News Briefing: 12 March 2025
INFRASTRUCTURE, FOREIGN INVESTMENT, FAST-TRACK
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Staying up late for Luxon’s sell-a-thon, hawking NZ to the world
John Tookey (The Conversation): Hey big spenders: what foreign investors will really want from the infrastructure summit
Brent Edwards (NBR): Fast-track makes NZ more attractive to foreign investors: Jones (paywalled)
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): ‘I don't really sleep enough’: Chris Bishop is ‘frustrated’ at the pace of change (paywalled)
Chris Bishop (Herald): NZ Infrastructure Investment Summit: A chance to show we are ready to do business (paywalled)
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Ports reluctant to work with KiwiRail after mega-ferries, Winston Peters visits CentrePort
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Winston Peters appoints new directors to Cook Strait ferry procuring company (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (Post): Katherine Rich appointed to Ferry Holdings board (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Nicola Willis wants to change Government procurement rules to help Kiwi companies
Gordon Campbell: On The Government’s Stubborn Refusal To Invest For Growth
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): Business of Government: the 'half-time' state of play, and more … (paywalled)
Tumamao Harawira (Te Ao Māori News): Ngāpuhi to buy stake in Northport, hapū engagement top of agenda
GOVERNMENT, PARLIAMENT
Farah Hancock (RNZ): The government’s targets in charts: More than half still behind track
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): National MPs’ faces tell story of gloomy polls (paywalled)
Henry Cooke: National need to change the economy, not their leader
Herald Editorial: Christopher Luxon under pressure as Labour leads National, Chris Hipkins favoured for PM (paywalled)
Kerre Woodham (Newstalk ZB): The Government's failing to sell the sizzle
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): The prime minister lends credibility to Winston Peters’ war on ‘the woke’
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Judith Collins warns against ‘putting labels’ on people, assuming they’re appointed for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Christopher Luxon open to adopting some of NZ First's 'anti-woke' proposals
Catherine McGregor (Spinoff): PM joins NZ First’s war on woke
Bob McCoskrie: MFAT should be renamed Ministry of LGBTQIA+
Roy Morgan: National-led Government and Labour-led Parliamentary opposition tied on 47.5% each in February
Laura Walters (Newsroom): Labour MP to face Privileges Committee over haka in the House
Julia Gabel (Herald): Treaty Principles Bill: Labour’s Peeni Henare facing privileges committee for haka in the House
Natalie Albert: Labour’s New Strategy: A Plan or Just Noise?
Adam Pearse (Herald): Jan Tinetti admits ‘little bit of grief’ losing education in Labour reshuffle
SCHOOL LUNCHES
Cécile Meier (BusinessDesk): Libelle's downfall raises question about school lunch procurement process (paywalled)
Kelly Dennett, Anna Whyte and Katie Ham (Post): An anatomy of an exploding lunch … programme (paywalled)
NBR: Education Minister was aware of difficulties at Libelle Group (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor & Cameron Smith (Herald): School lunch programme ‘not at risk’ after provider liquidated, David Seymour positive about its future
John Gerritsen (RNZ): School lunch failures: Original contractors ready to offer alternatives
RNZ: School lunch provider Libelle Group Auckland financially struggling for months, liquidator says
Cécile Meier (BusinessDesk): Libelle director raised insolvency concerns with liquidators on Thursday (paywalled)
1News: School lunch provider Libelle Group in liquidation
RNZ: School lunches provider Libelle Group Auckland goes into liquidation
Cameron Smith (Herald): Government-funded school lunch supplier Libelle Group in liquidation
Karanama Ruru (Stuff): Free school lunch provider goes into liquidation
Dita De Boni, Katie Ham and Maddy Croad (Post): School lunch provider Libelle Group in liquidation (paywalled)
RNZ: Luxon says Seymour working through 'challenging issues' as school lunch woes deepen
HEALTH
Paula Penfold (Stuff): The $2m contract to senior govt advisor’s business partner
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): ACC has no record of advising then-minister how many claimants should be back at work (paywalled)\
Gary Payinda: 'Dr Privatisation' will now see your sick child
RNZ: Private health plan may free up public hospitals, but not enough staff - union
John Lewis (ODT): Alcohol claims rejected
Make Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Is the public service sabotaging the govt?
