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: 5 September 2023

CTU ELECTION ADS
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Politicians all pots calling kettles black over attack ads
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Has Labour made 2023 the most negative election campaign in history, or is National throwing a dead cat on the table?
Luke Malpass (Post): One day in and the campaign has already turned negative (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Chris Hipkins calls National ‘thin-skinned’ for getting offended by union ads, shows examples of attacks on him
Adam Pearse (Herald): Chris Hipkins plays down unions advert attacking Christopher Luxon, labels National ‘thin-skinned’
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Telling the Truth about National isn’t an ‘Attack Advert’
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Is the CTU running psyops for the National Party?
Russell Palmer (RNZ): National decries CTU attack ads targeting Christopher Luxon
Derek Cheng (Herald): National Party unleashes at ‘nasty’ Chris Hipkins, and at union ad in the Herald
1News: ‘Nasty’ political ads: Luxon, Hipkins weigh in on union attack
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): Council of Trade Unions rolls out attack ads targeting Christopher Luxon, National hits back
Eric Frykberg (Interest): National accuses rival Labour of mean spirited attacks over union billboard showing a scowling picture of Christopher Luxon

ELECTION, PARLIAMENT, POLITICAL FINANCE
Roy Morgan: New Zealand: National/Act NZ up 1.5% to 49% in August and on course for victory at next month’s election
AAP: Act soars, Labour slumps to new poll low
Claire Trevett (Herald): Driving with National Party leader Christopher Luxon – the man who wants to be Prime Minister (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): The Act Party’s agenda for change and for votes (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): The Green Party’s bold election plan (paywalled)
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): For the first time ever, Rongotai is interesting
Toby Mahire (Spinoff): Spree waters: Political bedlam returns to Aro Valley
RNZ: More protests, disruptions likely – National Party
John MacDonald (Newstalk): All parties set to over-promise and under-deliver
Verity Johnson (Stuff): Please, you still have to vote
Heather Roy (Post): Political caveat emptor – let the voter beware (paywalled)
Mike Hosking (Newstalk): Right, the campaign is officially underway
Andrew Dickens (Newstalk ZB): New Zealand needs smart leadership- but no one’s offering
Rob Campbell (Newsroom): Away from the careerist politicians and ad agency slogans
Herald: Kiri Allan shares new mental health diagnosis, grief she’s experienced and plans for future
Gabrielle McCulloch (Stuff): Former Labour MP Kiritapu Allan opens up on her exit from Parliament
Isaac Davison (Herald): Conspiracy theorist Advance NZ candidate Billy Te Kahika on trial for electoral fraud
Edward Gay (Stuff): Donor says he and Billy Te Kahika drifted apart: ‘I didn’t give him more money

NATIONAL’S TAX POLICY
William Hewett (Newshub): Pressure piles on National to release its costings and advice for foreign buyers tax in wake of Newshub revelation
Richard Harman (Politik): National’s tax plan unravels (paywalled)
Simon Wilson (Herald): Counting the value of Christopher Luxon’s costings (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Does National’s foreign buyers tax break the law? (paywalled)
Amelia Wade (Newshub): China responds to National’s foreign buyers tax plan
Giles Dexter (RNZ): How feasible is National’s plan to tax foreign property buyers?
Dan Brunskill (Interest): National’s foreign buyers ‘tax’ won’t breach trade agreements if it’s not called a tax
Robert MacCulloch: David Parker contradicts Megan Woods who contradicts Andrew Little on foreign buyers
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): National’s tax policy: Nicola Willis brings her winner’s swagger to election race (paywalled)

POLICY COSTINGS, FUNDING POLICY PROMISES
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): Does anyone care how much election promises really cost? (paywalled)
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): ‘Fiscal holes’ highlight need for independent costings watchdog
Michael Reddell: Policy costings: a case study
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Interest rates unlikely to be affected by National’s or Labour’s tax cuts (paywalled)
Newshub: Economist Cameron Bagrie sounds warning over how National, Labour will fund election promises
Cameron Bagrie (BusinessDesk): Political promises, populist politics and fiscal reality (paywalled)
Cameron Bagrie (BusinessDesk): Beware: Politicians are offering us a pocketful of candy (paywalled)

LABOUR’S FREE DENTAL CARE POLICY
Anna Whyte (Post): Picking apart Labour’s dental promise (paywalled)
RNZ: Labour’s free dental care promise ‘good step’ but has ‘some challenges’
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Dean of dentistry welcomes proposed 50% cap increase
Lloyd Burr (Newshub): Concern there may be challenges with proposed funding level for Labour dental policy
John Lewis (ODT): Dentist concerned about cavities in Labour’s dental policy
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Time for a checkup? Dental bills vary across country
Liam Hehir (The Blue Review): Labour tosses millennials on the scrap heap

HEALTH
Guyon Espiner (RNZ): University of Waikato boss referred to new medical school as a ‘present’ for future National government
Rodger Tiedemann (Herald): The cancer treatments you need are available, just not in NZ (paywalled)
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): Major parties promise shelter from diabetes tsunami
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Labour campaign stop paints a picture of health
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Thousands of senior doctors, dentists set to strike on Tuesday afternoon
RNZ: Senior hospital doctors, dentists to walk off the job tomorrow
The Hui (Newshub): Expert calls out ‘blatant racism’ in health policies as rheumatic fever cases skyrocket
Emma Stanford (RNZ): Ministry of Health admits incorrectly threatening vape retailers
RNZ: Covid-19 update: 3625 new cases, 11 more deaths
RNZ: Funds announced for wider access to multiple sclerosis and haemophilia drugs
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Groups dismayed liquor store say denied (paywalled)

