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.
NZ Politics Daily: 23 August 2023
POLLS
1News: Poll: Do Kiwis want wealth tax for universal free dental care?
Andy Fyers (BusinessDesk): Election 2023: The right bloc now has a clear lead (paywalled)
Claire Trevett (Herald): Chris Hipkins hauls out the ‘underdog’ card as Labour MPs suffer bout of poll indigestion (paywalled)
Newshub: Jenna Lynch analysis: Labour’s strategy to tackle bad polling before election 2023
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Chris Hipkins dials up the negative as internal polling shows Labour in difficult position
1News: PM on poll crash: ‘Lots of NZers not tuned into election campaign’
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Is it now all over for the Labour Government?
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstaslk ZB): Are Labour in for a historic loss?
Tova O’Brien (Stuff): ‘We’re going to be fighting back’: Chris Hipkins’ tough talk not matching his weakened actions
Adam Pearse (Herald): Chris Hipkins promises ‘vigorous campaign’ as Labour drops in the polls
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Labour leader Chris Hipkins partially blames lack of media coverage on GST policy for poll crash
Audrey Young (Herald): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has Kiwis’ sympathy, now he needs their votes (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (Post): Hipkins says he’s ‘fighting back’ (paywalled)
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Chris Hipkins defends Willie Jackson, Grant Robertson’s personal attacks on National MPs
Felix Desmarais (1News): MP reveals what Luxon tells Nats to do to fuel election chances
Tess McClure (Guardian): New Zealand Labour’s support sinks to worst level in six years, poll finds
ELECTION CAMPAIGN
Brent Edwards (NBR): What drove the Prime Minister’s decision on tax (paywalled)
Brigitte Morten (NBR): Labour policy bonfire scorches its own manifesto (paywalled)
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Can Labour deliver on these policy promises?
Russell Palmer (RNZ): RNZ’s guide to party policy
Richard Harman (Politik): No longer one country (paywalled)
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Luxon disavows ACT Zero Carbon, Treaty of Waitangi policies
Richard Prebble (Herald): National and Act should learn from Labour’s broken promises (paywalled)
Mihingarangi Forbes (RNZ): Mata: NZ First’s campaign to re-enter Parliament
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Napier Poll – Winners and Losers
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): National leads polling in bellwether Napier, but 23 per cent of voters undecided
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Spinoff): New Napier poll shows early lead for National candidate
Tumamao Harawira (Whakaata Māori): Climate, roads major election issues for Kelvin Davis
Ian Allen (Stuff): Jamie Arbuckle not fifth on NZ First list. His picture is just fifth down
DONATIONS, LOBBYING
Farah Hancock (RNZ): National banks 7.5 times more in donations than Labour
Michael Neilson (Herald): Helen Clark-backed Labour donation drive hits $400k in a week
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Google offshoot ‘X’ lobbies NZ government over electricity projects
Boyd Swinburn (Newsroom): New Zealand no place for anti-health lobbying
NATIONAL PARTY LIST
Mike Houlahan (ODT): MP’s decision ‘made for me’ by list ranking
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Outgoing National MP Michael Woodhouse’s list placing wasn’t because he’s male, Christopher Luxon says
Joseph Los’e (Herald): National plays a dangerous game with low list placings of some core Māori electorate candidates
PARLIAMENT, VALEDICTORIES
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): ‘I may never be the Todd Muller I was four years ago’: Former National Party leader on rebuilding and moving on
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): An MP who didn’t expect to be one, and long-serving Pacific leader say goodbye
Vaimoana Mase (Herald): Aupito William Sio gives last speech in Parliament in full traditional Samoan wear
Phil Smith (RNZ): The House: Parliament’s final six busy days
PUBLIC SERVICE, DAVID SEYMOUR ON MINISTRY OF PACIFIC PEOPLES
Andrea Vance (Post): Agency spent $17k on pōwhiri for new deputy chief executive (paywalled)
Michael Neilson (Herald): David Seymour’s Pacific Minister Guy Fawkes comment: Calls mount for apology, PM Chris Hipkins says Act leader ‘should be ashamed of himself’
