NZ Politics Daily: 10 October 2024

FAST TRACK
Farah Hancock (RNZ): $500,000 in political donations associated with fast track projects
Chris Trotter (Democracy Project): A Fast-Track Backwards
Alexia Russell (RNZ): The Detail: Fast-track list: The favoured projects that could be pie in the sky
Brent Edwards (NBR): The planning fast track to political discord (paywalled)
Allan Brent: The Fast Track List aka More Distractions
Brent Melville (NBR): No costings for fast-tracked Auckland rail project (paywalled)
David Williams (Newsroom): Why Rod Drury’s backing a gondola up Coronet Peak, near Queenstown
Lianne Dalziel (Newsroom): How Greater Christchurch can continue to grow sustainably
Tina Law (Press): ‘Significant’ savings for ratepayers if Christchurch’s river red zone gets fast-track approval (paywalled)
Wei Shao (The Press): Fast-track projects fuel debates over West Coast’s future (paywalled)
Chris Tobin (The Press): Bill supports Mackenzie Basin solar farms in spite of environmental concerns (paywalled)
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Let’s play Tour of New Zealand: Fast Track Edition
Nicholas Boyack (Post): Fast-tracking Upper Hutt housing development will boost local economy (paywalled)

GUMBOOT FRIDAY
Anusha Bradley (RNZ): 'Unusual and inconsistent' process to justify $24m 'Gumboot Friday' contract, auditor-general finds
Felix Desmarais (1News): Gumboot Friday funding process 'unusual', not transparent - watchdog
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Government’s Gumboot Friday funding found to be ‘unusual and inconsistent’
Brent Edwards (NBR): Government funding for Gumboot Friday did not follow rules (paywalled)
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Auditor-General criticises 'unusual' Gumboot Friday procurement process (paywalled)
No Right Turn: "The party of personal responsibility”

TOBACCO
Janet Hoek Andrew Waa Jude Ball Richard Edwards Anna Graham-DeMello (PHCCA): Government struggling with evidence: HTPs, addiction levels, and Smokefree 2025
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): 'It's not going to make a big contribution' - Govt's heated tobacco products trial in 'tatters'
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Public health experts reject Casey Costello’s tobacco claims

HEALTH
Phil Pennington (RNZ): One page out of 454 sheds light on Health New Zealand money woes
Rachel Thomas (Post): The awkward five days that exposed Health NZ’s financial crisis (paywalled)
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Growing deficit, demand pressures: What we learned from Health NZ’s document dump
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Health NZ looking to save $100m in data and digital work, say unions
RNZ: Unions ask Health NZ boss for more information on overspend
Herald: Health Minister Shane Reti says previous government ‘needs to own’ Health NZ funding gap
Martin Johnson (NZ Doctor): Ministry of Health sheds net 123 jobs in Govt-ordered cuts programme (paywalled)
Nick James (RNZ): 'Horrific' hospital wait times and an under-resourced sector - survey
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Medical pads used to mop leaking Dunedin Hospital
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Breaking down the build: why megaprojects like Dunedin Hospital overrun costs (paywalled
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): There's dumb games being played in health
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Communities rally against telehealth option for Kenepuru's clinic
Justin Wong (Post): Protests on the cards to save Kenepuru overnight health service (paywalled)
Mountain Tui: Laughter and Lies: The Legacy of A Luxon Government
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): The Burden: Kiwis with Long Covid speak out
Jacob Johnson (1News): Not a matter of if, but when NZ has a measles outbreak – Health Minister
Denise Piper (Northern Advocate): No funds for epilepsy monitors leaves Northland solo mum relying on charity

GOVERNMENT
Max Rashbrooke (Spinoff): The slow drift towards ‘user pays’ risks turning New Zealand into a two-tier society
Verity Johnson (Stuff): ‘Unlike Luxon, we all panic as we are not wealthy and sorted ’
Bryan Bruce: No Credibility Without Transparency

Today’s free version of “NZ Politics Daily” contains links to 42 items above, and the full version, which continues below the paywall below, has links to an additional 84 categorised items, and today’s cartoons. To subscribe to the full version, click on “Subscribe now” link below. Your paid subscription helps keep the newsletter going, which is 100% subscriber-funded and not-for-profit. I’m also happy to give complimentary full subscriptions to anyone on limited budgets - just email me: bryce.edwards@vuw.ac.nz