News Briefing: 19 February 2025
MANUREWA MARAE INQUIRY
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Manurewa Marae inquiry findings: Christopher Luxon ‘shocked’, Chris Hipkins says ‘alarm bell’ for NZ reputation
1News: Manurewa Marae inquiry: Stats NZ boss to leave
Andrea Vance (Post): Manurewa Marae inquiry: Whistleblowers vindicated (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Post): Marae whistleblowers backed by damning data breach inquiry (paywalled)
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Stats NZ head to step down after inquiry into census and vaccination data misuse
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Manurewa Marae inquiry reveals an even more troubling failure
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Manurewa Marae election inquiry 'served as a wake-up call'
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): ‘A massive wake-up call’: The key findings of the data misuse inquiries
Thomas Manch (Post): ‘An unacceptable breach of trust’: PM on census data report (paywalled)
Andrea Vance (Post): Chief Statistician stands down after ‘sobering’ report into misuse of census information (paywalled)
RNZ: Stats NZ boss to step down after Manurewa Marae election inquiry
Brent Edwards (NBR): Stats NZ head resigns after misuse of Census data inquiry (paywalled)
David Farrar: The damning PSC report
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Not a good day for rednecks – Another report that fails to hang Waipareira Trust, Manurewa Marae or the Māori Party
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TRADE, DEFENCE
Phil Pennington (RNZ): NZ faces dilemma as Trump demands more defence spending
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): How much the Government will need to spend on defence to hit target (paywalled)
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): National and Labour agree NZ should be ready to deploy peacekeepers to Ukraine
RNZ: Christopher Luxon 'open' to sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine
Thomas Manch (Post): Christopher Luxon 'open' to sending troops for Ukraine peacekeeping (paywalled)
RNZ: Where in the world have NZDF staff been deployed?
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): We're great at peacekeeping. But not in Ukraine
Anna Sargent (RNZ): Residents near rifle range should not be banned from noise complaints, council says
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Sam Smith and Glenn McConnell (Stuff): What is the stoush between New Zealand and the Cook Islands all about?
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): NZ concerns: Is Cook Islands-China deal shipshape?
Adam Pearse (Herald): Winston Peters: New Zealand calls for transparency as Cook Islands-China deal released
Thomas Manch (Post): New Zealand wants Cook Islands to release all China agreements (paywalled)
RNZ: Cook Islands government releases details of deal with China
Caleb Fotheringham (RNZ): Te Pāti Māori co-leader joins protest against 'aggressive' Cook Islands PM
Caleb Fotheringham (RNZ): Watch: Cook Islanders march in Avarua against Mark Brown government
Eugene Doyle (E-Tangata): Going ballistic
POLICING PROTESTS
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Police training and procedures for protests need an overhaul - IPCA
Sapeer Mayron (Post): Concern over proposed protest policing regime (paywalled)
No Right Turn: Police want to ban protests
David Farrar: The Police illegally arrested Lucy Rogers and lied about it
PARLIAMENT
Thomas Manch (Post): Hipkins keeps alive possibility of working with NZ First (paywalled)
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): The 5 paths to MMP victory for the NZ Left in next election
Brian Tweed (E-Tangata): The stakes could not be higher
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): Echo Chamber: Can someone please teach these MPs to use Google?