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Ministry for Pacific Peoples beefs up security after ‘increased scrutiny’ – minister Barbara Edmonds
Lincoln Tan (Herald): TVNZ Breakfast host issues apology for misquoting Act leader David Seymour
Gabrielle McCulloch (Stuff): TVNZ Breakfast host apologises for misquoting ACT leader David Seymour
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): Business of Government: performance pay, Spirit of Service Awards and more… (paywalled)
HEALTH
RNZ: National bringing back prescription fees to pay for millionaire tax cuts – Hipkins
RNZ: Infrastructure investment needed before National’s cancer drugs could be delivered – Cancer society
Anna Whyte and Conor Knell (Post): Smokefree advocate applauds vape store cuts (paywalled)
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Otago Boys’, researcher want vaping restricted (paywalled)
RNZ: Labour’s ‘panic’ over teen vaping shows it hasn’t learned from other addictive substances – ASH
Shanti Mathias (Spinoff): What the rest of the world is doing to combat youth vaping
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Parents decry 8-month wait for vape store crackdown
Lloyd Burr (Newshub): Labour vows to vaporise vaping industry by capping retailers
Ashleigh McCaull (RNZ): Labour’s vape crackdown ‘panic-based policy making,’ opponent says
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Hannah Martin and Rachel Thomas (Stuff): Health boss recommends ‘pause’ on surgical mesh for stress urinary incontinence
Isaac Davison (Herald): Mesh surgeries to be halted in New Zealand because of safety concerns
RNZ: Health Ministry recommends temporary halt on surgical mesh use for urinary incontinence
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Clutch of radiology departments deemed ‘high risk’
Haimona Gray (Spinoff): What are the different parties’ plans for fixing our mental health services?
RNZ: St John declares ‘major incident’ after delays transferring patients to Waikato Hospital
Chris Ford (RNZ): Disabled people forgotten in jettisoning of last Covid-19 rules
Kristine Hayward (Herald): An end to needless prostate cancer deaths (paywalled)
RNZ: Senior doctors, dentists strike: ‘Patients would have waited a long time anyway’
Mana Wikaire-Lewis (Whakaata Māori): Getting Māori nursing voices above ‘one world-view’ health system noise
ECONOMY
The Facts: NZ’s current account now worst in the OECD and worse than the GFC
RNZ: Inflation, weak economy likely to hit household spending power further – ASB
Liam Dann (Herald): Real GDP pain is being masked by migration gains – ASB (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Inflation no longer NZ’s biggest economic worry (paywalled)
MIGRANT EXPLOITATION, IMMIGRATION
Steve Kilgallon (Stuff): ‘The system is f…..’: Immigration staff say bosses knew visa system didn’t work, and ignored it
Herald Editorial: Migrant exploitation woes a stain on New Zealand’s reputation (paywalled)
Eda Tang (Stuff): Calls to scrap discriminatory immigration health requirements
BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT, WORKPLACE SAFETY
Victoria Young (BusinessDesk): How to Talley(s) the cost of a life (paywalled)
Rebecca Macfie (Newsroom): Rare private prosecution in forestry death
Kirk Hope (Post): What’s your vision for New Zealand’s future?
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): New Zealand could do better on parental leave, report shows
Nicholas Pointon (NBR): Construction accreditation scheme to weed out ‘piss-poor’ firms (paywalled)
Esther Taunton (Stuff): Air NZ ‘confident’ about flight credit process as Qantas faces legal action
Gerhard Uys (Stuff): Carbon forestry is pushing up farm prices out of reach
RNZ: Waikato piggery accused of discharging effluent into stream
Hamish MacLean (ODT): ‘Cards stacked against’ farmers as change backed
EDUCATION
Seni Iasona (Newshub): PPTA says Govt didn’t consult them on mandating new policy, Prime Minister says ‘simply not true’
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Government says school attendance improving, as schools work to lift numbers
John O’Connell (Post): The education failing that is literally leaving our young people poorer (paywalled)
Katy Jones (Stuff): Principals fear teacher shortage will add to school pressures
Tom Kitchin (RNZ): The Detail: Who should teach kids about sex and relationships?