Christine Carey (Press/Post): Make your voices heard for the dignity of the disabled (paywalled)
Jenny Jordan (Newsroom): Reviewing priorities for the eating disorders field in NZ
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TRADE, DEFENCE
Audrey Young (Herald): Winston Peters prepares for the Washington quickstep (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Trump and NZ: a question of intelligence
Richard Prebble (Herald): Donald Trump’s challenge to New Zealand’s independent foreign policy and what we should do about it (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (Post): Lobbyist Charles Finny to lead NZTE board (paywalled)
NZME: Charles Finny appointed new New Zealand Trade and Enterprise chair
RNZ: Senior diplomat to take over as Acting UK High Commissioner after Goff sacking
1News: Acting High Commissioner to London named following Goff sacking
Thomas Manch (Post): Retired top diplomat Chris Seed to replace Phil Goff in London (paywalled)
John Braddock (World Socialists): New Zealand diplomat sacked after criticizing Trump
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Any NZ peacekeeping in Ukraine would be a 'one-hit wonder' - veteran
1News: NZ Defence attaché to attend Ukraine security meeting in Paris
Luke Malpass (Post): Former Black Cap Ross Taylor to co-lead PM’s India business delegation (paywalled)
Greg Hurrell (BusinesDesk): NZ exporters face 'regulatory whiplash' from possible EU backsliding (paywalled)
Alexia Russell (RNZ): The Detail: Why we want to be mates with Vietnam
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Trump prompts surge of Americans to NZ real estate
WELLINGTON
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Minister looking at further interventions at Wellington's councils
Tom Hunt (Post): Rift between Wellington City Council and Beehive widens in infrastructure showdown (paywalled)
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): The Wellington water situation (and some of this lame-o stuff), explained
Tom Hunt and Andrea Vance (Post): War of words over regional deals after PM labels Wellington councils Lame-o (paywalled)
Kate Green and Nick James (RNZ): Christopher Luxon calls Wellington's councils 'pretty lame-o'
Nick James (RNZ): 'We are determined to get this right' - Wellington mayor
Stuff: ‘Poor form’: Wellington mayor chides PM after ‘lame-o’ insult
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): Wellington Water is begging to be put out of its misery
Emily Ireland (Local Democracy Reporting): Overcharged: Deputy mayor wants more detail from Wellington Water
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WATER
Jared McCulloch (1News): Most councils should have critical water treatment barriers by end of year
RNZ: Over 227,000 New Zealanders now have access to safer drinking water
Susan Botting (Local Democracy Reporting): 'Win for transparency': Emergency Whangārei fluoridation meeting canned
RNZ: Meeting on Whangārei water fluoridation rescheduled as public
Lauren Crimp (RNZ): 'They can't protect people from themselves' - Safety and scenery in the balance for waterfront security
Lauren Crimp (RNZ): Wellington council aware of danger before man's waterfront death - coroner
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): Wellington waterfront should be permanently fenced, says Coroner after death of man who fell into harbour
Susan Botting (Local Democracy Reporting): Northland mayors lead the pack for popularity
Danielle Zollickhofer (Herald): Taxpayer’s Union mayor approval ranking: Waikato’s top-ranked leaders revealed
RESERVE BANK, BANKS
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Are the big banks 'winning' the parliamentary banking inquiry?
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): How Adrian Orr’s departure from the Reserve Bank could both benefit banks and lift OCR (paywalled)
Claire Matthews (The Conversation): Calculated risk: will the next Reserve Bank governor relax capital requirements for banks?
