New Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project.
Items of interest and importance today
CYCLONE GABRIELLE, JANUARY FLOODS, CLIMATE CHANGE
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Cyclone Gabrielle, politics and the cost-of-the-status-quo crisis
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Chris Hipkins makes a down payment on some very hard cyclone decisions to come
Richard Harman (Politik): Government looking to give itself tough new powers (paywalled)
Chris Trotter: Adapting To Climate Change
Duncan Garner (NBR): Floods change everything – I mean everything (paywalled)
Anna Rawhiti-Connell (Spinoff): Climate change adaptation and mitigation – why we need both
Dave Armstrong (Stuff): How to pay for ‘Gabrielle’ damage will be the major question this election
Brent Edwards (NBR): Big price tag for Cyclone Gabrielle recovery and rebuild (paywalled)
Cameron Bragrie (BusinessDesk): The scene is set for some big post-cyclone spending (paywalled)
Benedict Collins (1News): Tens of millions paid out in initial support to cyclone victims
Tess McClure (Guardian): After Cyclone Gabrielle, New Zealand wonders how – and if – to rebuild
Simon Wilson (Herald): Wild weather and wobbly ideas (paywalled)
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Climate change minister’s legislative balancing act after Gabrielle
Bernard Hickey: What building back better could look like
Herald Editorial: Cyclone Gabrielle editorial: Politics swamped by immediate needs (paywalled)
Stephen Minto (Daily Blog): The Gabrielle flood and Grant Robertson’s budget, and all the future floods
Adam Pearse (Herald): Opinion: Government risks losing rural New Zealand, who were left to fight Cyclone Gabrielle’s effects on their own
Jo Moir (Newsroom): Hipkins taking his lead from Queensland flooding disaster
Iftekhar Ahmed (The Conversation): What Australia learned from recent devastating floods – and how New Zealand can apply those lessons now
Brent Edwards (NBR): EQC calls for risk management to have higher priority in planning (paywalled)
Sapeer Mayron (Stuff): Cyclone Gabrielle situation report: What happened today, February 20
RNZ: Police see increase in family harm reports in wake of Cyclone Gabrielle
Christine Rovoi (Stuff): Cyclone Gabrielle: Displaced seasonal workers helping rebuild community
Mahvash Ikram (RNZ): Call for amnesty so overstayers can help with cyclone clean-up
Stefan Dimitrof (Whakaata Māori): Calls for marae to have Civil Defence funding for disasters
Brendon McMahon (Local Democracy Reporting): West Coast flood protection not threatened by funding rethink after Gabrielle – MP Damien O’Connor
Anna Whyte (Stuff): Cyclone Gabrielle recovery task ahead ‘monumental’, says Kiri Allan
1News: ‘Roading emergency’ as alternative routes into Northland restricted
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Cyclone Gabrielle: Recovery could be longer than Christchurch with massive fix-up job required for damaged roads
Andrew Macfarlane (1News): Cyclone Gabrielle: More Australian support available for NZ
Thomas Manch (Stuff): US will ‘do our best’ to help after Cyclone Gabrielle, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland says
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Greater resilience means spending more – and higher bills (paywalled)
David Symons (BusinessDesk): Construction, carbon and the climate crisis
Kate Hawkesby (Newstalk ZB): Trust and confidence is starting to wane, it’s ripe time for good bold decisive leadership
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Why isn’t the Government sending in the Defence Force?
CYCLONE RELIEF PACKAGE
Claire Trevett (Herald): Cyclone Gabrielle: Government promises $250 million for roads, $50 million for business, extends national state of emergency a week, PM rejects ‘lawlessness’ claims
Anna Whyte (Stuff): Cyclone Gabrielle: $50m for businesses, workers, $250m for roads
1News: State of emergency extended, $300m for cyclone recovery
Bernard Hickey (Interest): Govt starts Gabrielle response with $300m of funds
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Cyclone Gabrielle: Chris Hipkins denies outbreak of lawlessness in Hawke’s Bay
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Cyclone Gabrielle: PM Chris Hipkins says ‘no state of lawlessness’ in cyclone-hit regions, no need for military support
1News: No ‘significant’ spike in thefts in flood-hit Eastern district – Coster
RNZ: Prime Minister Chris Hipkins calls for calm after rumours on crime in flooded areas
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Cyclone Gabrielle: $300m for recovery, PM says police have looting under control
Brent Edwards (NBR): Government announces cyclone package and new taskforce (paywalled)
Esther Taunton (Stuff): Cyclone-hit businesses to start receiving Govt relief ‘within a week’
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Cyclone Gabrielle: The support measures Government’s tossing up, National’s calling for in aftermath
HOUSING
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Cyclone Gabrielle: Government expecting thousands of Kiwis will need to find new homes
RNZ: Thousands in East Coast likely to need temporary accommodation after cyclone – MBIE
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Cyclone Gabrielle: Phil Twyford calls for ministers to buyout flooded homeowners
