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, DEFENCE, NATIONAL SECURITY, 
Geoffrey Miller (Responsible Statecraft): With China in sights, New Zealand signals major defense policy shift
Thomas Manch (Post): Little warns of China’s effort to ‘exclude’ New Zealand from Pacific as Govt plots greater combat readiness (paywalled)
Michael Daly (Stuff): Helen Clark fears new defence moves suggest NZ ‘abandoning its capacity to think for itself’
Richard Harman (Politik): Who is driving our defence policy (paywalled)
Laura Walters and Gray Gibson (Newshub): Is NZ gearing up for war? Newshub Nation’s Laura Walters quizzes Andrew Little on major new defence strategy
Craig McCulloch and Russell Palmer (RNZ): Changing global tensions prompt New Zealand to ramp up security and defence resources
Reuters (Guardian): New Zealand must boost military spending as Pacific power struggle intensifies, review finds
RNZ: Overarching national intelligence and security agency not far off, government says
Sapeer Mayron (Stuff): Veterans, descendants of nuclear testing era urged to apply for British medal
Kelvin Anthon (RNZ): Anti-nuclear group condemns Sitiveni Rabuka’s Fukushima wastewater stance
Christina Persico (RNZ): Fiji PM satisfied Japan’s nuclear wastewater release is safe

ECONOMY, POLICY COSTINGS, TAX, FISCAL HOLES
Vernon Small (Stuff): The truth about the Government’s ‘fiscal hole’
Bernard Hickey: The ‘fiscal black hole’ talk actually is a joke
Liam Dann (Herald): Fiscal holy guacamole! Just how bad are the Crown accounts? (paywalled)
Claire Trevett (Herald): Robertson and Willis as crucial as Hipkins and Luxon (paywalled)
Christoph Schumacher (NBR): From Aristotle to austerity (paywalled)
1News: Q+A: ‘Not possible to make big promises’ this election – Robertson
1News Q+A: Robertson on GST-free food: ‘Boondoggles can be worked through’
Damien Grant (Stuff): GST is the Government’s MacGuffin moment
Gareth Kiernan (Stuff): Jury still out on whether the Reserve Bank has done enough
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Unemployment, wage figures show no need for further action from Reserve Bank – economist Nick Tuffley
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Kim Kardashian was wrong, everybody wants to work these days
Dita De Boni (NBR): Is ERA justice delayed, justice denied for employers? (paywalled)

TRANSPORT
Luke Malpass (Post): Finally, a balanced transport plan – but mostly something to campaign on (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Post): Instead of fighting global warming, we’ve opened a new front: a climate-change culture war (paywalled)
Adam Pearse (Herald): ‘Bonkers’: Greens slam second Waitematā harbour crossing as National shows support
Newshub: Greens skewer Government’s ‘irresponsible’ Auckland harbour crossing road tunnels
Rayssa Almeida (RNZ): Mixed reaction to government’s multi-billion Auckland harbour tunnels plan
Adam Pearse (Herald): Auckland harbour crossing: Mayor Wayne Brown fires shot at major parties over start date and price tag
Claire Trevett (Herald): Second Auckland harbour crossing: Tunnels backed by Government as ambitious plan revealed
RNZ: Tunnels, light rail, cycling and bus lanes – govt unveils ambitious $45b new harbour crossing plan
1News: $45bn Auckland tunnels plan: ‘Money apparently grows on roads’
Shilpy Arora (Stuff): PM Chris Hipkins reveals ‘bold plan’ to have second Auckland Harbour crossing with road tunnels, light rail
Hayden Donnell (RNZ): Mediawatch: Political road rage – budget holes and emissions omissions
Herald Editorial: Familiar roads to an uncertain destination (paywalled)
William Hewett (Newshub): Potholes: New OIA data reveals number of potholes being repaired in New Zealand is increasing

