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

ORANGA TAMARIKI
Nick Truebridge (Newshub): Exclusive: ‘Disturbing’ video shows MMA-style fight at Oranga Tamariki youth justice facility
1News: More staff stood down after ‘similar’ OT facility fight incident
Rachel Maher (Heral): Eleven Oranga Tamariki staff members stood down as second fight revealed
RNZ: Oranga Tamariki controversy: ‘Totally unacceptable’ staff member filmed fight
Rachel Maher (Herald): Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis finds video of MMA-style fighting in youth justice facility ‘deeply concerning’
RNZ: Oranga Tamariki staff stood down over martial arts style fight between teenagers
William Hewett (Newshub): Christopher Luxon says MMA-style fight video in youth justice residence is ‘heartbreaking and sickening’
Deborah LaHatte (Whakaata Māori): No apologies for time taken getting rangatahi off roof, top Oranga Tamariki official says

ELECTION
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): All eyes on the Maori Party
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): BOOM: New Roy Morgan Poll – Labour ahead, ACT skyrocket, Greens plunge and Maori Party at 7%
Interest: Māori Party surges in Roy Morgan June poll
David Farrar: Roy Morgan Poll June 2023
Richard Prebble (Herald): Labour MPs scared of losing the best job they’ll ever have (paywalled)
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): 15 weeks until 2023 Election: Greens, ACT & Maori Party ones to watch

GOVERNMENT
Lloyd Burr (Newshub): Are Labour’s woes ill-discipline, arrogance, or incompetence?
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says safe workplace ‘a real priority’ – but still won’t meet with Kiri Allan straight away
1News: PM says he has confidence in Kiri Allan despite allegation
Stuff: Chris Hipkins wants to meet with Kiri Allan face-to-face, supports her taking time off
David Burton (Post): Where does the responsibility lie in the Kiri Allan controversy? (paywalled)
Derek Cheng (Herald): Electoral Commission attended Mongrel Mob hui where Labour MP Ingrid Leary dropped in

HEALTH
Robin Martin (RNZ): Former worker of controversial chemical plant in New Plymouth raises questions over his baby’s death
Rachel Thomas (Post): Let those failed by the health system judge progress (paywalled)
Herald Editorial: NZ’s struggling health workforce needs a fulsome remedy (paywalled)
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Gaping hole in New Zealand’s health workforce could blow out if nothing changes
Russell Palmer and Giles Dexter (RNZ): Te Whatu Ora launches strategy for health recruitment and retention
Michael Neilson (Herald): Government launches health workforce plan; nearly 13,000 extra nurses and over 5000 doctors needed within a decade
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): A diagnosis for an ailing health sector
RNZ: More than 6300 healthcare workers join NZ workforce
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Verrall flexes health system’s muscles with postcode lottery plan
Benn Bathgate (Post): Revived Waikato doctor plan as politicians battle over health (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): One in three Wellington ED patients spends time in bed in corridors
Gianina Schwanecke (Post): Hutt Hospital ED wait times jump to 12 hours for some (paywalled)
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Wellington dad says struggle to get sick kids seen by doctor has never been harder
Brooke van Velden (Herald): Race criteria for health waitlists an embarrassing backwards step for NZ
Leighton Heikell (Newshub): Government called on to urgently address diabetes ‘epidemic’ following alarming study
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Te Whatu Ora ‘deliberately underfunding us’, aged care group claims
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Natural health sector will be on a ‘knife edge’ if bill passes, industry experts say

HOUSING
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Chris Hipkins says Labour wouldn’t consider rent controls after Greens’ policy announcement
Will Trafford (Whakaata Māori): PM rules out Greens’ rental cap
Brigitte Morten (NBR): Greens’ pledge to renters politics at its worst (paywalled)
Rayssa Almeida (RNZ): Auckland’s homeless battle a wet winter: ‘You gotta be a soldier’
Miriam Bell (Stuff): By the numbers: The mortgage refixing bomb
1News: Kiwis nervous as mortgage interest rates go up
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): Mortgage arrears now at highest levels since March 2020 (paywalled)
Greg Ninness (Interest): Average asking price on Realestate.co.nz declined for the fourth consecutive month in June
Geraden Cann (Stuff): Rate of house prices falls nearly doubles from May to June, CoreLogic data shows
RNZ: House prices down more than 10% from June 2022
David Chaston (Interest): ASB takes one year fixed mortgage rate to its highest since late 2008. Will rivals follow?

COST OF LIVING, ECONOMY
Trent Doyle and Zane Small (Newshub): One in 10 Kiwis behind on debt repayments, the highest level in four years – report
Baz Macdonald (Re: News): ‘I’m cold, Mama’: The NZers struggling to stay warm this winter
David Hargreaves (Interest): ‘Some Kiwi households and businesses are walking an economic tightrope’
David Hargreaves (Interest): BNZ head of research Stephen Toplis says he continues to believe the next move in interest rates will be down ‘and that this will possibly occur sooner than the RBNZ expects’
Martyn Bradbury Daily Blog): The Biggest Lie in NZ Politics, the 3 pillars of NZs economic success and the grim threats to it
Hanna McCallum (Post): ‘It could be any of us’: Free laundry and shower service busy amid cost of living pinch (paywalled)

FOOD WASTE, SECURITY
Sally Mackay and Lisa Te Morenga (Public Health Communications Centre): Implementing healthy food environment policies in Aotearoa
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Food rescue organisations call on political parties to adopt policies to lower food waste and improve food security
Lucy Anderson (1News): A closer look at some of the foods going to waste in Aotearoa
RNZ: Food rescue charities face funding struggles amid high demand
Emily King (Spinoff): Transparency, traceability and the tangled story of where our food comes from
Eric Crampton (Newsroom): Comparing (export) apples with apples

