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
PARLIAMENT
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Chris Hipkins lays down gauntlet to Christopher Luxon as Parliament gets cracking
Tim Watkin (Pundit): Mum Knows Better Than Maureen Where The Winds Of Climate Change Are Blowing
Victor Billot (Newsroom): When the water keeps coming
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): How Cyclone Gabrielle changes the NZ election
Thomas Coughlan: National’s massive Pugh-turn dominates return of Parliament (paywalled)
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): How Gabrielle – and Maureen – gatecrashed the first round of Chris vs Chris
Jessica Mutch McKay (1News): Analysis: Party leaders kick off ‘very untraditional start’ to political year
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Parliament’s first full day: From climate scepticism in National to potential flood taxes
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Cyclone Gabrielle dominates Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ major speech in Parliament, warns 2023 could be ‘very difficult year’
Richard Harman (Politik): Hipkins gets Luxon’s support to borrow big for cyclone recovery (paywalled)
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Parliament debates restart with focus on cyclone and climate
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Hipkins back to basics but light on new policy
RNZ: Jacinda Ardern’s resignation will come in to effect from 15 April
Stewart Forsyth (Herald): Chris Hipkins versus Christopher Luxon – a personality analysis (paywalled)
Spinoff: Watch: Elements of Truth – behind the scenes of Jami-Lee Ross’ 2020 election campaign
CYCLONE GABRIELLE, FLOODING, CLIMATE CHANGE, INFRASTRUCTURE
Duncan Greive (Spinoff): The big, multi-decade lie that underpins ‘the government’s books are in good shape’
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Managed retreat: The mega issue that comes with a potentially eyewatering pricetag
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Cyclone Gabrielle: Government opens door to reassessing new taxes for cyclone at Budget in May
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Breaking the ‘rinse, rebuild, repeat’ cycle (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Cyclone leaves less room to deal with more shocks
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Chris Hipkins commits to ‘build back better’, anticipating billions needed for cyclone recovery
RNZ: Green Party floats windfall profit tax to support Cyclone Gabrielle cleanup
Richard Prebble (Herald): Government must stand back and let locals guide recovery (paywalled)
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Why some people didn’t get emergency text alerts during Cyclone Gabrielle
Anna Whyte (Stuff): PM Chris Hipkins announces ministers to lead regional cyclone recovery efforts
RNZ: Cyclone Gabrielle: Multiple support packages for businesses likely – PM Chris Hipkins
Adam Pearse (Herald): ‘Minuscule’: Govt cyclone support package prompts calls for more help
Herald Editorial: Cyclone Gabrielle editorial: Where was the warning for Hawke’s Bay? (paywalled)
Adam Pearse (Herald): Cyclone Gabrielle: Locals guarding diggers and trucks fixing Napier highway amid looting fears
Bonnie Sumner (Newsroom): Hipkins ‘out of touch’ on security risks in flood zone
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): Andrew Coster knows a lot – the caring bit, though, isn’t so obvious
William Hewett (Newshub): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins not ruling out compulsory purchases of homes
Kirsty Johnston (Stuff): ‘I want my life back’: Flooded homeowners launch campaign for buy-out
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Homeless flood victims plead for urgent Govt help to retreat from devastated houses
Caroline Williams (Stuff): No rates reprieve for Auckland residents whose houses are red stickered
Lucy Thomson (Newshub): Auckland homeowners with red-stickered properties demand relief from rates
Susan Hornsby-Geluk (Stuff): Do businesses have to pay staff when they close in a natural disaster like Cyclone Gabrielle?
