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
Gordon Campbell: On the elitism framing the election discourse
Jessica Mutch McKay (1News): Momentum counts and election clock is ticking
William Hewett (Newshub): Peter Dunne says Labour needs to be careful not to create sense of ‘panic’, look ‘desperate’ with policy announcements
Audrey Young (Herald): Who takes over as Labour’s leader if it loses the election? (paywalled)
Herald Editorial: Parental leave as a political football (paywalled)
Felix Desmarais (1News): TOP’s health plan: Free contraception, ambulances, antenatal ultrasounds
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Spinoff): Nicola Willis and the race for Ōhāriu
Seni Iason (Newshub): National deputy leader Nicola Willis forced to take down double-sided billboards following change in advice
Lucy Rogers (Blue Review): ACT is not a viable party for social conservatives
Mike Hosking (Herald): Election 2023 – Chris Hipkins, Winston Peters as bad as each other (paywalled)

TAX
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): David Parker will not say whether he thinks Labour’s GST policy will work
Dita De Boni (NBR): Fairer supermarket profit more important than GST on/off fruit (paywalled)
Rebecca Stevenson (Interest): ‘Everyone else in the world’ can make GST-free work, and so can we: Grant Robertson
Eric Crampton (Newsroom): Labour makes a big show of GST change while picking your pocket
Richard Harman (Politik): Luxon ignores Labour’s GST move (paywalled)
Sharon Brettkelly (RNZ): The Detail: Off or on? The debate over GST on fruit and veg
Roger Partridge (Herald): GST policy breathtakingly cynical (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): CTU voices surprise after BusinessNZ-commissioned report calls for broader tax base (paywalled)

CLIMATE CHANGE
Kirsty Johnston (RNZ): Crown vs Cow: The inside story of how we failed to regulate our worst climate polluter
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): National’s concerning lack of climate policies
Mike Joy (Conversation): Critics of ‘degrowth’ economics say it’s unworkable – but from an ecologist’s perspective, it’s inevitable
No Right Turn: Labour will allow offshore drilling

PUBLIC SERVICE
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): National wants review into govt contracts awarded to firm run by partner of Cabinet minister Peeni Henare
Gianina Schwanecke (Post): Public Service Watch: Education Ministry’s almost $4m new website (paywalled)
Frances Chin (Post): Corrections Minister acknowledges allegations against former DCE Māori (paywalled)
Ben Thomas (Post): National and ACT must turn around the public service (paywalled)
Georgina Campbell (Herald): A Capital Letter: Why public servants are remaining in an earthquake-risk building (paywalled)
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Growing government reliance on offshore cloud services has security experts worried
Paul Gorman (Listener): Dame Juliet Gerrard on what it’s like being the PM’s Chief Science Advisor (paywalled)

ECONOMY, OCR, INEQUALITY
Luke Malpass (Post): Reserve Bank OCR stays still but darker economic clouds could gather over election season (paywalled)
Richard Harman (Politik): It could get ugly (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): ‘No rate cuts until 2025′ – RBNZ walks economic tightrope (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Reserve Bank still thinks OCR has peaked, but is sounding a little less confident (paywalled)
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Reserve Bank makes ‘small but clear step’ towards further official cash rate tightening, ANZ says
Liam Dann (Herald): Reserve Bank keeps OCR on hold at 5.5pc, future rate hike not ruled out
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): RBNZ opens the door to another rate hike
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): Sideline view of the interest rate vs inflation match (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Reserve Bank holds OCR at 5.5%, suggests rate may stay higher for longer
Dan Briunskill (Interest): The Reserve Bank could lift the Official Cash Rate one more time early in 2024
David Hargreaves (Interest): Reserve Bank leaves Official Cash Rate unchanged at 5.50% but says interest rates need to remain at a restrictive level for some time
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Are you in world’s top 1%?

COVID RESTRICTIONS
Peter Dunne: Labour keen to bury the memory of Covid19
Brent Edwards (NBR): Government still to face electoral consequences of Covid record (paywalled)
Tumamao Harawira (Whakaata Māori): Is Aotearoa ready to lift Covid-19 restrictions?
Ripu Bhatia (Stuff): Disabled add voice to immunocompromised concerns about end of Covid measures
Warren Tate (Newsroom): Long Covid’s ‘missing thousands’ in NZ

RMA, THREE WATERS BILLS
Richard Harman (Politik): We’re not there yet; replacing the RMA (paywalled)
1News: National vows to repeal Three Waters, ‘RMA 2.0’ legislation
Thomas Manch (Post): Labour propels reforms into law, National promises to repeal (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government passes RMA replacement bills, ending 30 years of RMA
Pattrick Smellie (Business Desk): RMA reforms pass into law – for how long?
RNZ: RMA replacement bills pass third readings in Parliament
RNZ: Three waters amendment bill passes third reading

HOUSING
Dan Brunskill (Interest): A ban on foreign homebuyers could be changed under a National-led government, while Labour warns any change could be irreversible
Bridie Witton (Stuff): National Party under pressure to reveal foreign buyer policy
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Christopher Luxon continues to refuse to rule out overturning foreign buyer ban as Labour, NZ First go on attack
David Hargreaves (Interest): Reserve Bank changes its forecasts and now expects house prices to rise from the current quarter, with annual prices showing an increase by March next year
Greg Ninness (Interest): July a tough month on Trade Me Property with new listings, site views and average asking prices all heading south
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Reserve Bank rethinks where house prices will go
Greg Presland (The Standard): What is at stake this election – housing
Erin Gourley (Post): Te Toi Mahana takes over struggling housing portfolio (paywalled)

