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

TRANSPORT
Richard Harman (Politik): The voice in the Minister’s ear (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Welcome to Motorway Appreciation Month
Newshub: Transport Minister David Parker confirms road user charges coming for electric vehicles
Herald: Government’s $20b transport plan: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and the AA support fuel tax hike to pay for major projects
Rayssa Almeida (RNZ): Auckland mayor glad government is ‘finally listening’ on transport
RNZ: Mixed reactions from industry and local bodies over government transport plan
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Auckland northwestern busway: Transport Minister David Parker releases details on plans for motorway and when work will start
Thomas Manch and Anna Whyte (Post): Fuel tax increase ‘minor’ and ‘necessary’, says Government (paywalled)
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Will the Government’s petrol tax hike cancel out GST-free fruit and vege?
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): National goes after Govt over fuel tax proposal, PM Hipkins acknowledges increased costs won’t be welcomed
Russell Palmer (RNZ): National, ACT attack government transport plan’s cost, Greens target cost to climate
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Government releases 10-year transport plan for consultation
1News: Petrol taxes would go up 12c per litre under new Govt proposal
1News: Fuel tax hike: Labour ‘unleashes pain at the pump’ – National
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government unveils $20b transport plan – but fuel taxes going up 12 cents to pay for it
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Fuel tax will increase 12 cents for new transport projects and road repairs
Brent Edwards (NBR): Government outlines plan for roads and public transport (paywalled)
Melanie Earley (Stuff): What the Government’s transport plan will mean for Auckland
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Problems expected in getting EV drivers to pay road user charges, documents show
RNZ: Auckland Council vote for legislation to take back the reins on transport for the city
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): Auckland Council bids to untangle transport from government
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland Transport pings mayor for his approach to fixing city problems
Caroline Williams (Stuff): Three Auckland ferry services cancelled indefinitely due to maritime skills shortage
RNZ: Some Fullers360 Auckland ferry services scrapped, Auckland Transport announces
Conor Knell (Stuff): Bus-tastrophe no more: Council to return all suspended bus routes
Nona Pelletier (RNZ): Auckland Airport reveals its $10 billion improvement plan
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Auckland airport second runway pushed out to 2041 (paywalled)
LIbby Kirkby-McLeod (RNZ): Te Huia train: MPs question Waka Kotahi and KiwiRail about disruptions

ELECTION, PARLIAMENT
Chris Knox and Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Poll of Polls: Labour’s chances slip, NZ First’s chances improve (paywalled)
Julia Gabel (Herald): How political pollsters find people to survey
Audrey Young (Herald): Who would lead National if it failed to win power? (paywalled)
Matthew Hooton (Herald): It’s back to the past for Christopher Luxon and National. How Winston Peters fits in (paywalled)
Tim Watkin (RNZ): Caucus: National’s yin and yang v Labour’s frugal fear factor
Josie Pagani (Post): Let’s at least make the case for GST-free fruit and veges (paywalled)
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): No, Prime Minister, popular tax policy is not good tax policy
Brent Edwards (NBR): The end of Covid, GST, leadership advice, being thick
Daily Blog: The Working Group Election Special Surprise Guest with PM Chris Hipkins, Matthew Hooton, Taxpayers’ Union and Damien Grant
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Spinoff): Labour and National’s past and present campaign slogans, ranked
Ripu Bhatia (Stuff): Populism threatens marginalised groups but Aotearoa can escape it, says visiting academic
Trent Doyle (Newshub): Deputy PM Sepuloni blasts Seymour’s Guy Fawkes ‘joke’ about Ministry for Pacific Peoples
Natalie Portmanteau (Blue Review): ACT is not the enemy
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Stuart Nash breaks silence: Outgoing Labour MP says he doesn’t regret interfering in immigration case, criticising judiciary
Adam Pearse (Herald): Sacked minister Stuart Nash wants more accountability for judges as he exits politics
Graham Kelly (Herald): Tweaks aren’t enough to fix MMP (paywalled)

KIWISAVER, FINANCE, FAIR CONDUCT LAWS
Rob Stock (Post): Banks and insurers say they didn’t lobby National to scrap ‘fair conduct’ laws (paywalled)
Ged Cann (Post): National’s lender policy ‘another that will increase house prices’ – economists (paywalled)
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Experts say giving KiwiSaver members more options could be costly (paywalled)
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Grant Robertson calls National’s plan to roll back loanshark laws ‘bizarre’
Hamish McNicol and Calida Stuart-Menteath (NBR): Ditching CoFI is bonkers (paywalled)
Russell Palmer (RNZ): National proposes KiwiSaver split, would roll back two financial laws
Seni Iasona (Newshub): National says it will allow KiwiSavers to invest in more than one provider, roll back CCCFA

CLIMATE CHANGE
Kirsty Johnson (RNZ): Crown vs Cow part two: How agriculture and government fell out, and the climate lost
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): Government kills pollution loophole that was great for cucumber growers but terrible for the climate
Eloise Gibson (Stuff): Manager of NZ’s ‘world first’ climate fund appointed CEO of world’s biggest oil company two weeks earlier
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Ministers advised to use emergency powers to relocate families at climate risk
Kate Green (RNZ): Jim Bolger accused of bias and being ‘abrasive’ at Kāpiti Coast meetings on managed retreat

