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

MEKA WHAITIRI DEFECTION TO TE PĀTI MĀORI
Glenn McConnell (Post): An absolute shemozzle as Meka Whaitiri crosses the floor (paywalled)
Kris Faafoi (Stuff): Why I’d put money on Meka Whaitiri being back in Parliament after the election
Felix Desmarais (1News): Not a ‘speech’: Whaitiri’s personal explanation cut short
Michael Neilson (Herald): Meka Whaitiri in Parliament with Māori Party, co-leaders booted out of the House after pōwhiri without permission
Glenn McConnell and Thomas Manch (Stuff):  Māori Party co-leaders kicked out of the House over welcome for Meka Whaitiri
1News: Te Pāti Māori leaders booted from House amid Whaitiri welcome
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Labour rejects Whaitiri’s claims of not being heard
Tema Hemi (Whakaata Māori): Labour MPs react to Whaitiri’s return to the House
Felix Desmarais (1News): ‘Absolutely I feel heard’: Labour Māori MPs on Whaitiri comments
Felix Desmarais (1News): Whaitiri says now in a party that ‘doesn’t censor wāhine Māori’
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Whaitiri decries ‘censure’ after Te Pāti Māori leaders ejected from Parliament
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): PM says ‘difficult’ to say if Labour could’ve supported Meka Whaitiri better as defected MP says she doesn’t trust Chris Hipkins – then backtracks
RNZ: Prime Minister on Meka Whaitiri’s surprise departure: ‘It’s over to her’

ELECTION
Shane Jones (Herald): Our preoccupation with Māori theatrics while sacrificing economic realism (paywalled)
Richard Prebble (Herald): Is Act the key to unlocking the women’s vote? (paywalled)
Riley Kennedy (BusinessDesk): Act securing Andrew Hoggard an ‘absolute coup’ (paywalled)
Adam Pearse (Herald): Fed Farmers president Andrew Hoggard running for Act Party in Rangitīkei
George Heagney and Bridie Witton (Stuff): From Fed Farmers to ACT Party: Andrew Hoggard goes into politics
RNZ: Federated Farmers’ president steps down to contest election as ACT’s Rangitīkei candidate
Kadambari Raghukumar (RNZ): ‘Into it to win it’ – Ibrahim Omer MP on the Wellington Central seat

ECONOMY, COST OF LIVING
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: How much worse will the economic situation become for Kiwi families?
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Pressure to adjust tax bands in the Budget high, but so are the barriers, experts say (paywalled)
Bridie Witton and Anna Whyte (Post): Frequent extreme weather darkens forecast for government books (paywalled)
Tom Pullar Strecker (Stuff): Tax shortfall and cheaper carbon credits dent Crown accounts ahead of Budget
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Carbon price plummet puts Crown accounts $800m under water
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Minister of Finance Grant Robertson says tough decisions were made for Budget 2023 as Government revenue falls below expectations
BusinessDesk: Govt coffers still swelling, just not as fast (paywalled)
AAP: New Zealand’s finances worsen, budget deficit looms
Ripu Bhatia (Stuff): Cost of living blamed for 165% increase in foodbank demand
David Hargreaves (Interest): Kiwis still out spending despite RBNZ’s dampening efforts
Christoph Schumacher (NBR): The economic cake: why we can’t both have it and eat it
Rob Stock (Stuff): Buy now, pay later loan safety scheme launches
Herald: Car finance warning over loan woes

ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): Government faces lawsuit for keeping a lid on price of gas, petrol
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Govt taken to court for ignoring Climate Commission on ETS
Hamish Cardwell (RNZ): Green investment bank’s pool of capital now $700m after government cash injection
Brent Edwards (NBR): Govt $300m fund boost for NZGIF should attract attention: Chair
Brent Edwards (NBR): More money for green investment fund (paywalled)
Amanda Thomas, Gradon Diprose and Sophie Bond (The Conversation): The end of offshore oil and gas exploration in NZ was hard won – but it remains politically fragile
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer (Herald): Anti-seabed mining bill chance to stop destruction before it starts
James Perry (Whakaata Māori): ‘Really let down Aotearoa’ – Māori Party slams Labour on seabed mining
Catherine Hubbard (Stuff): Catchments degraded from human waste needing urgent attention

KIRI ALLEN’S RNZ SPEECH, OIA
David Farrar: Radio NZ invents a new exemption under the OIA
Katie Harris (Herald): Cabinet Minister Kiri Allan on RNZ not releasing speech transcript: ‘Would have done it myself’
Felix Desmarais (1News): ‘Ultimately my fault’: Minister Jackson on delayed OIAs
David Farrar: Ombudsman has to threat Willie with the Solicitor-General