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Foreign push may affect net-zero goal (paywalled)
NATIONAL ON GANGS
Sam Sherwood (Herald): National Party says 60pc increase in gang affiliates sentenced to home detention concerning for ‘public safety’
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Gang member Harry Tam refutes Christopher Luxon’s claims he would be in a ‘coalition of chaos’ with Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori
MEDIA
Thomas Manch (Post): Trending: Law that forces Google and Facebook to pay for news content(paywalled)
Shayne Currie (Herald): NZME newsroom overhaul: NZ Herald staff presented with new digital/print proposal, senior roles impacted (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): NZME restructuring newsroom
HOUSING
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Auckland median rent jumps year-on-year as population increases
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Christchurch rents no longer most affordable of main centres
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): ANZ raises home loan, term deposit rates: ‘Risk growing rates peak higher’
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Here’s how your home could be taxed even if you’re not an investor
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Reserve Bank reconsiders impact of migrant buyers on house price recovery
Will Trafford (Whakaara Māori): Landmark Te Āwhina Marae papakāinga takes shape
Anne Gibson (Herald): Retirement village population now totals 50,791 residents, new study shows(paywalled)
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): NZ will need 100,000 retirement village units by 2033, says report (paywalled)
Tina Morrison (Post): Retirement village developers will need to step up expansion to meet demand, JLL says (paywalled)
TRADE
Andrea Fox (Herald): Big business delegation ‘gets serious about India’ after gaping weakness identified in NZ-India economic relationship (paywalled)
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): NZ Inc makes big push in India as business delegation and trade minister head to New Delhi (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): The long-term strategy of closer ties with India (paywalled)
RNZ: Delegation of 50 business representatives head to India
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Trade delegation heads to Delhi with hope of paving way for direct flights to India (paywalled)
Gerhard Uys (Stuff): US sheep farmers call for tariffs on NZ sheep meat imports to save their industry
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Lydia Lewis (RNZ): Uncertainty remains in Pacific as Japan due to make Fukushima decision
Mari Yamaguchi (Stuff): Fukushima nuclear plant will start releasing treated radioactive water into Pacific as early as Thursday
AP: Japan to release Fukushima water into sea from Thursday
Kelvin Anthony (RNZ): Senior MSG official calls for sub-region to remain neutral in global power battle
CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENT, CONSERVATION
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Greenhouse gas emissions dropped in 11 of New Zealand’s 16 regions last year
Tom Kitchin and Sarah Robson (RNZ): After a summer of cyclones, are we ready for a summer of wildfires?
Cécile Meier (BusinessDesk): Half of our plastics and paper recycling is shipped overseas, new data reveals (paywalled)
Kate Green (RNZ): Department of Conservation bears brunt of probe into alleged kiwi mishandling
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Auckland Council opens consultation on whether Māori seats should be on its governing body
Ellen Curnow (Westport News): Defamation case bill exceeds $15,000
Piers Fuller (Post): Public Service Watch: Rates dissatisfaction a growing storm (paywalled)
Max Fretjey (RNZ): Community board forum consumed by conspiracy theories
TRANSPORT
Erin Gourley (Post): Door opens to public ownership of buses (paywalled)
Emma Hatton (Newsroom): Wheels turn again for roadside drug testing plans
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Major New Zealand bank offering interest-free loans for electric vehicles
Finn Blackwell (RNZ): Auckland Transport gets moving on low emission ferry programme
DUN MIHAKA HAS DIED
Karanama Ruru (Stuff): Māori activist and author Te Ringa Mangu ‘Dun’ Mihaka dies
James Perry (Whakaata Māori): Dun Mihaka remembered as a relentless fighter for justice
OTHER
Ariel Bogle (Guardian): Far-right voice opponents co-opt comments from controversial New Zealand speaker
Krystal Gibbens (RNZ): Family court lawyer fears for safety after threats from people representing themselves
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Businesses and homeowners feel increasing pinch from rising power bills
Emma Stanford (RNZ): FIFA sets benchmark for major sports events, govt urged to keep momentum
André Chumko (Post): NZ Opera makes bid for government funding (paywalled)
Ben Espiner (The Platform): Communications Academic Declares War on Dialogue