MIGRANT WORKERS, IMMIGRATION
Melania Watson and Nick Truebridge (Newshub): Andrew Little calls for immediate assurance of correct visa processing
RNZ: Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme to be reviewed after whistleblower’s allegations
Jack Tame (1News): Migrant work visa review can’t come soon enough
Ryan Anderson (Stuff): Review ordered into migrant work visas after 115 workers crammed into 6 houses
Blessen Tom and Liu Chen (RNZ): Immigration New Zealand launches investigation into migrant worker exploitation
Michael Neilson (Herald): Accredited Employer Work Visa, exploitation allegations: Immigration Minister Andrew Little orders review after ‘serious concerns’
Ryan Anderson (Stuff): 100 workers likely caught in scam that saw immigrants crammed into house – minister
RNZ: Immigration NZ opens pathway for evacuated Afghans to bring family

ECONOMY, COST OF LIVING
Madison Reidy (Herald): In his own words: Adrian Orr on rates and regrets
Jenny Ruth: Adrian Orr tones down his hostility to Nicola Willis
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr spells out big risks to NZ of China downturn
Dan Brunskill (Interest): RBNZ Governor Adrian Orr expects to serve out his five-year term despite polls pointing to a change in government
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Election uncertainty increases the possibility of a recession (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): The difficult job of forecasting, according to RBNZ
Ethan Te Ora (Post): MSD does not know if its job workshops help people get jobs (paywalled)
Michael Cugley (Whakaata Māori): Māori wāhine struggling financially as they retire
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): Kiwis’ mean and median wealth per adult suffers annual fall, according to the Credit Suisse-UBS Global Wealth Report
Anna Knox (Herald): The class war: Quiche, colonisation and New Zealand’s wealthy (paywalled)

HOUSING
Mary Williams (ODT): Deemed not fit for homeless
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Optional ‘light touch’ standards for emergency housing introduced
Jane Patterson RNZ): National keeps voters guessing over foreign house buyers ban
Andrea Vance (Post): The planner, the Kāinga Ora development and his Ohakune holiday home (paywalled)
RNZ: Mortgage rate pain to linger longer in face of OCR hold – advisor

HEALTH
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Most restaurants say they won’t make staff with Covid isolate
Ian Powell: Evolution of New Zealand’s health system up to Pae Ora Act 2022
Fiona Ellis (ODT): Southern health ‘wasting a precious resource’ (paywalled)
Kelvin McDonald (Whakaata Māori): Māori nurses focus on whakapapa, push for recognition at indigenous nurses conference
RNZ: Eliminating meningococcal disease from New Zealand is achievable, experts say

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THREE WATERS
Thomas Manch (Post): What will become of the Three Waters reforms? It will be for voters to decide (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): National promises to reform Three Waters legislation (paywalled)
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Auckland Airport shares sale: Council pays secret $1.4m fee to Australian consultants Flagstaff Partners for advice (paywalled)
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Stock Takes: Auckland Council airport share sale fast approaching (paywalled)
David Williams and Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Christchurch mayor backtracks on asset sales
Alisha Evans (Local Democracy Reporting): Western Bay of Plenty councillors vote for Māori wards – ‘Momentous day’
Brendon McMahon (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘Hit me Frank’ – Taunt by former West Coast council chairman

ENVIRONMENT
Cécile Meier (BusinessDesk): No one knows what NZ’s recycling rate is (paywalled)
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: Plastics NZ CEO weighs in on recycling ‘fraud’ claims
Greg Hurrell (BusinessDesk): Parliament committee criticises ministry heads over piecemeal freshwater approach (paywalled)

BUSINESS
ODT Editorial: Making banking cheaper (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Directors typically paid an average of just under $400 an hour, survey suggests
RNZ: Company directors’ workload increases to 132 hours a year, pay rises to $52,000
Nathan Morton (Herald): Woolworths trials camera technology at self-service checkouts to prevent theft

CRIME
William Hewett (Newshub): Ginny Andersen claims Mark Mitchell unfit to be Police Minister after he called burglaries, bail breaches ‘minor infringements’
Adam Pearse (Herald): National will ‘fill the void’ on crime narrative if Govt data is unclear – Mark Mitchell

GENDER
Maiki Sherman (1News): Fiery political debate erupts over the use of toilets
Felix Desmarais (1News): Luxon says NZ First transgender bathrooms policy ‘on another planet’
Tova O’Brien (Stuff): New Zealand First is in the crapper

EDUCATION
Gianina Schwanecke (Stuff): Convicted criminals now banned from school boards
Liam Hehir (Blue Review): Explainer: The Ratchet Effect

MEDIA
Daniel Dunkley (BusinessDesk): Govt says no more money for media as ‘big tech’ media bill unveiled (paywalled)
Shayne Currie (Herald): Media Insider: NBR ditches all opinion; Sky CEO’s sincere apology over TV Box troubles, Seven Sharp’s delicate My Food Bag line (paywalled)

EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
Seni Iason (Newshub): Major Wellington venues found to be earthquake-prone – so why are they staying open?
Krystal Gibbens (RNZ): Two iconic Wellington buildings slapped with earthquake prone notices
Erin Gourley and André Chumko (Post): Another seismic blow for Wellington (paywalled)

OTHER
Sarah Robson and Bonnie Harrison (RNZ): The future will be riskier – how will insurance keep up?
Mahvash Ikram (RNZ): Auckland floods: Affected homeowners still in limbo as assessments finally get underway
Tom Scott (Newsroom): Book of the Week: Tom Scott on Denis Welch on Big Norm
RNZ: Whakatōhea’s Treaty Settlement Bill gets first reading in Parliament
André Chumko (Post): NZ Symphony Orchestra deemed ‘technically insolvent’ in 2018 (paywalled)
Simon Ewing-Jarvie: Hybrid Interference – Cure Worse than the Disease?
Simon Draper (Post): Why New Zealand needs to increase its engagement with Asia (paywalled)