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

ELECTION
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Why Christopher Luxon should spend more time in Wellington (paywalled)
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Christopher Luxon says he didn’t need taxpayer-funded Tesla because he can drive his scooter instead
Greg Presland (Standard): You can never have too many Teslas
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Te Pāti Māori coalition a drag on Labour – poll
Jessica Mutch McKay (1News): Hipkins bringing scrappiness to election campaign
Grant Duncan: Will Chippie get back in?
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Labour’s Ikaroa Rāwhiti search continues as ex-All Black, councillor won’t stand
Farah Hancock (RNZ): What Chris Hipkins says when he wants to change the subject
Karl du Fresne: RNZ’s non-exposé of the year
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Act ascendent: the story behind the Seymour-led rise – and refusal to fall
The Facts: Inflation still easily the #1 issue. Crime leaps to #2. Education rising
Newshub: Cost of living, COVID, housing affordability top challenges Kiwis faced in past 5 years – report

PARLIAMENT, PUBLIC SERVICE
Duncan Bridgeman (Herald): CEO pay: Highest paid public sector bosses, SOE rankings and new health entities (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (Newsroom): Independent advisor speaks out on officials’ unauthorised Three Waters changes
Lianne Dalziel (Newsroom): How to handle political hot potato of parliamentary term change

PRIMARY INDUSTRIES
Anna Whyte and Thomas Manch (Stuff): Party leaders trade jabs at Fieldays
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Spinoff): Fieldays sets the stage for battle over rural vote
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Spinoff): Explainer: What is Fieldays, and why are we hearing so much about it?
Riley Kennedy and Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Wellington comes to Fieldays 2023 (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Chris Hipkins says he hasn’t seen any ‘wet’, ‘whiny’ people at Fieldays, but admits he hasn’t seen Christopher Luxon yet
RNZ: New Zealand the best country in the world but it needs to get its mojo back, Luxon says
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Political drama over golf balls at Fieldays
RNZ: Government invests millions in agriculture emissions research
Brent Edwards (NBR): Govt to invest in new $18m facility to test methane emissions (paywalled)
RNZ: PM Chris Hipkins uses Fieldays visit to rule out fertiliser tax, reaffirm support for He Waka Eke Noa
Tina Morrison (Stuff): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins rules out a fertiliser tax for farmers
Felix Desmarais (1News): Hipkins: Fertiliser tax ‘never an official proposal’
RNZ: Agreement on agricultural emissions plan still possible, Hipkins says
Riley Kennedy (BusinessDesk): Hipkins: He Waka Eke Noa solution ‘very close’ (paywalled)
Karen Rutherford (Newshub): New report shines light on farmers’ growing anxiety as thousands attend Fieldays
Jonah Franke-Bowell (Post): Red tape and green worries turn Fieldays’ political pulse blue (paywalled)
William Hewett (Newshub): Green’s Marama Davidson accuses National of denying climate change with new agriculture policy
Spinoff: The only minister not afraid to wear gumboots at Fieldays
Richard Davison (ODT): Proposal tightening up farm-to-forestry rules hesitantly welcomed (paywalled)
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Fishing industry boasts of lowest carbon emissions – with caveats

MPI REPORT ON AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
Richar Harman (Politik): No more sheep jokes (paywalled)
Tina Morrison (Stuff): Primary industry exports forecast to hit record $56.2b this year, exceeding estimates
Eric Frykberg (Interest): Ministry for Primary Industries reports record sales of farm products for this year but sees a lingering impact in future years from Cyclone Gabrielle
Brent Edwards (NBR): Another record year for food and fibre (paywalled)
Rebeca Howard (BusinessDesk): Food and fibre export revenue hits new record (paywalled)

ECONOMY, BUSINESS
Luke Malpass (Post): Labour remains upbeat as potential recession looms, setting up economic election (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): GDP preview: Economy tipped to have entered recession (paywalled)
1News: GDP figures out today: Will NZ officially be in recession?
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Recession or not? GDP data will reveal state of economy
RNZ: GDP figures expected to show Aotearoa is in recession
Roeland van den Bergh (Stuff): Inflation will remain high for some time and interest rate increases can’t be ruled out, IMF warns
RNZ: Current account deficit shows New Zealand is living beyond its means – IMF
Dan Brunskill (Interest): IMF tells NZ to spend less, tax capital gains, and build more houses
Brent Edwards (NBR): IMF’s NZ report card carries warning (paywalled)
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): IMF calls for tax cuts in New Zealand and more disciplined govt spending (paywalled)
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Ratings agency warns wide current account deficit is NZ’s ‘key credit risk’ (paywalled)
Herald: NZ current account deficit shrank to 8.5pc of GDP in March year
Rob Stock (Stuff): Co-operative Bank’s underlying profit rises, and will pay $2.5 million in rebates to customers
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Ruapehu ski fields file for ‘prepackaged liquidation’
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Best option is for Ruapehu Alpine Lifts to go into liquidation, administrators say
Eric Frykberg (Interest): The Commerce Commission is reviewing the way it sets prices for electric lines companies and other monopolies
Paul McBeth (BusinessDesk): No action from probe into Chorus contract terms (paywalled)
Niva Chittock (RNZ): Environmentalists challenge economic case for possible new Canterbury waste incinerator
Robin Martin (RNZ): Dow to survey former staff, contractors of controversial chemical plant