Pattrick Smellie and Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Business of Government: Census censure, 40 shades of Musk, 'right-sizing' and more (paywalled)
BOOTCAMPS
Adam Pearse (Herald): Labour condemns Govt ‘covering up’ bootcamp re-offending as speculation swirls
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Christopher Luxon 'comfortable' keeping boot camp reoffending rate under wraps
HEALTH
Mary Williams (ODT): Price creep likely to blow $1.88b budget, source says
RNZ: New Health NZ unit to will 'drive greater accountability' - minister
RNZ: Kiwi's second-biggest concern is healthcare, survey finds
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Women, minorities exit in Health NZ leadership ‘purge’
RNZ: 'Purely demand' - Christchurch ED plea to patients not due to staff shortage, Health NZ says
Alan Perrott (NZ Doctor): Review group puts Lester Levy’s health reset plan under scrutiny (paywalled)
Sally Wesley (RNZ): Call for job opportunities for spouses to attract rural midwifes
PRIMARY INDUSTRIES, ENVIRONMENT, CONSERVATION
Andrea Vance (Post): Anger as MPI shares confidential review with fishing industry (paywalled)
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): US and Aus unite against NZ hard about-turn on ocean conservation plan
Kate McVicar (NBR): ‘Frustrated’ environmental law advocates win High Court review (paywalled)
Eloise Gibson (RNZ): Thousands of farmers to earn cash for their climate efforts
Dita De Boni (Post): Sticks replaced by carrots for farmers who pursue lower carbon footprints (paywalled)
Stephanie Ockhuysen (RNZ): Farmers call on MPI to declare 'adverse weather event' over lack of rain
Michael Morrah (Herald): Iwi Ngāti Paoa calls out decision to allow superyacht Sea Eagle into Hauraki Gulf amid caulerpa crisis (paywalled)
Sharon Brettkelly (RNZ): The Detail: Auckland's trash is another town's treasure
MEDIA
The Facts: Media trust just 27% in new 6k poll
Gavin Ellis: Media reform paper: The good, the not-so-good, and the ugly
David Farrar: The good and bad of the media reform proposals
Shayne Currie (Herald): Media Insider: Future of Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill uncertain as Australia backs down in face of Donald Trump threats (paywalled)
Liam Rātana (Spinoff): Who is Matua Kahurangi and does it matter if he’s fake?
Cassandra Mudgway (The Conversation): Online violence and misogyny are still on the rise – NZ needs a tougher response
Rebecca Macfie (E-Tangata): ‘What do I know of hardship?’
ECONOMY, OCR
David Hargreaves (Interest): Households still see inflation increasing in future years
Brent Edwards (NBR): Nicola Willis’ short-term boost, longer-term reform agenda (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): Inside Economics: Brain drain stats reveal alarming exodus of older workers, plus big rate call today (paywalled)
Brianna McIlraith (Stuff): How our OCR compares to other countries
Richard Harman (Politik): How the Reserve Bank is helping farmers and the Nats re-election chances
Greg Smith (Post): Cutting rates by 0.5% today - what about a 1% cut? (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Two banks to cut interest rates ahead of Reserve Bank's February cash rate review
Dan Brunskill (Interest): New Zealand's risk aversion bemoaned
Michael Reddell: Willis and Rennie speaking
Kyle Phillippi (Vice): New Zealand Is Having a Clearance Sale. No, Wait, It’s a Tourism Campaign.
DESTINY CHURCH
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Front Page: Destiny Church protest reignites debate on tax-exempt status for charities
Paddy Gower (Stuff): PM must ‘man up’ and make Destiny pay tax
Edward Gay (Stuff): Why Destiny’s Man Up patch is unlikely to be banned
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Brian Tamaki, disruptive force and super-genius
Nick James (RNZ): Wellington Council plan to up security at pride events following Destiny Church protest
Michael Toy (Post): Christians need to show their true colours towards the rainbow community (paywalled)
Emily Rakete (Newsroom): No more appeasement, it’s time Church meets its Destiny
TRANSPORT
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Ombudsman reconsiders whether KiwiRail’s consultant spend should be kept secret (paywalled)
RNZ: Law change to allow drug-testing devices to do road-side screenings
Robin Martin (RNZ): Speed limit changes outside schools branded 'ideologically-driven nonsense' by New Plymouth Mayor
Emily Ireland (Local Democracy Reporting): Mayors hit back at NZTA
Nicolas Reid: Does the New Zealand rail network actually serve New Zealanders?