Chris Nicoll and Martin Brook (Newsroom): Time to challenge the lay of our unstable land
Benn Bathgate (Stuff): ‘Feasible solutions’ for 350-house development on flood-prone site, Ministry of Housing says
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Shock and Orr: Rate hikes kill off housing affordability and development
Justin Wong (Stuff): Wellington City Council sets up housing trust to take over social housing
David Hargreaves (Interest): House prices are falling – and so are the debt to income ratios
PARLIAMENT
Ripu Bhatia (Stuff): ACT importing debate that has ‘riled up US right’ – academic
Anna Whyte (Stuff): MP pulls plug on controversial religious event at Parliament
MIke Houlahan (ODT): Top has clear strategy for southern seats (paywalled)
Herald: Grant Robertson’s lunch date with left-wing British musician Billy Bragg
Nicholas Boyack (Stuff): Chatterton takes on Chippy in his home patch
Lee Kenny (Stuff): Former ECan councillor Lan Pham to contest Banks Peninsula at general election
HEALTH, DISABILITY, MORTALITY
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Health Minister on the health system: ‘Some things will take 10 years to fix’
Ian Powell: Cumulative pandemic deaths: a graph more effective than 1,000 words
Felix Desmarais (1News): ‘Meaningless, toothless’ – Accessibility bill skewered
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Accessibility legislation a tokenistic toothless failure, disabled people say
Julia Gabel and Chris Knox (Herald): New Zealand records biggest increase in registered deaths in 100 years
Emma Clark-Dow (Stuff): Deaths in New Zealand up by 10% in 2022, impacted by Covid-19
RNZ: Covid-19 update: 8220 new cases, 24 deaths and 162 in hospital
Steve Hepburn (ODT): Gore mayor pulls out of campaign against hospital cuts
Donna Chisholm (BusinessDesk): Why health insurance is costing so much
MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA
Gavin Ellis: Lessons for media in Gabrielle’s wild embrace
Daniel Dunkley (BusinessDesk): Newsgroups rally behind Cyclone Gabrielle aid effort
Duncan Grieve (Spinoff): The two wildly different reactions to Matthew Hooton’s speech at Auckland Grammar
PRIMARY AND EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES
Sharon Brettkelly (RNZ): The Detail: Forestry’s uncertain future on the East Coast
Benn Bathgate (Stuff): Some in forestry sector ‘won’t recover’ from Cyclone Gabrielle
Kiah Radcliffe (Stuff): Manawatū Estuary Trust concerned about slash and debris in river mouth
RNZ: Cyclone ‘hasn’t destroyed all our food producing capacity’ – Agriculture Minister
Rachael Kelly (Stuff): ‘Anecdotal evidence’ Southland farmers have changed their grazing practices to avoid wintering regulations
Brent Edwards (NBR): Miner OceanaGold worries about new mining legislation (paywalled)
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Christine Rovoi (Stuff): Deputy PM Carmel Sepuloni to attend Pacific leaders’ meeting
Nadine Roberts (Stuff): Friend’s plea for release of ‘gentle’ Kiwi who’s worked ‘honestly’ to help Papua
EMPLOYMENT
Nicole Mathewson (Stuff): Indian restaurant owners found guilty of ‘serious’ migrant exploitation
1News: Migrant workers brought to NZ illegally, paid below minimum wage
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Woman who refused to get Covid-19 vaccine awarded $43,000
Warren Couillault (BusinessDesk): ChatGPT will give white-collar workers the blues (paywalled)
EDUCATION
Whakaata Māori: ERO points the finger at parents for the truancy crisis
William Hewett (Newshub): Education Minister Jan Tinetti doesn’t know how many attendance officers currently exist in schools as 82 more added
Michael Neilson (Herald): Budget 2023: School attendance focus of $74m education package with 82 truancy officers
Anna Whyte (Stuff): Government announces $74m to truancy services, 84 new attendance officers
RNZ: Minister announces $74m for new school attendance officers
1News: 80 attendance officer roles created in Govt truancy crackdown
TRANSPORT
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): Govt car scheme – catalyst to stock shortages, higher prices (paywalled)
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Another new director for Auckland Light Rail (paywalled)
Eda Tang (Stuff): Air New Zealand flies first journey dedicated to te reo Māori
Pokere Paewai (RNZ): Māori issues reporterAir New Zealand conducts first flight in te reo Māori
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland’s need to fix today without it being at the expense of tomorrow
Zizi sparks (Herald): Rotorua Lakes Council to decide fate of Māori wards bill
ODT ICC opens council workshops to public (paywalled)
ODT: Rates rise plan ‘gut punch’ for farmers (paywalled)
OTHER
Liam Dann (Herald): Tough call for Reserve Bank but rate hike expected despite economic blow from Cyclone Gabrielle
ODT Editorial: Back to basics in the Census
Laura Frykberg (1News): Gang whānau gather for joint hui on abuse in state care
Fa’afete Taito (Stuff): ‘Like me, kids in state care who join gangs are searching for a place to belong’
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): All but one online take-down notice ignored
Brent Melville (NBR): Long wait to confirm future of Tiwai Point (paywalled)
