News Briefing: 25 February 2025
ANDREW BAYLY
Jo Moir (RNZ): Three days' grace for Andrew Bayly raises more questions
Claire Trevett (Herald): Christopher Luxon doesn’t give third chances – why Andrew Bayly didn’t stand a chance of staying on as minister (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Post): The curious resignation of Mr Bayly (paywalled)
Jo Moir and Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Prime Minister says he won't comment on details of Commerce minister Andrew Bayly's resignation
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): A minister resigned, but it took three days before the public found out
Madeleine Chapman (Spinoff): When was the last time you ‘held’ your colleague?
Jenee Tibshraeny (Herald): What will become of Andrew Bayly’s ambitious reform agenda? (paywalled)
Glenn McConnell and Jenna Lynch (Stuff): What actually happened in the Andrew Bayly ‘incident’?
RNZ: Handling of Andrew Bayly's resignation hardly 'quick' or 'impressive' - Labour
RNZ: Labour leader Chris Hipkins speaks after National minister Andrew Bayly resigns
Anna Whyte (Post): Andrew Bayly: The countdown to political annihilation (paywalled)
1News: Bayly resigns as Govt minister after complaint laid over behaviour
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Bayly resigns after physical contact with staffer
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Andrew Bayly resigns after altercation with staffer
Brent Edwards (NBR): Former minister’s lips zipped on details of resignation incident (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): Andrew Bayly resigns as Minister after ‘overbearing’ behaviour (paywalled)
Guardian: New Zealand minister quits after having ‘placed hand’ on staffer’s arm
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE
Alexander Gillespie (The Conversation): A Chinese own goal? How war games in the Tasman Sea could push NZ closer to AUKUS
RNZ: Foreign Minister Winston Peters to resume high-level political dialogue with China
Thomas Manch (Post): Chinese warships continue show of strength as Peters heads to Beijing (paywalled)
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Front Page: Chinese warships near NZ, Australia spark confusion and scrutiny
Chris Trotter (Interest): What are we defending?
Rob Campbell (Newsroom): There are better things to spend $4b on than the military
Del Carlini (Post): Time has arrived to confront our defence deficit (paywalled)
Phil Pennington (RNZ): 'Will the Americans still be there?' The looming question for New Zealand
Phil Pennington (RNZ): US speeds up integration of partners like NZ into military space operations
ODT Editorial: Sailing in choppy seas (paywalled)
RNZ: Defence Minister Judith Collins says Chinese warships in Tasman Sea nothing to worry about
Michael Daly (Stuff):Judith Collins criticises limited warning of Chinese live firing exercises in Tasman Sea
Kate Lyons (Guardian): ‘Extremely capable’ weapons on Chinese warships off Australia’s east coast, NZ government says
Donald Rothwell (The Conversation): China didn’t violate any rules with its live-fire naval exercises. So, why are Australia and NZ so worried?
Rahsneel Kumar (RNZ): Cook Islands eyes China investment in blue economy
Tim Hurdle (Post): Our black and white world is giving way to grey (paywalled)
RNZ: Winston Peters announces new sanctions on Russian entities over Ukraine
Poppy Clark (Stuff): Foreign Minister Winston Peters announces more sanctions on Russian entities and support for Ukraine
RNZ: Ukraine's ambassador to New Zealand says Russia must be held accountable
Bill Hickman (RNZ): War in Ukraine: 'I don't want the world to give up on us'
Jason Walls (Herald): Christopher Luxon’s Vietnam bound – as he faces domestic pressure over minister Andrew Bayly’s resignation
PARLIAMENT, GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC SERVICE
Denise McNab (BusinessDesk): Te Pāti Māori files overdue accounts with missing data (paywalled)
David Farrar: The Stats report is the more damning one
Danyl McLauchlan (Listener): Shopping for salvation: Govt turning to desperate measures to avoid being booted out after one term (paywalled)
Alexia Russell (RNZ): The Detail: The corruption ranking that could affect your mortgage
Brent Edwards (NBR): Some Govt departments push back on policy reporting goal (paywalled)
Natalia Albert: New Zealand’s Left vs. the Fiscal Straitjacket
Cameron Bagrie (BusinessDesk): Uncertainty is an everyday item (paywalled)
Grant Duncan (Political Quarterly): The Making and Breaking of Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Government, 2017–2023
Grant Duncan (Politics Happens): The Making and Breaking of Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Government, 2017–2023
Emily Writes: “You shouldn’t be able to have any say girl”
John Anthony (BusinessDesk): DB pulls Tui ad after complaints of bullying, misogyny and racism (paywalled)
Stuff: Fa’anānā Efeso Collins mural unveiled in Auckland a year after his death
FOREIGN INVESTMENT
Matt Nippert (Herald): US billionaire Peter Thiel winds down NZ business interests, deregisters Valar Ventures (paywalled)
Edward Miller: Tax havens screwing the scrum on FDI data
