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
PARLIAMENT, ELECTION
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Prime minister defends increase in communications staff since Labour came in power
Karl du Fresne: The incredible disapppearing journalists
Chris Lynch: National accuses Government of “spinning out of control”
Adam Pearse (Herald): NZ First receives $100,000 in donations from rich-lister Auckland property developers Trevor Farmer and Mark Wyborn
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Green Party sources accuse MP Elizabeth Kerekere of ‘bullying’
Thomas Cranmer (The Common Room): The National Party and Conservative Values: A Clash of Interests?
Lucy Rogers (The Blue Review): Socially conservative voters need to feel at home with National
Stuff: ‘Crass’ post about young women doesn’t reflect National’s candidate vetting – Luxon
Stephen Forbes (Local Democracy Reporting): Former Labour MP Louisa Wall could stand for Te Pāti Māori in Manurewa
Ronji Tanielu (The Common Room): The Power of the Pasifika Vote
Stuff: Points of Order: Postmodern politics and Christopher Luxon’s aversion to sleep
Catherine Hubbard (Stuff): National leader gets face-to-face with issues and retirees
Simon O’Connor (The Common Room): The madness of identity politics
Jennifer Curtin (The Conversation): The ‘otherness’ of Jacinda Ardern – by doing politics differently she changed the game and saved her party
WATER REFORM
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Game-Changer
John Tamihere (Stuff): Who owns the water? Māori do
Gordon Campbell: On the morning after Three Waters
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Kieran McAnulty’s four gaffes
Duncan Garner (NBR): I just don’t trust Labour’s intentions on Three Waters (paywalled)
Mike Yardley (Stuff): Three Waters reforms have ‘disaster written all over’ them with latest changes
Steven Walton (Press): Three Waters: Does Christchurch have an even worse deal than before?
Chris Tobin (Timaru Herald): Councils claim ‘errors of law’ in Three Waters judgment
1News: Three Waters: Swarbrick says ACT retreads co-governance ‘bogeyman’
Martyn Bradbury (Waatea News): How did 3 Waters become an existential race threat?
ECONOMY, COST OF LIVING
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government spending stoked inflation – Treasury paper
Duncan Greive (Spinoff): Economists predict New Zealand’s price rises will continue to defy Orr’s hammer. Why?
Rachel Maher and Julia Gabel (Herald): NZ economy: Recession tipped to be twice as deep as earlier forecasts – ASB
RNZ: Recession to be deeper, longer than expected, ASB bank predicts
Herald Editorial: Mixed picture on how Kiwis are getting by (paywalled)
David Hargreaves (Interest): Food prices were up 12.1% in the year to March 2023 – the highest annual rate of increase seen since 1989
Alka Prasad (Herald): Difficult year ahead for consumers as food prices continue to rise (paywalled)
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Food inflation explodes – it’s only going to get worse – what’s the point of Bread and Butter politics if no one can afford Bread or Butter?
Sharon Brettkelly (RNZ): The Detail: The price pain of supermarket shopping
Don Franks (Redline): Poverty in New Zealand today : Two differing views
TAX
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Political suicide or circuit-breaker? Is Labour preparing a wealth tax reform package? (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): How much tax are high-income people really paying?
Jonathan MitchellL (NBR): Wealthy Kiwis paying their fair share of tax: report (paywalled)
HEALTH
Anaru Eketone (ODT): Waistline raises question, is it time to look again at sugar and fat taxes?
Jonah Franke (Stuff): ‘God help us’ – Waikato hospital short 40 nurses for one shift
Matthew Martin (Stuff): Minister Peeni Henare pushes winter jabs as Māori immunisation rates plummet
ODT: No quick fix for oncology ‘train wreck’ (paywalled)
Janine Rankin (Manawatū Standard): Critical staff shortages prompt proposal to close urgent medical care centre
Robin Martin (RNZ): Time to ‘de-prioritise’ Covid-19 for most and shift focus to the at-risk – epidemiologist
EDUCATION
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): An empty school and a policy half full
Gianina Schwanecke (Stuff): Can one less student make a difference? Teachers respond to smaller classes
RNZ: Class sizes ratio announcement a ‘slap in the face’ – principal
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Class sizes to decrease by one for years 4 to 8, requiring an extra 320 teachers
Adam Pearse (Herald): Labour aims to reduce class sizes for Year 4-8 students, 320 extra teachers
Gianina Schwanecke (Stuff): Primary school teachers set to vote on third pay and conditions offer
Soumya Bhamidipati (RNZ): Government offers primary school teachers new pay deal
Te Kawehau Hoskins & Alison Jones (E-Tangata): Indigenising our universities
HOUSING
John Minto (Daily Blog): Getting people off the state house waiting list – but not into state housing!