SKY CITY, PROBLEM GAMBLING
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Former addict alleges she gambled for up to 18 hours at SkyCity without intervention from staff
Delphine Herbert (RNZ): More robust gambling harm reduction measures needed, support services say
1News: SkyCity could face casino licence suspension after customer complaint
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: SkyCity bombshell explained as gambling giant faces troubles in NZ and Australia
Anne Gibson (Herald): Bombshell gambling probe wipes $260m off SkyCity casino, analysts pick apart fallout (paywalled)
Anne Gibson (Herald): SkyCity’s NZ share price plunges, casino licences could be suspended
Brent Melville (BusinessDesk): SkyCity shares plunge after regulatory threat (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): SkyCity faces suspension of casino licence
RNZ: SkyCity under threat of having casino licence suspended

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Tony Wall (Stuff): How $200k of taxpayer cash went down the drain for a project linked to former Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon
Vaughan Elder (ODT): Dunedin City Council has asked for the government’s help as it investigates a $132 million programme to buy up properties in South Dunedin
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Pub worker leaves town after racist abuse from Dunedin politician
Joel Maxwell (Stuff): Why the f… should we bother trying to be better people in 2023?
Dave Armstrong (Post): Survey says: Capital can lift its game (paywalled)
1News: Gore council chief executive Stephen Parry resigns
Rachael Kelly (Southland Times): Controversial Gore District Council chief executive Stephen Parry resigns
Sandy Eggleston (ODT): Parry’s resignation understandable given ‘nonsense’
Vaneesa Bellew (Newsroom): CEO resignation closes chapter on ‘horrific’ situation
RNZ: Gore District Council chief executive Stephen Parry resigns
Sue Teodoro (Local Democracy Reporting): Two out of three Wairarapa councils in merger discussions
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Why the Govt’s got it wrong on refusing to elect 16yos to licensing trusts

HOUSING
Ranjana Gupta (The Conversation): As NZ struggles to resolve its long-running housing crisis, investors should be taxed for keeping homes empty
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Two-year mortgage rate returns to 2009 levels: ‘Banks should explain’
David Chaston (Interest): ASB pushes its 2-year fixed home loan rate to its highest level in 14 years
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Don’t expect return to pre-Covid housing affordability: BNZ

SHELLY BAY
Georgina Campbell (Herald): The end of Wellington’s Shelly Bay saga is not cause for celebration (paywalled)
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Shelly Bay, foreign buyers and the housing blame game (paywalled)

POWER COMPANIES
Kimberley O’Sullivan (Newsroom): Electricity is not just expensive
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Electricity regulator risks sending ‘wrong signal’ with compromise on tighter consumer protections
RNZ: Electricity Authority considers making customer care measures mandatory
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Regulator considers making electricity consumer guidelines mandatory (paywalled)

TRANSPORT
Todd Niall (Stuff): A guide to Auckland’s myriad of not always matching transport plans
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Govt should front on Interislander funding, says Simeon Brown (paywalled)
Hamish Tidwell (Herald): Six hundred dollars to fly to Auckland and back: Napier candidate fires shot at Air NZ over last-minute flights (paywalled)
Bill Hickman (RNZ): Climate protesters blocking Wellington motorway face angry motorists
Ethan Griffiths (Open Justice Reporting): Restore Passenger Rail protester, 63, accused of attempting to glue herself to Wellington highway remanded in custody

ECONOMY
Tim Hunter (NBR): The RBNZ battleground (paywalled)
Andrew Patterson (Newsroom): IMF report a timely wake-up call for NZ Inc in election countdown

TRADE
Brent Edwards (NBR): No room for silos in developing relationship with India (paywalled)
Jamie Gray (Herald): Calm before the storm? NZ trade data still in the black, for now (paywalled)

ENVIRONMENT
Rob Stock (Post): Environment committee decision a victory for exporters of plastic waste (paywalled)
Luka Forman (RNZ): Checkpoint: Should soft plastics be collected in Kerbside recycling?

EDUCATION
Amy Wiggins (Herald): What Kiwi kids learn depends on teacher, Education Hub curriculum study finds (paywalled)
Emma Hatton (Newsroom): Early intervention organisations call out ministry’s unfair funding

OTHER
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Government IT upgrades locked in ahead of pledged contractor spending cuts
Herald Editorial: Industrial action looms over the next government following countless strike threats (paywalled)
Soumya Bhamidipati, (RNZ): Engineers still want action taken over CTV building collapse
Emily Moorhouse (Herald): Alan Reay fights to get CTV building Christchurch earthquake complaint dismissed
Tina Morrison (Post): NZ Post annual profit halved amid restructuring (paywalled)
Riley Kennedy (BusinessDesk): Meat industry serves up briefing to new govt (paywalled)
Brendon McMahon (RNZ): Pike River developments being ‘scaled’ due to cost increases
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): Jehovah’s Witness church spends 3 years fighting scrutiny of Royal Commission of Inquiry
Felix Walton (RNZ): Political parties must outline AI strategy, regulation – tech industry
Shanti Mathias (Spinoff): Who should take the fall for online scams?