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.

Today’s content

STUART NASH, OIA
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Stuart Nash scandal boils down to cock-up vs ‘conspiracy’ (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): The opaque transparency of the OIA system
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Nash saga leaves Hipkins facing deeper questions of a stink in the Beehive
Pete McKenzie (Newsroom): Evidence Stuart Nash breached official information laws
No Right Turn: This cover-up needs to be a crime
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): What a comprehensive inquiry should cover
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Now it is verging on corruption
Bridie Witton (Stuff): New questions emerge as Stuart Nash scandal picks up pace
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Heat in the House after more emerges on handling of Stuart Nash’s email
Claire Trevett , Adam Pearse and Michael Neilson (Herald): Stuart Nash sacking: PM Hipkins’ staff apologise over ‘judgment error’ in handling of email to donors
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Call for heads to roll in Government over fresh revelations about Stuart Nash’s email, senior staffers apologise
Felix Desmarais (1News): Government broke the OIA over Nash emails – National
RNZ: Stuart Nash accused of trying to hide email which shared Cabinet information
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Senior staff in Jacinda Ardern’s office failed to escalate Nash email; Opposition claim a ‘cover up’
Jessica Mutch McKay (1News): Analysis: Nash takes a remorseful path as by-election unlikely
Newstalk ZB: Law expert: No indication Stuart Nash’s mistakes amount to political corruption
Mike Hosking (Newsroom): Could Stuart Nash’s mistake bring down the Government?

TRANSPORT
Simon Wilson (Herald): The problem with the PM’s ‘concrete commitment’ to a new Waitematā harbour crossing for Auckland (paywalled)
Todd Niall (Stuff): Fast lane for $25b Auckland harbour crossing, despite lack of transport deal
RNZ: Mixed reactions to second Auckland harbour crossing proposals
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Second Auckland harbour crossing: Five combinations of tunnels and bridges revealed, construction begins 2029
Jamie Ensor and Kethaki Masilamani (Newshub): Five options for new Auckland harbour crossing revealed as timeline brought forward
Brent Edwards (NBR): Minister unveils options for Auckland’s second harbour crossing (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Government looks for cross-party support on second Waitematā Harbour crossing but parties take critical view of announcement
Dan Brunskill (Interest): A new crossing over the Waitematā Harbour carries an enormous price tag but has broad political support
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Consensus lacking on Auckland Harbour crossing (paywalled)
Nicholas Pointon (NBR): Cross-party support for new harbour crossing looks unlikely (paywalled)
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): No way the second harbour crossing will begin construction in 2029
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Chippy builds a Bridge to get over culture war
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): You can fool some of the people all of the time
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Matthew Hooton (Herald): Labour doubles down on light rail (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Crackdown on diesel pollution could save billions
Erin Gourley (Stuff): Wellington bus drivers’ wages boosted to $30 an hour
Soumya Bhamidipati (RNZ): Shortage sparks pay hike for bus drivers in Wellington
RNZ: Transmission Gully marks one year of being open
RNZ: Loss of up to 60 jobs at after Maersk pulls service