RNZ: Mortgage demand drops by fifth as property market slumps further
Mana Wikaire-Lewis (Whakaata Māori): Willie Jackson responds to Tama Potaka’s claims of failure to build at Ihumātao
BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT
Richard Harman (Politik): Pay bungle to cost Government $2 billion (and counting) (paywalled)
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Govt has only recovered $20k of $5.2m in Callaghan Innovation grants to failed businesses
MEDIA
Kirsty Frame (RNZ): RNZ considers unliking Twitter over ‘government-funded’ label
David Williams (Herald): RNZ threatens to leave Twitter after Elon Musk’s new ‘government-funded media’ label introduced
Geraden Cann (Stuff): Radio NZ will consider leaving Twitter over ‘government funded’ label
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Spinoff): RNZ could join Twitter exodus over new ‘government-funded’ label
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Why the identity politics lens in NZ journalism is failing us on poverty
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Simon Wilson (Herald): Rates versus airport shares – inside the battle of the Auckland Council budget (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Dominion Post): Council manager was aware of Wellington’s dropping lamp flaw in 2020
Laura Smith (Local Democracy Reporting): Millions in funding cuts to Rotorua council services proposed
Alex Casey and Tara Ward (Spinoff): The local government TikTok accounts of Aotearoa, reviewed
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Claire Trevett (Herald): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins reveals plans for King Charles III coronation and travel for major Nato summit
Bridie Witton (Stuff): PM Chris Hipkins to attend NATO leaders summit
Lane Nichols (Herald): French Embassy breaks silence over mystery discovery of French warship in Hauraki Gulf
Susana Suisuiki (RNZ): New Zealand boosts support for climate action in Solomon Islands
ENVIRONMENT
Kirsty Johnston (Stuff): The Government wanted to improve a law on major polluters. It might be worse
David Williams (Newsroom): Scientist pokes holes in water data
Todd Niall (Stuff): Clock ticks on Auckland’s climate deadline, but where is the ‘urgent’ action?
Ryan Anderson (Stuff): Aucklanders’ carbon emissions 15% higher than other New Zealanders – report
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Coal use plummets to 32-year low
Brendon McMahon (Stuff): Stalled West Coast predator free project revived
TRANSPORT
Todd Niall (Stuff): About 150 jobs to go at Auckland Transport
Herald: Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau disappointed by rail protesters, says it must stop
RNZ: Protesters blocking roads could face 14 years jail, police warn
Vita Molyneux (Herald): Restore Passenger Rail protesters bring Wellington motorway to a standstill
John Roughan (Herald): How long will Michael Wood’s harbour crossing ‘vision’ of light rail, walking and cycling link last? (paywalled)
EXTREME WEATHER, FORESTRY SLASH
Frances Chin (Stuff): Child pinned under log at Gisborne beach as family dug frantically to free her
Tommy de Silva (Spinoff): The mystery of the dormant millions fundraised for Cyclone Gabrielle’s victims
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland Council CEO: ‘Sorry we weren’t well prepared’ for flood response
ABUSE IN CARE INQUIRY
Stephen Winter (Newsroom): Abuse in Care extension necessary to do the job right
Whakaata Māori: Abuse in care redress must be survivor-led, new co-chair says
OTHER
Chris Lynch: Government rebuild agency changes name costing $65,000
Tumamao Harawira (Whakaata Māori): Programme launched to keep youth away from a life of crime
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Police following ‘positive lines of inquiry’ after activist Jack Brazil shot
Oscar Francis (ODT): Shooting ‘isolated incident’