COST OF LIVING
Andy Fyers (BusinessDesk): Apples with apples? Foodstuffs’ inflation-beating claims questioned (paywalled)
Rebecca Stevenson (Interest): No comfort for consumers in May’s Food Price Index with 12.1% annual rise
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Food prices remain high with 12.1% annual increase
Herald: Cost of living: Annual food prices rise 12.1 per cent – but has food price inflation peaked?
Emile Donovan (Stuff): Newsable: Why food prices have skyrocketed – and why they’re expected to cool off
Rob Stock (Stuff): Insurer IAG tells investors house insurance premiums rising at 20% to 30%
Stephen Minto (Daily Blog): Greedflation is real
Liam Dann (Herald): Kiwis not suffering from ‘greedflation’ new pricing study concludes (paywalled)
RNZ: Inflated company profit margins not a major factor in driving up prices in New Zealand – report

PROVINCIAL GROWTH FUND RESET
Kate MacNamara (Herald): Provincial Growth – fund of the long black cloud (paywalled)
Newshub: Christopher Luxon slams Government after Provincial Growth Fund reset catches attention of Auditor-General

MEDIA
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Kremlin will be ‘taking an interest’ in pro-Russia RNZ story edits, international relations expert Robert Patman believes
Brent Edwards (NBR): RNZ debacle raises challenge for all journalism (paywalled)
John Minto (Daily Blog): Cruel irony in claims RNZ reports are biased in favour of Palestine
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Isn’t NZ Heralds description of Israel Institute of New Zealand as ‘independent’ more outrageous than RNZ edit?
Raphael Franks (Herald): RNZ scandal: Meeting with NZ-Ukrainian community slated, ‘anti-Western ideology’ alleged
Nathan Morton (Herald): Independent panel announced to investigate RNZ pro-Kremlin stories
Seni Iasona (Newshub): RNZ board announces review panel into edit scandal, chair says ‘no stone is going to be left unturned’
Emma Clark-Dow (Stuff): Expert panel in charge of RNZ pro-Russian edit investigation revealed
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Simon Tegg (The Blue Review): Balanced News and Biased Views: the case for media impartiality
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Daniel Dunkley (BusinessDesk): Stuff and others agree content deal with Google
Shayne Currie (Herald): Google, New Zealand media firms announce major new deals to help fund journalism (paywalled)
Esther Taunton (Stuff): Google to start paying for NZ news content shared via News Showcase
John Lewis (ODT): Allied Press signs deal with Google

MIGRANT WORKERS
Lucy Xia (RNZ): Migrant workers pay thousands for visas, only to be left without jobs
RNZ: Migrant workers in Queenstown face hardship as they get fewer hours than promised
RNZ: New Zealand’s net annual migration gain back to pre-pandemic levels

ŌPŌTIKI MONGREL MOB FUNERAL
Luke Kirkness and Rachel Maher (Bay of Plenty Times): PM condemns tangi gang convoy, police investigating shots being fired at cars in Whakatāne
Luke Kirkness and Rachel Maher (Bay of Plenty Times): PM says ‘gangs contribute nothing to society’ after convoy sparks outrage
RNZ: Some Ōpōtiki residents calm, others on edge as gang farewells leader
1News: Gang presence in Ōpōtiki after alleged murder ‘unacceptable’ – Luxon
1News: Shots fired in Whakatāne as tensions surround Ōpōtiki tangi
Tony Wall (Stuff): Shots reported in Whakatāne after tangi for Mongrel Mob boss

CLIMATE CHANGE
Seni Iasona (Newshub): Environmental groups demand immediate climate action, call on political parties to work together
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): Government short half a billion in revenue after ‘pollution auction’ fails
No Right Turn: Climate Change: Another failed auction
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Shaw says NZ must ‘pick a team’ in global climate battle
Stuff: ‘Not going to regulate themselves’ – Ethique founder Brianne West, Simon Bridges debate environmental regulations

ENVIRONMENT
Lloyd Burr (Newshub): Māori group says more work to be done on Kermadec Sanctuary as Chris Hipkins expresses disappointment
RNZ: Iwi reject government’s latest Kermadec sanctuary proposal
Mike White (Stuff): More pressure comes on Minister over Niagara shipwreck threat

GENETIC ENGINEERING
Andy Allan (Newsroom): Genetically modified food could help fight against climate change
Peter Griffin (BusinessDesk): The sun is rising over GM again (paywalled)
Tina Morrison (Stuff): Fonterra has an open mind on exploring genetic modification

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Karanama Ruru (Stuff): Māngere hapū throw hat in ring for bid over airport shares
Robin Martin (RNZ): Crowd unleashes fury at New Plymouth councillors over rates hikes
Maia Hart (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘Prudent’ Marlborough council lands on 7.9 percent rates rise
Janine Rankin (Manawatū Standard): Fixed charges skew 7.7% Palmerston North rates increase
Evan Harding (Southland Times): Shadbolt advocating for own statue is ‘almost a bit creepy’: deputy mayor
Evan Harding (Southland Times): Sir Tim Shadbolt wants statue of himself in city, but mayor Clark pushes back
David Farrar: Pay for it yourself
William Hewett (Newshub): AM host Ryan Bridge throws support behind Sir Tim Shadbolt getting a statue

