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

FOREIGN AFFAIRS
1News: NZ pushed EU ‘as far as we could’ on free trade deal – O’Connor
Jane Patterson (RNZ): New Zealand signs free trade deal with European Union after years of negotiations
Thomas Manch (Stuff): New Zealand signs free-trade deal with European Union after years of ‘hard negotiation’
Mei Heron (1News): NZ signs free trade agreement with European Union
William Hewett (Newshub): New Zealand joins Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme
Damien O’Connor (Herald): Doors about to be open – what the free trade agreement with the EU really means
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Diplomatic pivot from China to Europe, with all eyes on Ukraine
Jo Moir (Newsroom): Hipkins jets to Nato having ditched novice diplomat status
Lisette Reymer (Newshub): Why Prime Minister Chris Hipkins turned down Ukrainian President’s invite to Kyiv while in Europe
Thomas Manch (Stuff): New Zealand tells US of opposition to cluster bombs after promised Ukraine delivery
RNZ: Cluster bombs: Unease grows over US sending cluster bombs to Ukraine
Emile Donovan (Stuff): Cluster munitions ‘unacceptable and inhumane’, disarmament activist says
Herald: On the Tiles: From China success to European summer – could Chris Hipkins make a surprise trip to Ukraine?
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Hipkins heads to Europe promising NZ not ‘naive’ about world’s challenges (paywalled)
Mildred Armah (Stuff): Immigration Minister considers changes to Ukrainian special visas, possible pathway to residency for war refugees
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Chris Hipkins deftly keeps onside with China and the US (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor and Lloyd Burr (Newshub): Chris Hipkins says New Zealand being independent doesn’t mean ‘neutral’, will take ‘bread and butter’ approach to foreign affairs
Luke Malpass (Stuff): ‘You might have noticed we didn’t deny that’: Hipkins lays out his foreign policy
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says disagreements with China reflect ‘robust’ relationship
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Hipkins pitches NZ as an ‘honest broker’ in China and US
RNZ: Watch: Prime Minister Chris Hipkins speaks about the government’s ‘back to basics’ foreign policy
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Hipkins gets frank about security and China (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): The Prime Minister’s view on New Zealand’s foreign policy (paywalled)
Mike Smith (Standard): NZ’s Mission in Vilnius – “to defeat Russia.” Really?
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Backup plane for PM Hipkins’ trip more ‘unusual’ than NZDF claimed
Lydia Lewis and Christina Persico (RNZ): PIF panelist hits back at IAEA ‘Fukushima is safe’ decision
Lydia Lewis (RNZ): Fukushima: IAEA to present report on wastewater dump to NZ and Rarotonga

ELECTION
Janet Wilson (Stuff): The clear omen that should have National strategists rethinking – and worrying
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Support for Greens drops, rises for Māori Party in Roy Morgan poll (paywalled)
Damien Grant (Stuff): The odds for Labour’s third term have lengthened dramatically
Hayden Donnell (RNZ): Mediawatch: Christopher Luxon, the unknowable man
Glen McConnell (Stuff): The seats that could decide the election, and the people wanting to be your MPs
Tom Hunt (The Post): Greens make audacious play for ‘safe’ Wellington Labour seats (paywalled)
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Top election issues favour National but Labour has held its spot in the polls
Robin Grieve (Herald): Opinion: National and Act donors aren’t after tax cuts – here’s why they really give (paywalled)
Georgina Stylianou (Post): To engage voters, politicians have to be authentic (paywalled)

PARLIAMENT, WEEK IN POLITICS, POLITICIANS
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Chris Hipkins will need to make some decisions about Kiri Allan
Grant Duncan: While the PM’s away at NATO
Tracy Watkins (Post): Why media reported on the Tory Whanau and Kiri Allan stories (paywalled)
K Gurunathan (Post): The private price of a political life (paywalled)
Michele Hewitson (Listener/Herald): ‘Tipsy Tory’ proves that politicians aren’t allowed to have fun (paywalled)
Virginia Fallon (Stuff): The six little words that can kill a political career
Victor Billot (Newsroom): An Ode for .. Tory Whanau
Thomas Cranmer (The Common Room): Enhancing democracy: The case for a second chamber in New Zealand’s Parliament
Newstalk ZB: Senior Political Correspondent: “It’s a clear conflict”
Peter Wilson (RNZ): The Week in Politics: The extent of the health staff shortage hits home
Claire Trevett (Herald): Beehive Diaries: Chris Hipkins and Chris Luxon in Chris of the week, a homecoming for a Beehive institution
Felix Desmarais (1News): How old are New Zealand’s parliamentary political parties?
Glenn McConnell (Post): Public Service Watch: Deal-making in Europe, grocery hunting in Aotearoa (paywalled)
Vaimoana Mase (Herald): Deputy PM Carmel Sepuloni on the pain and privilege of getting a traditional Samoan tattoo
Grace Fiavaai (Herald): The traditional tattooist behind Deputy PM Carmel Sepuloni’s Samoan tatau
Johnny Blades (RNZ): Ian McKelvie: Parliament’s last country squire
Gabi Lardies (Spinoff): Aotearoa’s greatest parliamentary insults