BUSINESS
Eric Frykberg (Interest): Slight improvement in business confidence
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Businesses downbeat as consumers cut back on non-essential spending
RNZ: Business sentiment still pessimistic but has lifted slightly, survey shows
1News: Companies filing for liquidation up 35% year-on-year

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THREE WATERS
Neil Volzke (Stratford Press): What is the future of local government?
Vita Molyneux and Georgina Campbell (Herald): Wellington restaurant unfazed by backlash after Mayor Tory Whanau’s tipsy evening out
Tom Hunt (Stuff): Wellington restaurant faces backlash after speaking out about mayoral behaviour
Seni Iasona (Newshub): Wellington restaurant The Old Quarter faces criticism online after Mayor Tory Whanau saga
Francesca Rudkin (Newstalk ZB): If you’re a politician out with a friend – just remember to pay the bill
John Watson (Herald): Auckland’s assets frittered away – for what? (paywalled)
RNZ: Christchurch head of Three Waters resigns after extended leave
Grant Miller (ODT): ‘Angry’ councillors set to challenge water reform (paywalled)

EDUCATION
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Teachers shocked at leaked draft of science curriculum – ‘Where’s the science?’
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): The stark warning from Auckland primary school principals
The Facts: Tertiary participation steadily decreases in New Zealand
Blair Ensor (Stuff): ‘Teacher who had relationship with teenage student ‘intimidated’ whistleblowers
Blair Ensor (Stuff): ‘Shameful’: Whistleblower criticises elite school’s handling of complaints about teacher
Sam Sherwood (Herald): Private Christchurch school Rangi Ruru had two other former teachers involved in ‘serious misconduct’ cases
Gabrielle McCulloch (Stuff): Students not allowed at school for months after reporting principal for assault
Amy Williams (Herald): Making the grade: Teens need sexual consent education in schools, say campaigners (paywalled)
Kate Green (RNZ): Severe weather affecting East Coast students’ behaviour, attendance
Gianina Schwanecke (Post): Public Service Watch: Education sector enjoying a much needed break (paywalled)

FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SPY AGENCIES
Richard Harmin (Politik): What China really thinks of NZ
Jennifer Curtin (Stuff): As new Australian citizenship rules kick in, the ‘fair go’ finally returns to trans-Tasman relations
RNZ: NZ spy agencies sidestep queries over Donald Trump classified material

ENVIRONMENT
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Government holds another meeting with He Waka Eke Noa (paywalled)
Maia Hart (Local Democracy Reporting): Iwi files High Court review as vehicles banned from ‘special stretch of coast’
Sarah Heeringa (Stuff): Make it 16: How lowering the voting age might fix the climate crisis

TRANSPORT
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: Would a bridge or tunnel be better for new North Shore harbour crossing?
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Spinoff): Parking fines review stalled due to cost of living crisis
RNZ: Green MP demands answers from government about Waiheke Island ferry fares
Luke Kirkness (Herald): Waka Kotahi phone wait times cause concern for National Party transport spokesman Simeon Brown
Tumamao Harawira (Whakaata Māori): Northland community takes road safety into its own hands
Diane McCarthy (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘Fanaticism’ driving 30km speed limit for Whakatāne towns

IMMIGRATION
RNZ: Immigration NZ revokes employer accreditation as worker exploitation investigation underway
Finau Fonua (RNZ): Shock visa decision could scupper Tongan basketballer’s dream

MEDIA
Shayne Currie (Herald): Media Insider: Top editor quits after less than six months amid Stuff leadership changes (paywalled)
Kirsty Cameron (Listener/Herald): Editorial: Welcome to the Listener’s digital platform (paywalled)
Herald: Cutting-edge journalism as The Listener launches online in partnership with NZ Herald

OTHER
Verity Johnson (Stuff): How to use your Pākehā firepower
Paul Little (Listener/Herald): Listener’s top 100 list: New Zealand’s most intriguing people (paywalled)
Kris Faafoi (Stuff): The complicated world of Wellington
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): Business of Government: productivity, Fulbright scholars and more … (paywalled)
Maria Slade (NBR): Less ‘tough on crime’ talk, more focus on the real monsters (paywalled)
Katie Scotcher (RNZ): New Zealand can’t arrest its way out of the gang problem, science chief warns
Sally Blundell (Listener/Herald): How different would NZ be if Norman Kirk lived longer? (paywalled)
Jimmy Ellingham (RNZ): ‘I still have nightmares’: Former Lake Alice patient wants someone to take responsibility
Phil Pennington (RNZ): ‘Data is the new gold’ – Warning NZ at risk with reliance on foreign firms
Ben Kepes (Post): The argument for bringing back national service (paywalled)
Mana Wikaire-Lewis (Whakaata Māori): Ngā Rauru Kītahi, Stats NZ to share data to develop Māori aspirations
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (1News): AI chat bots can now write in te reo Māori
Conor Knell (Stuff): Bus driver wins unjustified dismissal case after refusing to work during Covid
Pokere Paewai (RNZ): Māori and Moriori place names maps launched
Anna Whyte (Post): PM congratulates Special Olympics team after record medal haul (paywalled)
Katie Ham (Stuff): Natalie Portman flying to NZ to speak alongside Dame Jacinda Ardern and Ruby Tui on gender equity panel
Darren Bevan (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern to take stage with Natalie Portman, Ruby Tui at Auckland speaker event