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: 15 September 2023

NATIONAL’S TAX POLICIES
1News: Nicola Willis: I’d quit as finance minister if my tax cut plan fails
Craig McCulloch and Russell Palmer (RNZ): Economists’ analysis rubbishes National’s foreign buyers tax numbers
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): ‘Beyond comprehension’ – modelling shows $2b hole in National’s foreign buyer tax
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Huge shortfall in National’s expected foreign buyer tax revenue
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): National’s foreign buyers tax falls $450m short, says economists’ review
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Three economists think National’s foreign buyers tax could come up $500 million short each year
Felix Desmarais (1News): Luxon needs to learn scrutiny is part of PM’s job
Jenna Lynch (Newshub): National refuses to accept problem with tax plan, won’t say what it will cut if it doesn’t bring in enough money
Michael Reddell: How much revenue a foreign buyer tax might raise, and how and why it does (and doesn’t) matter
Gordon Campbell On the centre-right’s credibility problems
David Williams (Newsroom): Luxo presides over a kerfuffle in Kirwee
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Spinoff): The two Christopher Luxons
Tova O’Brien (Stuff): Tova podcast: ‘Rock solid’ on foreign buyer tax – so will Nicola Willis resign if it doesn’t work?
Maree Mahoney (RNZ): Nicola Willis hits back over economists’ doubts on National foreign buyers tax numbers
Thomas Manch (Post): National Party leader Christopher Luxon unwavering as criticism of tax plan mounts (paywalled)

FINANCE DEBATE
Richard Harman (Politik): Willis under pressure in Queenstown (paywalled)
Jo Moir (Newsroom): Finance debate draws taxing admission from Nicola Willis
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Nicola Willis heckled by Grant Robertson, audience groans over foreign buyers tax claims
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Grant Robertson, Nicola Willis, David Seymour and James Shaw trade criticism in finance debate
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Great Debate sees unabashed election bribes and bad tidings for Wellington
RNZ: Candidates spar in Queenstown over spending, taxes
Katie Bradford (1News): Willis struggled in finance debate, but it didn’t matter
Stephen Minto (Daily Blog): Finance ministers debate, and show their mighty…flaws

PREFU, ECONOMY, COST OF LIVING
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Tax cuts? It’s spending cuts we need (paywalled)
Gordon Campbell On the fictions about reckless government spending
Jack Tame (1News): Where’s National’s modelling and Labour’s GST talk?
The Facts: Core Crown debt interest is forecast to hit NZD $10 billion by 2027
Tova O’Brien (Stuff): Robertson v Willis: Who do you trust to captain the coffers?
Nona Pelletier (RNZ): Strong labour market, controlling inflation the focus for NZ – top economist
Hanna McCallum (Post): Fears of further hardship for those in welfare system (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Working for Families debt: ‘It all gets too much’

POLLS
Andrea Vance (Post): Voters want a referendum on co-governance – but not bilingual signs, poll shows (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Voters think National-Act-NZ First is a ‘coalition of chaos’ – poll
1News: Vote Compass reveals top issues on the minds of Kiwis
Adrian Beaumont (The Conversation): NZ election 2023: combined poll trends now show a clear rightward shift since June