Vaimoana Mase (Herald): Cyclone Gabrielle: Pacific seasonal workers in for new jobs to help rebuild after orchards wiped out
Rob Stock (Stuff): Generous or ‘stingy’? Banks ramp up cyclone relief and donations, but still cop criticism
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Affected by Cyclone Gabrielle? Know your rights, Consumer NZ says
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Hundreds of mattresses donated into cyclone-hit community
Tony Wall (Stuff): Tokomaru Bay Civil Defence defends its performance in wake of ‘kai wars’ claim after cyclone
Kiri Gillespie (Bay of Plenty Times): Cyclone Gabrielle donations: Demand for supplies continues despite Civil Defence plea
Kiri Gillespie (Bay of Plenty Times): Cyclone Gabrielle donations: Former Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell questions Civil Defence plea
Brendon McMahon (Local Democracy Reporting): Cyclone Gabrielle: West Coast faces flood protection uncertainty
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Rethinking the energy trilemma after Gabrielle (paywalled)
Rachel Smalley (Today FM): We can’t afford to ignore the tough times Kiwi children have been through
Chlöe Swarbrick (Herald): Climate change taking greatest toll on poorer Kiwis
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): Cyclone Gabrielle may hint at a future of ‘double climate disasters’
Andrew Shapherd (Stuff): Cyclone Gabrielle will have been apocalyptic if it inspires change
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Climate commission seeks $130k from activists
MAUREEN PUGH’S CLIMATE CHANGE COMMENTS
Felix Desmarais (1News): Analysis: Pugh’s climate change denial is bad science and bad politics
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Climate deniers should not be MPs
Felix Desmarais (1News): National’s Pugh ‘yet to see’ evidence of man-made climate change
Anna Whyte (Stuff): MP Maureen Pugh U-turn: Human-induced climate change is real
Anna Whyte (Stuff): National’s Maureen Pugh ‘waiting for evidence’ on human impact on climate change
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): National MP Maureen Pugh regrets her ‘unclear’ comments on man-made climate change
Jamie Ensor and Amelia Wade (Newshub): National MP Maureen Pugh repeatedly refuses to say she believes in man-made climate change
Jane Patterson (RNZ): National MP Maureen Pugh walks back climate change comments
Jane Patterson (RNZ): National’s Maureen Pugh chastised over climate comments: ‘She’s gonna be doing a lot of reading’
Michael Neilson (Herald): National MP Maureen Pugh ‘waiting on the evidence’ to show influence by human actions
No Right Turn: National is still full of climate change deniers
THREE WATERS
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins drops Three Waters label, promises ‘refocus’ on water reforms
Susan Botting (Local Democracy Reporting): Three Waters fight not over yet, despite court ruling
Natalie Akoorie (Open Justice Reporting): Legal challenge to Three Waters reforms dismissed as bid to influence legislation
RNZ: Three waters: High Court rules against councils seeking ownership declaration
Greg Hurrell (BusinessDesk): Legal setback for three councils fighting three waters (paywalled)
ECONOMY
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Reserve Bank’s tough interest rate decision
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Reserve Bank ‘won’t win friends’ with OCR hike but there’s some good news for borrowers
Bridie Witton (Stuff): PM warns of tough times ahead as Reserve Bank expected to increase official cash rate
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): The RBNZ is going to hike but what about the weather? (paywalled)
HOUSING
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Rents start the year at a record high, Trade Me says
Melania Watson (Newshub): Rent hits record high according to latest Trade Me data
Anne Gibson (Herald): Rents rise 4pc annually to hit record high of $595/week (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Percentage of income needed for mortgage as “bad as it has ever been”
Geraden Cann (Stuff): ‘Money’s hard to find’: Houses failing to sell under the hammer
BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT
Amanda Cropp (Stuff): Engineered stone bench top makers shun a safety scheme to stop workers inhaling silica deadly dust
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Sky TV may cut 170 NZ jobs in outsourcing move
Fiona Rotherham (NBR): Is the Government’s flagship R&D Tax Incentive fit for purpose? (paywalled)
EDUCATION
Leighton Heikell (Newshub): New Government plan to tackle truancy leaves Opposition questioning if it’s enough
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Truancy announcement is just vote buying
David Farrar: Finally Govt tries to do something about truancy
Alwyn Poole (Kiwiblog): Term Three Attendance Comparisons
Alwyn Poole (Kiwiblog): Further to School Attendance
CENSUS
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Census begins, for three-quarters of New Zealand
Isaac Gunson (1News): Census to go ahead amid Cyclone Gabrielle recovery
HEALTH
Ian Powell: When health ministers change
Thomas Cranmer: Covid and our Kiwi Kids: The Ministry of Health responds
TRANSPORT
Conor Knell (Stuff): Bluebridge cancels all ferries; Aratere only Cook Strait passenger ferry
Conor Knell (Stuff): Yet another Interislander ferry breakdown leaves hundreds stranded on the wrong island
Vita Molyneux (Herald): More cancellations plague Cook Strait ferries, customers feel ‘abandoned’
Conor Knell and Andy Brew (Stuff): ‘Hundreds of dollars out of pocket’: Travellers fume over ferry cancellations
Finlay Dunseath (Stuff): Wellington bus fares set to rise – but by how much?
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Nanaia Mahuta wants to deal with ‘facts’, not ‘hypotheticals’ as United States warns China could give Russia weapons
Will Trafford (Whkaata Māori): U.S. politician tears up at Beehive pōwhiri
GENDER
David Farrar: Trans, Sex and Gender Issues
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Māori terms excluded from new gender identity process
OTHER
Thomas Cranmer: Balancing Free Speech and Protecting Religious Beliefs: The Complexities of Hate Speech Laws
ODT Editorial: Windbags muddying the waters (paywalled)
Ripu Bhatia (Stuff): Idea of Maori privilege maintains power imbalances, historian says
Aaron Smale (Newsroom): Gangs meet with Royal Commission
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): The Waitangi Tribunal has been taken over by activism
Jonah Franke (Stuff): Conspiracy theorists’ strange new target – Hamilton
James Wenley (The Conversation): We need to break the cycle of crisis in Aotearoa New Zealand’s arts and culture. It starts with proper funding