ACT
Simon Shepherd (Newshub): Newshub Nation: ACT Party leader David Seymour says New Zealand’s wealth gap is acceptable
Newshub Nation: Political commentators accuse ACT’s David Seymour of dog-whistling to anti-co-governance supporters
Warren Gamble (Stuff): ACT plans $1 billion cost-cutting on ‘wasteful’ Government projects
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Seymour, Act will ‘stop work’ on wasteful projects, cut public service job
RNZ: ACT promises big cuts to MBIE staffing and projects
Scoop: Politician Watch: Seymour Tries To Take Out Winston Peters

GREENS’ FREE DENTAL CARE POLICY
1News: Greens’ free dental care policy doesn’t go far enough – expert
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Dentists label Green Party’s national dental service policy as ‘aspirational’
Adam Pearse (Herald): Greens propose using wealth tax to fund free dental care
1News: Greens promise to make dental care free for all Kiwis
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Green Party promises free dental care for all, funded by multi-millionaires
RNZ: Greens promise free dental for all, paid for by ‘fair and simple’ tax changes
Mark Longley (Newshub): Green Party will make dental care free for everyone if elected
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Greens Free Dental vs ACTs amputation of the State

ELECTION, PARLIAMENT
Luke Malpass (Post): National in poll position as Winston waits in the wings and Labour faces a reckoning (paywalled)
Peter Dunne: The most important opinion poll question 
Grant Duncan: Election 2023: All bets are off
Tracy Watkins (Post): The last three years have not been kind to the Government
Steve Braunias (Herald): The Secret Diary of Christopher ‘Truckin’ Luxon (paywalled)
John Campbell (1News): ‘Politicians aren’t there to hear our people cry’
Matt Nippert (Herald): D-Day for John Tamihere campaign loan; Te Pāti Māori election launch probed (paywalled)
David Farrar: ACT vs NZ First
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Erica Stanford explains why National refuses to work with Te Pāti Māori despite not ruling out NZ First
Joseph Los’e (Herald): Winston Peters on why he’s attracting more Māori to his campaign, and why’s David Seymour so dog on me?
Georgina Stylianou (Post): Why this election should be the one when we go small
Peter Wilson (RNZ): The Week in Politics: Poll pushes Labour closer to the danger zone
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Polls and fiscal holes put major parties on notice
Michele Hewitson (Listener/Herald): Exposing tax policy leaker would fracture already fragile Labour (paywalled)
Glenn McConnell (Post): Hang On… What? Winston Peters and the hunt for holes (paywalled)
Claire Trevett (Herald): Beehive Diaries: Stuart Nash’s gift card confessions and a look at the After Hours Chris Luxon (paywalled)
Victor Billot (Newsroom): An ode for .. Baron Luxon
RNZ: Hunting for votes: From teeth to tunnels, parties pitch plans
Bridie Witton (Post): Public Service Watch: Govt focuses on the environment, ACT and the Greens to release new policies (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Chaos in House as National tries to adjourn Parliament after Labour caught not knowing what it was debating

CRIME, JUSTICE, POLICE
Andrea Vance (Post): Government warned to shut down controversial youth justice facility – but failed to act
Derek Cheng (Herald): Youth crime – the politics, numbers and what would make a difference (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): 274,000 scammed in past 12 months: Victims call for Govt action (paywalled)
Emma Hatton (Newsroom): ‘No body, no parole’ murder sentences considered by both Labour and National
RNZ: Queen Street double shooting: Auckland councillor concerned about increase in violent crime
RNZ: Checkpoint: Maori warden on second Auckland shooting in two weeks
Caroline Williams (Stuff): More emails of firearms licence holders leaked, police yet to apologise

HEALTH
David Fisher (Herald): Minister of Health ‘disappointed’ no new waiting list data before election (paywalled)
Rachel Thomas (Stuff): Why it will take Te Whatu Ora longer to treat bad hips, knees and backs
Rob Campbell (Herald): Te Aka Whai Ora report not all bad news for Māori health outcomes
Sasha Borissenko (Herald): NZ falls short on human rights for overweight people (paywalled)
Katherine Rich (Post): Is it time the Commerce Commission looked under Pharmac’s bonnet?
Tom Kitchin (RNZ): The new therapeutic products law: What is it?
Ruth Hill (RNZ): Rise in younger people with colorectal cancers prompts call for screening change
Louisa Steyl (Southland Times): Caregivers in tears before their shifts start
Jo Lines-MacKenzie (Stuff): People flocking for gender surgery after funding boost
Nikki Macdonald (Post): Infected at work: How did two lab workers get typhoid on the job? (paywalled)
Paula Penfold (Stuff): Please don’t hang up the abortion rights signs just yet
Fiona Ellis (ODT): Rural area nurses left out of deal (paywalled)