HEALTH
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: Healthcare crisis – How safe are our hospitals?
Lloyd Burr (Newshub): Dozens protest at Parliament for tougher vape regulations – so how did politicians respond?
Rachel Thomas (Stuff): ‘Anger, frustration and love’: Mums, rangatahi unite in call for stronger vaping laws
Ashleigh McCaull (RNZ): Vaping petition presented at Parliament: ‘We as adults have failed our mokopuna’
Herald: Māori public health organisation wants stronger government action to stamp out youth vaping
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Māori health experts say Te Aka Whai Ora hasn’t been given a chance to work
Herald: Māori health providers back Te Aka Whaiora despite a less than flattering review
Mare Haimona-Riki (Whakaata Māori): Māori back Te Aka Whaiora after negative report
ODT Editorial: Oamaru ED woes (paywalled)
Ruth Hill (RNZ): Te Whatu Ora to target overseas specialists for recruitment at international medical conferences
Louisa Steyl (Stuff): New Zealand hospitals advertise for more than 7000 staff
RNZ: Building of Ōtara spinal unit deferred due to growing costs

PARLIAMENT, VALEDICTORY SPEECHES
Emma Hatton (Newsroom): National party donations trio now waits to hear fate
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Former Green MP Dr Elizabeth Kerekere comes out swinging in tell-all interview, reveals which former colleague hurt her most
Felix Desmarais (1News): ‘Failure of leadership’: Kerekere fires parting shots to Greens
Adam Pearse (Herald): Elizabeth Kerekere makes final speech, decrying poor process in the Green Party
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Being a Green MP is like competing on Survivor, Elizabeth Kerekere says
RNZ: Elizabeth Kerekere blames ‘epic failure of leadership’ for departure from politics
Michael Neilson (Herald): Three of Labour’s departing MPs Marja Lubeck, Paul Eagle and Jamie Strange give valedictory speeches

TRANSPORT
Luke Malpass (Post): Let’s Get Wellington Moving to get a shake-up with Government Policy Statement (paywalled)
The Post: Let’s Get Wellington Moving: A bit more than one pedestrian crossing (paywalled)
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): Auckland Transport wants to regain the city’s trust
Brianna McIlraith (Stuff): Petrol passes $3 again, but Government says subsiding prices again is ‘unsustainable’
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland Council wants to reclaim transport planning powers from agency
Finn Blackwell (RNZ): Relaxed immigration settings helps end bus driver shortage in Auckland

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
RNZ: Protests at council meetings becoming more ‘polarised and heated’ – police
Erin Gourley (Post): High-risk confrontations with council staff increase (paywalled)
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Wellington City Council unable to contact those worst-affected by privacy breach

EDUCATION
RNZ: National supports school lunch scheme but it must provide value for money – Luxon
RNZ: Wānanga now able to self-determine how they operate
Tema Hemi (Whakaata Māori): Māori tertiary providers and kura kaupapa Māori win increased flexibility, autonomy
David Farrar: The success of the Hipkins mega-merger
Christine Rovoi (Stuff): NZ’s first female Pacific law professor hopes to inspire indigenous youth

FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TRADE, DEFENCE
Wang Xiaolong (Herald): China is ‘willing to play by the rulebook’
Andrea Fox (Herald): Report highlights New Zealand’s missed opportunities (paywalled)
Peter Greener (Incline): The New Zealand Defence Policy and Strategy Statement 2023; what are the implications for the Royal New Zealand Navy?

CRIME, JUSTICE, GUN REGISTER
Deena Coster (Taranaki Daily News): PM refuses to comment on heavily criticised Kaoss Price police investigation outcome
Mark Jennings (Newsroom): K Road plea to political parties: ‘We need help’
Simon Bridges (NBR): Auckland CBD tarnished by fatal shootings, begging (paywalled)
Rituraj Sapkota (Whakaata Māori): Is New Zealand better off with a gun register or without?

PRIMARY INDUSTRIES
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): Politicians agree fishing industry has a problem with social licence (paywalled)
Ben Tomsett (ODT): Footage of sheep struggling in mud to be investigated

OTHER
Herald: Māori survey finds four out of five of respondents say state or systemic violence impacted their wellbeing
Azaria Howell (Herald): Ruapehu skifields: Govt ministers apologise for iwi ‘flawed’ engagement
Brianna McIlraith (Stuff): Credit card surcharges: Why cafes charge, supermarkets don’t, and no one knows how much we really pay
Samantha Gee (RNZ): ‘We’ve lost everything’: Owners of unsaleable, uninsurable homes in Nelson
RNZ: Checkpoint: Locals fear cyclone-hit settlement Pakowhai may never be the same
1News: Stats NZ updates NZ’s population, number of births, deaths in last year
Chris Farrelly (Listener): Remembering those who made NZ’s Human Rights Act happen (paywalled)
RNZ: Former head of domestic violence prevention charity fined $3000 after stealing $44,000
Spinoff: The towering reading pile of Shamubeel Eaqub
Peter Griffin (BusinessDesk): Govt intervention got us wired for ultra-fast broadband (paywalled)
Herald: Newshub stops production on AM Early, Newshub Live at 11.30am
Gabrielle McCulloch (Stuff): Newshub drops AM early show and Newshub Live at 11.30am
Lachlan Colquhoun (NBR): World Cup washup: is NZ in profit? (paywalled)