CYCLONE GABRIELLE, AUCKLAND FLOODS
Alexa Cook (Newshub): Hawke’s Bay Regional Council admits Government forced them to release Cyclone Gabrielle red zone map before ready
Rob Stock (Stuff): Homeowners think Govt just sent a ‘coded’ rebuke on pace of flood work to Auckland Council
Lauren Crimp (RNZ): Councils reassure Hawke’s Bay residents ‘at-risk’ properties map still provisional
John Campbell (1News): Revisiting Tairāwhiti: We keep getting it wrong
Felix Desmarais (1News): All state highways reopened in East Coast, Hawke’s Bay after cyclone

FIRE SAFETY, LOAFERS LODGE TRAGEDY
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Motel fire standards still not upgraded, despite Cabinet promise
Nikki Macdonald (Stuff): ‘Finally, I can have peace’ – Loafers Lodge survivor finds hope in new life
Conor Knell (Stuff): More than half of Loafers Lodge donations given out

HOUSING
Bernard Hickey: Govt & RBNZ adding up to $4.75b in firepower for first home buyers to push up house prices
Gerarden Cann (Stuff): Up to 25% in ‘mortgage prison’ as rates and falling prices lock them into existing provider
Seni Iasona (Newshub): Hamilton mother begs for help claiming Kāinga Ora neighbours are abusive, threaten to kill pets

EDUCATION
Morgan Godfery (Stuff): Labour then broke it, Labour now could fix it
Gianina Schwanecke (Stuff): Staff ‘gutted’ as details about Te Pūkenga restructure emerge
Vaughan Elder (ODT): Troubled Otago Uni in search for new leader
ODT: David Murdoch quits as Otago University boss
Stuff: Otago Uni head steps down following health battle
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Foreign fee-paying student numbers fall, despite rise in approvals
Newshub: Education Minister Jan Tinetti admits she doesn’t know how much she’s paid amid teachers’ pay negotiations
Newshub: Patrick Gower hits out at ‘desperately cynical’ teachers’ strike leaders
Kerre Woodham (Newstalk ZB): Why does teaching need to be valued more highly when our kids are failing?

HEALTH
Sophie Trigger (Herald): Youth mental health wait times in Wellington more than double over four years
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Nurse says police told her to drop assault complaint against mental health patient
ODT Editorial: Patient travel cost inertia (paywalled)
Andy Brew (Marlborough Express): The sometimes 14-hour ‘hell hard’ day for life-saving treatment
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Government set to break methamphetamine programme rollout promise
Herald: New Zealand medical schools to take 50 extra students as Government targets severe doctor shortages
Rachel Thomas (Post): ‘Nonsensical’: Pharmacies in high-needs areas can’t understand why Govt doesn’t want them in winter plan (paywalled)
Leighton Heikell (Newshub): Mother with terminal cancer grateful Government will amend bill that would’ve made her a criminal for importing life-saving medication
James Perry (Whakaata Māori): ‘I rongo mātou;: Government removes rongoā Māori control in controversial bill
Hannah Martin (Stuff): New Zealand needs 40,000 new blood donors, so should we pay people to give?
Hamish Bidwell (Hawke’ Bay Today): Te Whatu Ora dampens discussion about potential new site for hospital in Hastings for 2023
Rachael Comer (Timaru Herald): Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall opens new endoscopy unit at Timaru Hospital

TRANSPORT
Erin Gourley (Post): Let’s Get Wellington Moving accidentally releases ‘laughable’ feedback report (paywalled)
Felix Walton (RNZ): 300 new bus drivers aimed at filling Auckland driver shortage
Ben Gracewood (Spinoff): Auckland Transport’s selective hearing problem
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Surface-running light rail could make a comeback (paywalled)

FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Gordon Campbell: On losing the Ukraine war
Michael Reddell: Reading “The China Tightrope”
Eric Frykberg (Interest): NZ-Canada trade dispute reaches crunch point
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): Kiwi stuck in Thai lock-up five weeks and counting

OTHER
Chris Wilkinson-Smith and Annabel Cresswell (Stuff): Lawyers don’t relish prosecuting or defending sexual violence cases
David Harvey: Eroding Freedom of Expression
Robert MacCulloch: Why haven’t Educational Leaders in NZ been supporting free speech like the VC of Oxford University?
Soumya Bhamidipati, (RNZ): Rainbow rangatahi share stories of abuse and discrimination in state care in Oranga Tamariki’s Making Ourselves Visible report
Jake Kenny (Stuff): Husband and wife allegedly scammed Oranga Tamariki of more than $2m
David Fisher (Herald): Kim Dotcom faces rising tide of testimony as Megaupload coders face sentencing (paywalled)
Katie Harris (Herald): Posie Parker protest: Young man accused of punching elderly woman granted diversion