TOBACCO, VAPING
Farah Hancock (RNZ): The ‘corner dairy campaign’ quietly backed by big tobacco
Bridie Witton (Post): ‘Straight up exploitation of young people’: Health expert says thousands of underage vapers are becoming addicted (paywalled)
Sunny Kaushal (Post): Time to clear the smokescreen around dairies and vaping (paywalled)

PAID PARENTAL LEAVE
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Labour’s vote against Nicola Willis’ paid parental leave bill goes down badly with even Labour luvvies (paywalled)
Claire Breen (Spinoff): Why did Labour vote against the parental leave bill?
Tova O’Brien (Stuff): Are we seeing a return of the Labour nanny state – quite literally?

HOUSING
Don Brash: Who’s to blame for our stlll ridiculous house prices?
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Massive new Kāinga Ora apartments deliver Auckland a new take on state housing
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Kāinga Ora’s Te Mātāwai social housing complex – finally, something is finished (paywalled)
Ngarimu Blair (Herald): A wrap-around Whānau Ora approach to social housing has been sadly lacking in Kainga Ora
Carmen Hall (Herald): Housing crisis: Bay of Plenty’s Ngāi Te Rangi iwi hopes to import and later build affordable, transportable homes (paywalled)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Wairarapa communities light the way for new era of local council mergers
Simon Wilson (Herald): Hey Wayne Brown, an Auckland harbour bath is just the beginning (paywalled)
Erin Johnson (Stuff): Auckland mayor votes against spending already agreed upon
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): Seismic bill scrutiny puts council budget on shaky ground
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Port volumes falling as Auckland Council considers waterfront site’s future
Matthew Rosenberg (Local Democracy Reporting): Gisborne council’s main scientist posts anti-government views on social media
Janine Rankin (Manawatū Standard): The good and the bad of pokies laid out for councillors
Catherine Hubbard (Nelson Mail): Cleaning up toxic sawdust on Nelson beach will cost more than $3 million
Samantha Gee (RNZ): Sawdust with high levels of heavy metals shuts off part of Tāhunanui Beach
Maia Hart (Local Democracy Reporting): Council won’t fence stormwater ponds, reminds residents of ‘parental responsibility’
Toni McDonald (ODT): Voting system remains

CLIMATE CHANGE, EXTREME WEATHER
Glenn McConnell (Post): Emissions pricing for agriculture will be decision for future government: Hipkins (paywalled)
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): NZ has to come clean – we can’t plant our way out of climate change (paywalled)
Keiller MacDuff (Post): Antarctic researchers issue call to arms on climate change (paywalled)
Anna Rankin (Guardian): Record rain helps New Zealand emissions fall – but the path to net zero won’t be so simple
ODT Editorial: Keeping it in the family (paywalled)
RNZ: Recovery package offers ‘clarity and certainty’ for cyclone-hit Hawke’s Bay residents – mayor
Geraden Cann (Stuff): Six months after Auckland floods and still no path to returning to home
Brendon McMahon (Local Democracy Reporting): Franz Josef: Building consents still being issued for town facing possible 20 year use-by date
RNZ: Auckland Council launches tool for residents to check flood risk
Catherine Hubbard (Stuff): Golden Bay’s housing dilemma as climate change and growth collide

EDUCATION
RNZ: Schools will not be able to hold over staffing funding from mid-2025
John Gerritsen (RNZ): International student enrolments at polytechnics growing
Andrea Graves (Listener/Herald): University funding woes threaten outspoken researchers and specialised courses they teach (paywalled)

OTHER
Brian Easton (Pundit): Thinking Slow Or Thinking Fast?
Ganesh Nana (Stuff): ‘Short-term thinking prevails, hindering our ability to tackle long-term challenges’