Mountain Tui: NZ's Coalition Government flings doors WIDE open for rich foreigners
Catherine McGregor (Spinoff): Government sets out the welcome mat for overseas investors
AUCKLAND
Simon Wilson (Herald): Did Chris Bishop just make the best speech about Auckland since Sir Dove-Myer ‘Robbie’ Robinson? (paywalled)
Maia Ingoe (RNZ): Bishop reveals new 'urbanist' vision for Auckland's future
David Long (Stuff): You have probably never heard of view shafts but they're a big deal in Auckland
Gareth Vaughan (Interest): As Auckland changes its viewshafts should change too, Chris Bishop says
RNZ: Government puts up $200m to remove level rail crossings around Auckland
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Chris Bishop wants to ‘tweak’ volcanic viewshafts to enable more Auckland development (paywalled)
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Bernard Orsman (Herald): Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s patience tested as Desley Simpson mulls mayoral run
RNZ: Former Auckland Council building inspector received $35k in cash bribes, home reno work
1News: Former council building inspector sentenced for accepting bribes
Catrin Owen (Stuff): Former Auckland Council building inspector received $35k, home renovations as bribes
David Long (Stuff): Radical shake up to Auckland’s stadiums would see Blues, Warriors share Mt Smart
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Jonathan Leask (Local Democracy Reporting): Committee member pockets $8000 after attending zero meetings in two years
Grant Miller (ODT): Council remains silent about next steps after allegations (paywalled)
Geordie Rogers (Post): It’s not just about a vision for Wellington but delivery (paywalled)
Julie Jacobson (Post): Retail NZ calling on government to halt Golden Mile upgrade (paywalled)
Deborah Morris (Post): Rates rise of 13.4% coming for Hutt ratepayers (paywalled)
Peter Newport (Crux): QLDC staff outnumber TVNZ - so why no council cuts?
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Seven arrests as 80 police walk council sewage workers through protest lines
RNZ: Seven arrests at Lake Rotokākahi sewerage pipeline protests
Laura Smith (Local Democracy Reporting): Lake Rotokākahi protest expected as Tarawera sewerage project restarts amid new legal stoush
Julie Asher (ODT): CODC staff give Waitaki council a hand
Mike Dinsdale (Northern Advocate): Isolated Far North community gets funding for safe, reliable water reticulation system
Alisha Evans (Local Democracy Reporting): Tauranga City Council projects 12.5% rates rise, cancels waterfront walkway
EDUCATION, SCIENCE
Maria Slade (BusinessDesk): Schools anxious about 'huge allergy risk' as MPI investigates school lunch provider (paywalled)
RNZ: Nutritionist finds list of issues after visiting Auckland schools delivering lunch programme
Nadine Roberts (Stuff): ‘Joy and nourishment’ gone: Hidden impact of new school lunch programme
RNZ: What the Ministry of Education is being told about school lunches
Nazahryth Bernard (Herald): School lunches: Students given ‘vegan’ meals containing beef mince
Dana Johannsen (RNZ): School Sport NZ weighing up blanket ‘year 14’ ban for high school sport
Jamie Morton (Herald): Documents reveal how Government pushed through controversial changes to Marsden Fund (paywalled)
Kevin Norquay (Sunday Star Times): Science gasps for air as belief trumps expertise (paywalled)
Gabi Lardies (Spinoff): The University of Auckland’s new rec centre: ‘world-class asset’ or ‘a luxury resort’?
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Domino’s gets O Week takeaway message
Tom Hunt (Post): Wellington bar owner goes into battle over university O-Week flyers (paywalled)
HEALTH
Thomas Couglan (Herald): Government mulling extending repeat prescriptions, doctors warn it may lead to ‘catastrophic’ GP shortages (paywalled)
Julia Gabel (Herald): New Zealand’s dental system: New report highlights ‘anxiety, stress and pain
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): HNZ won’t answer nurses on cuts ‘by stealth’
RNZ: Reduction in breast cancer death rates: 'We're heading in the right direction'
Nina Tapu (ODT): Surgeon found just in time
TREATY PRINCIPLES BILL, TE AO MĀORI
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): Treaty principles bill hearings, day eight: ‘Racist canine trumpets’ and ‘bloody history’
Joel Maxwell (Stuff): Treaty Principles Bill: David Seymour, Simeon Brown and the equity box for the cricket
Ruby Shaw (ODT): Abandon Treaty Bill now, mayor says
David Williams (Newsroom): Crown position ‘directly contradicts my recollection’
Anaru Eketone (Herald): Understanding haka: More than just a ‘war dance’ in New Zealand culture
Tom Dillane (Herald): Haka for sale: Inside the ‘problematic’ global trend of Māori dance workshops for corporate clients (paywalled)
Tayla Forward (Spinoff): No penance in privatisation
Aroha Gilling (E-Tangata): We’re the experts in our own stories
Heemi Mahauariki (E-Tangata): Stop doing the enemy’s work for them
MEDIA
Gavin Ellis: NZME’s ‘news that resonates’ sets off bad vibrations
Colin Peacock (RNZ): Mediawatch: Will Australia and US set our media policy?