HEALTH
The Facts: 1 in 4 Kiwi children are not getting immunised
Eva de Jong (Herald): Te Whatu Ora’s winter health initiatives ‘unlikely’ to ease strain in rural areas
Ben Youdan (Stuff): Why an anti-smoking group doesn’t support a ban on vaping
Jess Tyson (Whakaata Māori): ‘Crown has no place in regulating rongoā’ says expert

CORONATION, REPUBLIC DEBATE
Thomas Cranmer: Realpolitik and New Zealand’s Relationship with the Crown
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Time to reign
RNZ: Governor-General says lessons learnt after Phil Goff’s blunder
Will Trafford (Whakaata Māori): King’s reign gets off to a choppy start
John MacDonald (Newstalk): It’s no to a republic for me – but why?

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Erin Gourley (Stuff): Ambitious capital spending programme puts pressure on Wellington council budget
Thomas Hunt (Stuff): ‘Siloed and ineffective’: Savage report into Wellington street lamp fiasco
Herald: Wellington City Council’s falling streetlight issue was managed inadequately – review
Lois Williams (Newsroom): Dysfunction rules on Coast council
Lois Williams (Newsroom): Move over bad old boys
Joseph Los’e (Herald): Councillor stands up for Mongrel Mob gang’s fence insignia near playground
Rachael Kelly (Stuff): Council pays grieving dad’s legal bill after Lachie Jones’ death
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Derelict buildings deemed too dangerous to save finally given consent for removal

BANKS
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Government hints at Commerce Commission inquiry into bank profits
Bernard Hickey: What a bank profits market study should focus on

DEFENCE
Gordon Campbell: On the endless spending on Defence
Kerre Woodham (Newstalk): There is absolutely no point in having a Defence Force if there is no investment in it

EDUCATION
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): ‘We have a target on our backs’: University of Otago staff protest over hundreds of possible job cuts
Lee Kenny (Stuff): Secondary and area school teachers strike over pay, staffing, negotiations
Jane Nixon (1News): Secondary teachers spend morning protesting MoE pay offer
RNZ: Teachers continue strike action, union says latest Ministry offer still below cost of living

BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Privacy, healthcare concerns at play in axed income insurance plan
Alexia Russell (RNZ): The Detail: Lives treated lightly
Greg Hurrell (BusinessDesk): Surge in KiwiSaver investments linked to deforestation (paywalled)
RNZ: New Zealand investment in research and development half of other leading economies
Tina Morrison (Stuff): Hawke’s Bay horticulture industry needs hundreds of millions in govt support to ‘grow back better’ from cyclone, report says
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Boston Consulting Group thinks the damage in Hawke’s Bay could be worse and longer-lasting than Treasury had forecast

AUCKLAND FLOODING
Damien Venuto (Herald): Auckland flooding: The Front Page – can we get better at forecasting severe downpours?
Herald Editorial: We all pay for extreme climate – Auckland flooding an unwelcome sequel (paywalled)
1News: Wayne Brown declares state of emergency, delegates his powers
Thomas Manch and Katie Ham (Stuff): Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick questions whether frontline firefighters got the ‘OK’ to prepare for rain soon enough
Erin Johnson (Stuff): Where was mayor Wayne Brown when Auckland flooded again?

HOUSING
Miriam Bell (Post): Explainer: Why the Government is offering support to stalled housing developments (paywalled)
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): Westpac NZ CEO Catherine McGrath tells home buyers who bought for the long-term at house price peaks to hang in there
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Weaker market ‘pretty good’ for first-home buyers

TRANSPORT
Georgina Campbell (Herald): A Capital Letter: From ferries to trains, KiwiRail’s reputation is seriously damaged (paywalled)
Brigitte Morten (NBR): Restore Passenger Rail misses key message (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): MTA’s message for the next Government (paywalled)

RUGBY
Adam Pearse (Herald): ‘Good result’: Government to change law so bars can open for Rugby World Cup
Amberleigh Jack (Stuff): Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea bites back at Bart Simpson: ‘Did he just say Wellington sucks? We’re the champs!’

OTHER
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): The Business of Government: Manaaki/Callaghan, public sector pay and more… (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): RBNZ’s American Idol pitch: Are you the next star? (paywalled)
David Burton (Post): Rimutaka Prison: Why are nine prison staff on ‘paid special leave’? (paywalled)
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Christchurch mass rapid transit possible by 2033 (paywalled)
Daniel Dunkley (BusinessDesk): Meta ‘to remove news links in Canada’ (paywalled)
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk): It’s getting tiring pretending crime isn’t happening when it clearly is