ELECTION
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Delirious Hatred: The Dystopic Tendencies of Twenty-First Century Progressivism
Josie Pagani (Post): Time is running out for Labour to do the winning thing (paywalled)
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Spectre of defeat should spur Hipkins and Luxon, but where’s the passion?
Paul Trebilco (ODT): The body, and the body politic, needs to function harmoniously
RNZ: Growing Pasifika population in NZ equals greater electoral power
Ananish Chaudhuri (Bassett, Brash & Hide: Why Winston Peters will be returning to Parliament in October
Jimmy Ellingham (RNZ): Checkpoint: Cost of living top of mind for people in Hokitika, as PM visits
Leonard Powell (RNZ): Roads, forestry slash, dental care: Tokomaru Bay on the election
Michael Neilson (Herald): Hipkins hits Labour country on West Coast, meets 91-year-old Nan Dixon; National’s Luxon in Christchurch defends tax plan
Brent Edwards (NBR): Quibbles over money, what’s affordable, polls, the campaign trail
Danyl McLauchlan (Listener): What you need to know in politics: Polls, false claims and tax policy hole (paywalled)
Newsroom: Raw Politics Podcast: What pricked Act’s bubble?
RNZ: Photos from the campaign trail, Thursday 14 September
1News: TVNZ confirms election night coverage, debate times and dates
Joseph Los’e (Herald): Ex-cop turned barrister Tony Bouchier kicks Act’s Law and Order policy to touch
David Williams (Newsroom): The Sure Things: Act’s Laura Trask would kill off red tape ‘overkill’
Spinoff: How a ‘failed’ door knock earned Julie Anne Genter a new supporter
Newshub: The Project: Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer plays a game of ‘kiss, kick or marry’ based on Luxon, Davidson and Peters

NATIONAL
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): National’s shadow energy minister questions climate ‘crisis’ (paywalled)
Eric Frykberg (Interest): National Party pledges to end the effective ban on gene editing and genetic modification as well as making water storage schemes easier, if elected
RNZ: National to free up rules around rural water storage, growing crops
Brent Edwards (NBR): National would scrap red tape for farmers (paywalled)

LABOUR
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Labour to campaign on overhauling consent laws, put onus to prove victim said ‘yes’ to alleged perpetrator
Derek Cheng (Herald): Labour wants to enable class action law suits, review district court jury trials
Lloyd Burr (Newshub): Chris Hipkins recommits to promise Labour made six years ago but hasn’t fulfilled

DEBATES
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): Politicians promise to get New Zealand’s houses in order
Martin Bradbury (Daily Blog): Northland Debate: Winners and Losers
Conor Knell and Julie Jacobson (Post): Tamatha Paul shines through in genteel Wellington Central debate (paywalled)
RNZ: Toll roads, public transport key disputes in transport debate
Emma Stanford (RNZ): Auckland central debate centres on housing, crime, homelessness
Matthew Dallas (Manawatū Standard): ‘It’s outrageous’: Rangitīkei candidate makes 24-hour police presence in Feilding priority goal

POLITICAL DONATIONS
Bob Jones: Political Donations
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): Is there a case for change? Putting a spotlight on NZ’s political donations as the election looms

PUBLIC SECTOR
Kate MacNamara (Herald): Ministry of Health reviewing contracts with firm linked to Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare, but no wider probe deemed necessary (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Chris Hipkins says agencies should embrace videoconferences after ministry plans $88k staff hui, cancels due to cost
RNZ: National targets Ministry for Pacific Peoples’ $50k post-Budget breakfasts spend
Molly Swift (Newshub): Ministry for Pacific Peoples under fire for spending over $50,000 on Budget breakfasts

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Embattled community board chairperson apologises but won’t resign
Adam Burns (RNZ): Strath Taieri community board chairperson refuses to resign after racist insult
Tina Law (Press): Police find no evidence Christchurch mayor acted corruptly during the elections (paywalled)
Tina Law (Press): Nearly 1000 Airbnb-style landlords breaking new rules (paywalled)
Sue Teodoro ((Local Democracy Reporting): Airbnb owners in South Wairarapa may face new council charge

WELLINGTON
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: Why movie mogul Peter Jackson is buying so much land
RNZ: Burst pipe leaves part of Wellington CBD without water
Frances Chin and Brittany Keogh (Post): Day-long water outage ‘huge frustration’ for businesses (paywalled)

HEALTH
Blessen Tom (RNZ): Dental tourism surges as cost of treatment in NZ climbs
ODT Editorial: Earlier diagnosis needed for doctors (paywalled)
RNZ: Clinical placements pose obstacle to plans to boost doctor trainee numbers – professor