TODAY FM, MEDIA
Damien Venuto (Herald): MediaWorks woes: Today FM’s demise becomes the most brutal media closure since Bauer (paywalled)
Mark Jennings (Newsroom): Yesterday, radio was such an easy game to play
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Why has Today FM folded and what now for Mediaworks?
Duncan Greive (Spinoff): The shutdown of Today FM is Mediaworks admitting its best days are behind it
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: 30 minutes of chaos that revealed Today FM’s end
Daniel Dunkley and Pattrick Smelie (BusinessDesK): What went wrong at Today FM (paywalled)
Karl du Fresne: It’s true, then: go woke, go broke
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): The real story media are ignoring in Today FM meltdown
James Halpin (Stuff): Leaked MediaWorks document reveals plan to axe Today FM, staff and review of news next
Jane Nixon (1News): Experts question fairness of consultation process amid Today FM cull
Rachel Maher , Katie Harris and Sam Hurley (Herald): Today FM staff lawsuits tipped, expert believes shutdown may have been a ‘sham’
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Today FM staff need more time to respond to proposal, employment lawyer says
Hayden Donnell (RNZ): Mediawatch: Today FM goes up in flames after on-air explosion
RNZ: Today FM hosts abruptly taken off air and told to play music
Herald: Today FM shock closure: MediaWorks’ interim CEO Wendy Palmer on ‘difficult decision’; social media accounts locked; broadcast signals end to station
1News: ‘This station is no longer Today FM’: Station shutdown confirmed
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Spinoff): Today FM staff coming to terms with ‘shock’ network shutdown
Jack Horsnell (1News): ‘Betrayal’ – The short, tumultuous history of Today FM
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Charlie Mitchell (Stuff): ‘RIP woke media’: An examination of Voices for Freedom’s web radio channel
Daniel Dunkley (BusinessDesk): Sky TV to lay off 170 NZ staff in offshoring move (paywalled)

PARLIAMENT, ELECTION
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Lobbyists are professional whingers and a waste of time
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Sitting This One Out: How Angry Abstainers Could Sink Labour and the Greens
Karanama Ruru (Stuff): Māori can now switch electoral rolls with ease – but will it encourage more voters?
Pokere Paewai (RNZ): Māori free to switch voting rolls from Friday after law change
Joseph Lose’e (Herald): Labour polling: Te Pāti Māori ahead in two electorates
Felix Desmarais (1News): Inside Parliament: Rip, tear, bust – A tough week for Nash, Davidson
Jo Moir (Newsroom): National’s new MP: Māori want safety, not co-governance
Jonah Franke-Bowell (Stuff): Crime fears see MP Tama Potaka warn daughter off dairies
Bridie Witton (Stuff): ‘Not a white cis man’: National MP Simon O’Connor apologises for Nashville shooter remark
RNZ: National MP apologises over Nashville shooting comments
No Right Turn: A crime against democracy
Katy Jones (Stuff): Green Party expects to field Nelson candidate after withdrawal
Manawatū Standard: Green Party announces candidates for Palmerston North, Rangitīkei

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Todd Niall (Stuff): Minister for Auckland ‘can’t intervene’ as council debates $125m budget cuts
Mildred Armah (Stuff): ‘He doesn’t care about us’: Refugee advocate slams Wayne Brown’s budget cut proposal
Brendon McMahon (RNZ): West Coast council to undergo ‘full reset’ – sacking truth to ‘come out in the wash’
Rachael Kelly (Stuff): ‘Very strained’ relationship between Gore mayor and council chief executive sinks to new low
RNZ: Gore’s mayor and council chief executive in mediation since December
Maia Hart (Local Democracy Reporting): Closed-to-public council workshops continue to ‘frustrate’ councillor
Susan Botting (Local Democracy Reporting): Kaipara District Council’s March meeting starts with councillor’s karakia
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Hannah and Brian Tamaki’s meeting with Dunedin councillor sparks counter rally
Laura Smith (Local Democracy Reporting): Rotorua residents face possible 7.2% rates rise in draft annual plan
Alisha Evans (Local Democracy Reporting): Rates rise on the cards for Western Bay of Plenty
Stuff: Selwyn District Council proposes 5.9% average rates rise
Finlay Dunseath (Dominion Post): Multimillion-dollar event centre sits empty five years after construction

HOUSING
Benn Bathgate (Stuff): ‘Get out of the way’ the ministerial message on Government’s role to help solve Māori housing crisis
Aaron Smale (Newsroom): Māori-led solutions tackle housing inequities
RNZ: Desperate Queentown renters turn eye to empty houses
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Minister weighs Auckland housing density delay
RNZ: Otago, Canterbury show sharpest fall in house building consents