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): With Orr gone, Willis sharpens case for relaxing bank capital rules
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): Bank capital requirements ripe for review, KPMG says (paywalled)
Martien Lubberink: Wasteful spending – Season 1, episode 2
Ella Somers (Interest): ANZ NZ CEO grilled over slowness of passing on OCR cuts to borrowers
Will Mace (NBR): Open banking legislation considered under urgency (paywalled)
Gregor Thompson (BusinessDesk): Banks' net interest margin spread between NZ and Australia increases in 2024 (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): Westpac’s new partner Dosh offers Westpac mortgages - only cheaper (paywalled)
COMCOM ACTION AGAINST HELLOFRESH
Paddy Gower (Stuff): HelloFresh charges must be start of Government crackdown on ‘subscription theft’
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): HelloFresh charges spark subscription warning
Brianna McIlraith (Stuff): Warnings about ‘subscription traps’ as criminal charges filed against HelloFresh
Rob Stock (Post): Commerce Commission takes action against HelloFresh
1News: Criminal charges filed against HelloFresh NZ
RNZ: Criminal charges filed against HelloFresh
Hamish McNicol (NBR): ComCom files criminal charges against HelloFresh (paywalled))
HOMELESSNESS
RNZ: Luxon denies stricter emergency housing rules have increased homelessness
Mountain Tui: Auckland homelessness up 53% in 4 months, Wellington up 40% year on year
ENVIRONMENT, DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Reid Basher (Post): As disasters mount, a new focus on risk is needed (paywalled)
Mary Argue (RNZ): Retrial ordered in case against Wellington rail protesters
Glenn McLean (Stuff): Toxic landfill site could cost up to $35m to clear
Caroline Williams (Stuff): Why this lush green space can’t be enjoyed by Aucklanders for at least 10 years
ECONOMY
David Hargreaves (Interest): The economy is showing signs of life
Liam Dann (Herald): Inside Economics: Where does New Zealand rate on Misery Index, plus weighing our recovery against the Aussies (paywalled)
Mike Jones (Newsroom): End of season stock-take
The Economist: Why New Zealanders are emigrating in record numbers (paywalled)
Emma Andrews (RNZ): New report highlights dramatic growth in Māori economy
RNZ: New Zealand's top executives expect economy to rebound, worried about global issues
TRANSPORT
Peter de Graaf (RNZ): Anger at speed limit changes: 'It affects so many people on the roads'
Max Frethey (Local Democracy Reporting): Consultation coming on controversial speed limit increase - NZTA
Erin Johnson (Stuff): ‘Frightening’ speed changes an invitation for drivers to go faster, says school mum
Gabi Lardies (Spinoff): Behind the wheel of a ‘political hot potato’: Meet New Zealand’s anti-Musk Tesla drivers
MEDIA
Shayne Currie (Herald: Media Insider: Billionaire Jim Grenon opens up on his NZME board move and NZ Herald strategy - his desire to ‘improve the journalism’ and increase readership (paywalled)
Graham Adams (The Platform): Fear and loathing grips the left over NZME shake-up
Spinoff: The Fold: Big tech and regulation in the second coming of Trump
IMMIGRATION, CITIZENSHIP, VISAS
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): Candace Owens was denied a visa to New Zealand – and then a minister stepped in
Caleb Fotheringham (RNZ): Pacific islanders 'have a very high-risk of overstaying' - NZ immigration expert
Mildred Armah (Stuff): Family of four who lost $60K for better life in NZ, forced to leave
Rebecca Stevenson (BusinessDesk): NZ golden visa website's 200% visitor spike after new investor visas announced (paywalled)
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Increasing number of South Africans among ranks of new citizens
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Female politician fled to New Zealand after graveside threat
EDUCATION
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): 370,000 to be stung by stealth student loan change costing $62 a year (paywalled)
Mirjam Schindler, Marcela Palomino-Schalscha, Mairead de Roiste and Brendon Blue (Newsroom): Keep politics out of research funding in NZ
ENERGY
Jamie Gray (Herald: NZ solar power hits record but still only 1.3% of total generation - Electricity Authority (paywalled)
ODT: Cyclone Alfred and a mind of his own (paywalled)
CYBER CRIME
Alice Peacock (Newsroom): Businesses fear AI cyber attacks with China as ‘main threat
Gill South (Stuff): Big jump in ‘high-loss incidents’ due to cyber crime
Will Mace (NBR): Cybercrime pays more than we’re willing to admit, says Kordia (paywalled)
OTHER
Danyl McLauchlan (Listener): Beyond the pandemic: How New Zealand has changed (paywalled)
Melissa Nightingale (Herald): Expert highlights problems with name suppression that won’t change under Justice Minister’s proposal (paywalled)
Zoe Madden-Smith (Re:News): 'I can't survive on $55 a week': Benefit cut due to hospital stay
Richard Prebble (Newsroom): Misunderstandings and the Treaty
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Free speech row swells InternetNZ membership, but few can vote on key issue (paywalled)
RNZ: New NZ Olympics uniforms will be manufactured overseas
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Govt explores ordering hens indoors but still selling eggs as free-range
Grace Tinetali-Fiavaai (RNZ): Fa'anānā Efeso Collins' widow reflects on grief, legacy, and a life without him