GREENS
Michael Neilson (Herald): Green Party strategy to take Labour’s disaffected voters
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): The Greens try to spark some Opposition energy with big election year dreams
Richard Harman (Politik): No more sausage rolls for the Greens (paywalled)
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): 5 policies you might not have expected from the Greens’ election manifesto
Michael Neilson (Herald): Green Party lays out key policies in manifesto focused on ‘people, nature and climate’
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Green Party releases election year manifesto, lack of surprises shows ‘consistency’
1News: Greens unveil election manifesto: ‘Bold, ambitious, achievable’
Zane Small (Newshub): Green Party’s internal polling shows 1-in-3 voters interested in their policies
Newshub: Green Party launches manifesto
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Green manifesto pledges new climate ministry
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Shaw announces better recognition of carbon sinks
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): James Shaw’s surprise promise to farmers, as he seeks the Green faithful’s support
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): James Shaw promises rewards for private conservation projects, as Greens’ hui kicks off
Anna Whyte (Stuff): Government eyeing credit system to pay landowners for biodiversity areas
RNZ: James Shaw launches biodiversity regulations and proposal for credits system
Michael Neilson (Herald): Green Party to unveil new climate change pledges in manifesto
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): ‘This election is the last chance’: Greens kick off Auckland campaigns
Giles Dexter (RNZ): James Shaw re-elected Greens co-leader at party AGM
Zane Small (Newshub): James Shaw, Marama Davidson re-elected as co-leaders as they pitch Green future
Newshub: Greens co-leader James Shaw delivers speech at party’s annual general meeting
Luke Malpass (Post): Green Party bullish ahead of election year AGM (paywalled)

ORANGA TAMARIKI, YOUTH JUSTICE
Wiliam Hewett (Newshub): ACT accuses Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis of ‘missing in action’, hiding behind Oranga Tamariki review
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Teens should go to adult court at 17 – but not vote, ACT says
Newshub: ACT doesn’t want 17-year-olds in youth justice system
RNZ: ACT vows to put 17 year olds back into adult justice system
Tureiti Moxon (Herald): Opinion: It’s time for Oranga Tamariki to hand control of at-risk youth to a by Māori-for-Māori approach

LAW AND ORDER, JUSTICE
Claire Trevett (Herald): Election 2023 and the law and order battle – National, Act, Labour and the Mongrel Mob votes that nobody wants (paywalled)
Post Editorial: Let’s have more thought on the gang problem (paywalled)
Lin Mussell (Herald): Opinion: Where’s the justice in the tough-on-crime noise? (paywalled)
Mike Munro (Herald): Parties battle it out on reducing crime – it must be election year (paywalled)
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Police Minister Ginny Andersen ‘does not accept’ high crime a ‘social and moral failure’ by Labour
Denis O’Reilly (E-Tangata): Waiting for the sober talk on gangs
Jarrod Gilbert (Herald): How American bikers influenced NZ street gangs (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Stuff): Prisoners paying a double price for their crimes, report suggests, as some struggle to get money lives on track
Anna Harcourt (Re: News): Prison release: Let out, but can they stay out?
Laura Walters (Newshub Nation): Discretionary prosecutions for cannabis possession impacting Māori at alarming rate
Frances Chin (Stuff): Police watchdog should not have power to prosecute, new boss believes

ECONOMY, TAX, COST OF LIVING
Liam Dann: New Zealand is still a rich country … now for the bad news (paywalled)
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: Are Kiwis saving enough to survive the economic storm?
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): New Zealand’s ‘Falklands-plus’ economy (paywalled)
David Hargreaves (Interest): The OCR peak has apparently been reached – what now?
Geraden Cann (Stuff): The two things that will show how the fight against inflation is going this week
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Reserve Bank will leave interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, economists agree
Gareth Kiernan (Stuff): Why the NZ Reserve Bank is running hot and cold
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Reserve Bank expected to hold official cash rate at 5.5 percent
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Much less effort going into investigating tax frauds, says National (paywalled)
Patrick Gamble (Post): The tax policies which will have big consequences for many low and middle-income earners (paywalled)
Rayssa Almeida, (RNZ): ‘Worst it’s ever been’ – KidsCan says need for families, children at all-time high