CLIMATE CHANGE, EXTREME WEATHER
Jonathan Boston (Newsroom): A multi-party agreement is needed on funding managed retreat – and it’s urgent
Michael Neilson (Herald): James Shaw says NZ will have to lift game on climate change after Vanuatu’s historic United Nations bid for International Court of Justice decision
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): New oil and gas not consistent with 1.5C
Maia Hart (Local Democracy Reporting): Marborough’s council works towards new sea level rise modelling ‘community can trust’
Amy Williams (RNZ): Cyclone-affected homes may need to be rebuilt off the ground

BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT, COST OF LIVING
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: All the cash boosts Kiwis will get from 1 April – but do they go far enough?
RNZ: Cost of living number one issue for New Zealanders ahead of environment, survey shows
Herald Editorial: Mounting job losses might not solve labour shortage (paywalled)
Amanda Cropp (Stuff): Businesses accused of turning a blind eye to the risk of asbestos which kills about 220 New Zealanders a year
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Insurance premiums fall by less than expected following EQC cap hike (paywalled)
Dan Brunskill (Interest): RBNZ draft guidance encourages financial institutions to limit exposure to sectors facing climate-risks
BusinessDesk: Subcontractors law changed to protect their money – Woods (paywalled)
Gerhard Uys (Stuff): Minimum wage rise ‘could have unwelcome knock-on effect’ for horticulture and dairy
RNZ: Skilled labour biggest issue faced by businesses, ANZ survey finds
Dita De Boni (NBR): Hospo industry body posts its wish list ahead of election ’23 (paywalled)

ENVIRONMENT, CONSERVATION
RNZ: ‘A really damning report’ – Latest data shows dozens of Aotearoa species at risk
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): Auckland gets its way on glass recycling (paywalled)

FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Jason Young (Newsroom): NZ’s uneasy stability with China
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Parliamentarians start Taiwan friendship group, despite New Zealand’s ‘one China’ policy

HEALTH
Seni Iasona (Newshub): 1600 Te Whatu Ora staff ‘potentially’ on chopping block in bid to ‘streamline teams’
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Mental health: Percentage of 1737 phone line callers hanging up waiting nearly doubles over past three years
Rachel Thomas (Stuff): ‘It’s about people’s lives’: GP workforce survey shows more burnout than ever
Tamara Poi-Ngawhika (BusinessDesk): A quarter of GPs say they’ll retire within 10 years
Samantha Murton (Herald): The heartbeat of primary healthcare is weakening (paywalled)
Kristie Boland (Stuff): Christchurch after hours clinic gets funding to stay open – but only for a limited time

COVID
Catrin Owen (Stuff): Conspiracy theorist Billy Te Kahika jailed for Covid-19 protest, bailed for appeal
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Imprisoning Billy Te Kahika is stupid
Charlotte Muru-Lanning (Spinoff): Bivalent Covid boosters are here – and if you’re 30+, you can probably get one

DEFENCE
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Defence Force ordered TikTok be wiped from phones due to ‘deep fake’ concern
Michael Neilson (Herald): Operation Respect: NZ Defence Force audit finds quarter of young NZDF women face ‘unwanted sexual activity’, Auditor-General report finds

IMMIGRATION
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Some immigration agents charging migrants $40,000 for visas – lawyer
Brent Edwards (NBR): Immigration NZ defends its checking of migrants (paywalled)
William Hewett (Newshub): Thousands of ‘critical’ workers will not meet threshold for residency under new system

OTHER
Bryce Wilkinson (Herald): The intellectual origins of the drive to polarise and divide us (paywalled)
Keith Rankin (Scoop): Gender, Demography And Culture Wars
John Gerritsen (RNZ): New NCEA tests poorly designed for Māori, Pacific students – report
Josie Pagani (Stuff): Is there a cheaper power project option, rather than writing a $15.7b IOU?
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Courts not ruling out mass data storage in Australia
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Muslim and Jewish community leaders concerned by delay of new national security agency
RNZ: New retail crime unit marks 1000th charge laid
Deena Coster (Stuff): Taranaki Maunga settlement to be inked ahead of iwi vote
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Moa footprint display delayed by Otago Museum funding crisis