Shayne Currie (Herald): Media Insider: Katie Bradford resigns from TVNZ as 1News business correspondent (paywalled)
Bob McCoskrie: Trust in media tanks to a new low
NBR: NBR offers university students free access in 2025
PRIMARY AND EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES
Laura Mills (Greymouth Star/ODT): Pugh offers to step in over rejected mining bid (paywalled)
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Receiver appointed to Gisborne forestry company due to appear in Environment Court
Sarah Curtis (Northern Advocate): High Court rejects Northland’s crayfish management plan for a second time
Monique Steele (RNZ): Green light for industrial hemp regulation review
Fiona Rotherham (NBR): Industrial hemp regulations to be reviewed (paywalled)
Corina Jordan (Post): Time to put Fish & Game’s battles with farmers in the past (paywalled)
EMPLOYMENT, BUSINESS
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government asks for feedback on taxing businesses that operate as charities - how much money is out there? (paywalled)
Stuff: NZ First backs Labour’s bill on illegal wage theft
John Farrow (ODT): Chance to clear the air around workplace dismissals
David Hargreaves (Interest): Retail shows further signs of emerging from its trough
Brianna McIlraith (Stuff): Data shows more people likely shopping from Temu and Shein
IMMIGRATION, CITIZENSHIP
Tim Selwyn (Daily Blog): New Zealand’s Settled on Immigration Corruption
Ric Stevens (Open Justice Reporting): Immigration adviser fined after Chinese migrant workers victim of Cyclone Gabrielle recovery job scam
Alastair McClymont (Herald): Birthright citizenship in NZ: Daman Kumar case shows it’s time to reconsider immigration law
Dave Armstrong (Post): Protest mixing business with leather (paywalled)
ENERGY
Adam Pearse (Herald): PM Christopher Luxon says Govt is considering whether to build a new oil refinery
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Electricity prices spike after problems at two power plants (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): Genesis sees 84% profit increase for ‘extraordinary’ half year (paywalled)
Gyles Beckford (RNZ): Genesis Energy half-year profit almost doubles thanks to high wholesale prices
Jared McCulloch (1News): Renewed search for alternative electricity sources on Stewart Island
GANG PATCH LAW, CRIME, JUSTICE
Edward Gay (Stuff): Revealed: How a top lawyer investigated a Community Magistrate
Aaron Hendry (E-Tangata): Another review won’t help our kids in prison
Herald Editorial: Gangs Act enforcement leads to thousands of charges but the real results will come in convictions (paywalled)
RNZ: More than 300 charges over gang patch law
Duncan Garner (Listener): Tough on crime? NZ’s justice system lets victims down again (paywalled)
Gaurav Sharma (RNZ): Ram raids decline almost 60 percent year on year
1News: Auckland woman nearly loses first home deposit in email scam
OTHER
Jimmy Ellingham (RNZ): 'Everyone else is just left in the cold' - Call for broader redress for abuse survivors
Tina Law (Press/Post): Memorial planned for psychiatric patients in unmarked graves (paywalled)
Eloise Gibson (RNZ): 'Kia Ora, Steve' and little else: No answers from NZ's Space Agency about delays in space mission
Paddy Gower (Stuff): David Seymour wants to ‘decringe’ Avatar and force ‘socialist’ director James Cameron to use Kiwi actors in top roles
Madeleine Chapman (Spinoff): The Weekend: This week felt like 2017
Graeme Austin and Jane C Ginsburg (The Conversation): Deepfakes can ruin lives and livelihoods - would owning the 'rights' to our own faces and voices help?
Paula Penfold (Stuff): When is your driveway not private? Stuff investigation forces Google concession
Alice Peacock (Newsroom): Young KiwiSavers are the new drop-outs
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): This is a terrible thing to say, but it's true
John Drummond (ODT): Temperatures rising but is the urgency?
Andrew Bevin (Newsroom): Unmasking the savings burden of lifting NZ Super eligibility
RNZ: Christchurch earthquake memorial to be held by the Ōtākaro Avon River
Caron Copek (Stuff): Why was Elon Musk talking about rich people fleeing to NZ?
RNZ: Partial strike at Oranga Tamariki to begin this week
Sam Smith (Stuff): Shooter video game adds Māori character with Christchurch mosque attack birth date
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