BUSINESS
Janine Starks (Stuff): Banking Ombudsman needs emergency fraud powers
Dita De Boni (NBR): Spreading the load of parental leave the aim of new bill (paywalled)
Brianna Mcilraith (Post): Prices set to rise as retailers battle high costs and fear of closure
RNZ: Retailers report slowing sales as inflation and high interest rates bite
Tamara Poi-Ngawhika (BusinessDesk): Figures skewed by having ‘no real definition of a Māori-owned business’
Rebecca Stevenson (Interest): As a customer, TSB feels like a small bank stuck in a hard place

MEDIA
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government mulled Google, Facebook big tech tax to help news media companies (paywalled)
Daniel Dunkley (BusinessDesk): TVNZ chair appointment causes conflict of interest concerns (paywalled)

PRIMARY INDUSTRIES
ODT Editorial: Carpet clanger (paywalled)
Shane Te Pou (Herald): Labour’s trade deals and environmental policies deliver for farmers (paywalled)
Julie Asher (ODT): Act MP outlines plans for farmers at meeting
Gerhard Uys (Stuff): Southland farmers ‘stressed’ after council orders immediate halt to winter grazing

HEALTH
Rachel Thomas (Post): $60,000 bill for his life, amid fears of a two-tier health system (paywalled)
Rachel Thomas (Stuff): Show me the money; how an ailing health system is forcing sick Kiwis to shell out big dollars
David Meates (Stuff): ‘We run the danger of repeating the mistakes of the past’
Phil Pennington (RNZ): National data platform for health info on the way, but concerns remain
Robin Martin (RNZ): Activists pitch camp on boundary of former chemicals plant
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Firefighting chemicals compromise Treaty settlement
Michael Neilson (Herald): Smokefree law: Big drop in illicit tobacco as Customs is on track for record border seizures – industry survey (paywalled)
Justin Wong (Stuff): Overcrowding on public transport increasing airborne disease risk: report
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Govt spending on expired rat tests is ‘out of the gate’
Victoria Young (BusinessDesk): Te Whatu Ora subsidiary healthAlliance takes IT supplier to court over contract (paywalled)
RNZ: Te Whatu Ora announces $7m boost for free cervical services
Fiona Ellis (ODT): National’s hospital pledge ‘not enough’ (paywalled)
Mike Houlahan (ODT): National reveals approach to hospital
RNZ: National pledges to put an extra $30m into Dunedin Hospital if elected
Jo Lane (Post): How Waikato University thinks it can help solve the health workforce crisis (paywalled)
Ruth Hill (RNZ): ‘We created a wraparound awhi of them’ – Aunties mentor Pacific midwives
Jemima Huston (RNZ): Self-employed midwives still waiting for their day in court for pay equity fight
RNZ: ‘No pathology, no healthcare’ – Medical lab workers to strike for better pay
Katherine Rich (Post): The crisis in aged care

HOUSING
Vernon Small (Stuff): From boom to bust to boom again? National’s housing policy dissected
Rebecca Macfie (Listener(Herald): Child left with life-long illness due to unhealthy emergency accommodation (paywalled)

ENVIRONMENT, CONSERVATION
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Green initiatives under threat as carbon-credit slump continues
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): James Shaw seeks to calm carbon market panic (paywalled)
Jamie Gray (Herald): Forestry group slams ETS reform as ‘vandalism’ (paywalled)
Niva Chittock (RNZ): Few travel plan changes for government organisations, despite climate promises
Rod Oram (Newsroom): NZ adrift on prioritising ocean health
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): Levy on cargo ship pollution gains steam at global talks
Isobel Ewing (Newshub): Push for Government to permanently halt planting exotic trees and restore native forests

EXTREME WEATHER
Catherine Hubbard (Nelson Mail): ‘EQC-style approach’ for flooding maybe needed in future: Robertson
Shanti Mathias (Spinoff): The spongier city rising from the Auckland floods
Lauren Crimp (RNZ): Cyclone victims ‘over it’ as they wait for buy-out cash while debate drags on over who will pay
Hamish Bidwell (Herald): Cyclone Gabrielle: Government walks back suggestion of 7% interest on loans for cyclone-hit growers (paywalled)

OTHER
Tony Wall (Stuff): ‘Big commissioner, big personality, big mistake’: How Meng Foon’s job fighting racism came to an abrupt end
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Could the Treaty of Waitangi become the next casualty of populism?
Catherine Delahunty (E-Tangata): Moving past the Pākehā backlash
Kevin Norquay (Stuff): New book shows remarkable similarities between historical divisions and pandemic protests
Kevin Norquay (Post): Conspiracies, racism, occupations: Old themes recycled (paywalled)