianina Schwanecke (Stuff): Livestock ship linked to deaths of 2400 sheep to arrive in Napier this weekend
Todd Niall (Stuff): Taxpayers’ Union society wrongly listed as ‘dissolved’ after alleged hack
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Internal Affairs rejects firefighters’ claims FENZ culture of sexual misconduct and bullying is worse than ever
Patrick Whittle (Spiked): New Zealand: the wokest country in the world
Joanne Naish (Stuff): Gloriavale leader captured on secret recording telling senior member to say he is ‘nothing’ and ‘nobody’
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): A treaty to tame our ‘Wild West’ oceans
Wilson Longhurst (1News): Samoa records 8 Covid cases after repatriation flight from NZ