HOUSING
Jo Moir (Newsroom): Workers living in cars the new normal in Queenstown
Jonathan Killick (Stuff): Queenstown man unable to get a house to rent living in a shack in the bush
Ged Cann (Post): Mega landlord sold 12 properties after tax change, will sell more if Labour wins (paywalled)
David Hargreaves (Interest): Latest REINZ housing market data suggest ‘momentum is building and that is likely to continue throughout the spring’, economists say
Herald Editorial: Signs of spring in property market but double-edged sword for first-home buyers (paywalled)

BANKS
Jenny Ruth: Should banks sit in moral judgement of customers?
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): Farmers’ lobby group wants rural banking probe, suggests banks’ moves towards net-zero could reduce competition in agricultural banking
RNZ: Farmers call for next government to launch independent inquiry into rural banking

BUSINESS
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Ambitious tech project partnering US giant and govt agency founders
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): I will raise the bar if necessary – Grocery commissioner (paywalled)
Greg Hurrell (BusinessDesk): Government bets $12m on quantum-based research and industry (paywalled)

TRANSPORT
Finn Blackwell (RNZ): Suspected cyberattack crashes Auckland Transport card network
Libby Kirkby-McLeod (RNZ): Waka Kotahi’s handling of train safety incidents under scrutiny
Rayssa Almeida (RNZ): Restore Passenger Rail protesters arrested after Wellington car dealership defaced
RNZ: Long-delayed Lower Hutt cycleway cost blows out four times original budget
Robin Martin (RNZ): Costs double for cycleway as New Plymouth council admits to maths fail
RNZ: 83pc of Wānaka locals oppose Tarras airport plan – survey

MEDIA
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): MediaRoom: ‘Editor’ at risk of becoming a dirty word
Shayne Currie (Herald): Media Insider: Rugby book review row; Media lawyer poached; Top advertising industry leader on pitches, awards, economic landscape (paywalled)

POLICE, CRIME
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Police to introduce new tasers but monitoring and cost still unclear
Raphael Franks and Rachel Maher (Herald): Auckland news publisher Todd Scott tackles and holds thief in ‘citizen’s arrest’ – police tell him to let crook go

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENT, EXTREME WEATHER
Kaysha Brownlie (Newshub): New report calls for focus on warming impact of gases, not total emissions, to reach climate goal
Kim Baker Wilson (1News): Disappointment native trees felled for Akl housing development
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): New strategy for wellbeing of Whanganui River to be unveiled
Lauren Crimp (RNZ): Owners of cyclone-wrecked homes in Hawke’s Bay a step closer to buyouts
Monique Steele (RNZ): Government funding for silt removal drying up in Hawke’s Bay

ANIMAL WELFARE
Lisa Owen (RNZ): Checkpoint: NZDF investigating alleged animal abuse at Burnham Military Camp
Louise Ternouth (RNZ): Number of dogs being put down in Aucklands doubles in last year

OTHER
Kelvin McDonald (Whakaata Māori): Nanaia Mahuta: ‘Aotearoa deeply committed to our Pacific whānau’
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): ‘Illegal’ TV gambling ads difficult to address
Graham Adams (The Platform): River of Freedom flows into cinemas
Valerie Morse (Post): When deplatforming is a reasonable response (paywalled)
André Chumko (Post): Would a new Minister for Creative Economy help supercharge its success? (paywalled)
Eric Frykberg (Interest): Record breaking production of renewable electricity fails to alleviate worries over power reliability
Wena Harawira (Whakaata Māori): Tongariro National Park Treaty talks restart but dark clouds loom
Stuff: Late-night security exercise to be conducted at Parliament
Dita De Boni (NBR): Hollywood film and TV workers strike but Kiwi counterparts can’t (paywalled)
Rotorua Daily Post: Te Ururoa Flavell reveals prostate cancer diagnosis