Pretoria Gordon (RNZ): Over-fuelled plane leaves uni-bound passengers behind
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): 'No clear justification': Higher fuel margins could limit petrol price relief
Alisha Evans (Local Democracy Reporting): Tauranga traffic: Turret Rd tidal lane gets initial funding
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
RNZ: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown to stand for re-election
Brent Melville (NBR): Consent applications jump 37% ahead of big development rate hike (paywalled)
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): A quirky and surprising place’: so why are Wellingtonians so pessimistic about their city?
Chris Lynch: Phil Mauger intervenes after backlash over Council’s refusal to support Canterbury’s 175th anniversary
Dennis Wesselbaum (Asymmetric Information): Should council rates use land or capital values?
HOUSING
Garth Bray (BusinessDesk): Infrastructure fund benefits 'oversold' – developer (paywalled)
Mike Tweed (Whanganui Chronicle): Housing: Whanganui council could sell assets below market rate for new social entity
Nick James (RNZ): Rating revaluation: What it all means for homeowners
Sasha Lockley (Post): The role of financial lenders to help the young into homes (paywalled)
EDUCATION
Brittany Keogh (Post): ECE both cheaper and more expensive after rebate (paywalled)
Mark John (ODT): Dismayed by funding cuts to fight truancy (paywalled)
Aaron Smale (Listener): Memo to Wellington – our greatest economic asset and potential is Māori and Polynesian kids (paywalled)
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, NATURAL DISASTERS
RNZ: Auckland Council proposes to move Kumeū due to flood risk, community leaders onboard
Emily Ireland (Local Democracy Reporting): The $30m plan to protect Masterton from major flooding cost
Kerre Woodham (Newstalk ZB): Is relocating the only solution for flooding towns?
Juliet Speedy (Stuff): Christchurch’s rebuild: Nearly 14 years on, where are the major projects at?
ENERGY
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Labour may ask gentailers to reinvest dividends in new generation to reduce prices
Simon Bridges (Herald): Energy crisis: An action plan to unlock power and unlock economic growth
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Businesses call for overhaul of electricity industry (paywalled)
TREATY, TE AO MĀORI
Julia Gabel (Herald): Treaty Principles Bill: Tama Potaka accepts he needs to better understand Māori concerns over proposed laws
Dominic O’Sullivan (E-Tangata): Kāwanatanga belongs to Māori too
EMPLOYMENT
David Burton (Post): Tikanga gaining significance in employment law (paywalled)
Gregor Thompson (BusinessDesk): Supreme Court to hear Uber driver employment case (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): Time to address exploitation towards adult entertainers? MPs think so (paywalled)
Hanna McCallum (Post): Salon ordered to pay $230k to seven former employees (paywalled)
Hamish McNicol (NBR): Employee absenteeism laws ripe for reform, lawyer says (paywalled)
IMMIGRATION
RNZ: Immigration does not know how many Daman Kumar-like cases there are
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): The Daman Kumar deportation case is fascinating
RIGHT TO REPAIR
Esther Taunton (Stuff): A ‘right to repair’ could soon become law - here’s how it would work
Laura Gemmell (Post): Enshrining the right to repair will save money, scarce resources (paywalled)
Monique Steele (RNZ): New bill could give farmers more 'sovereignty over their farm equipment' - Greens
OTHER
Matt Nippert (Herald): Money-laundering rule changes may lead to New Zealand landing on undesirable grey list, officials warn (paywalled)
Michael Andrew (Law News): AML address verification is hurting businesses, select committee told (paywalled)
Andrea Vance and Sapeer Mayron (Post): Gate-crashing judge challenges disciplinary process (paywalled)
Mary Argue (RNZ): Callaghan Innovation shutdown: 'Trying to build a plane as we're falling off a cliff'
Fiona Rotherham (NBR): Government needs to invest more on R&D: Sir Peter Gluckman (paywalled)
David Williams (Newsroom): Freshwater was off table in Treaty settlement – Ngāi Tahu leader
Rob Campbell (Newsroom): Diversity programmes have one crucial error
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