NZ Politics Daily: 15 January 2025
PARLIAMENT, GOVERNMENT
Derek Cheng (Herald): Revealed: The 10 emails to Minister Nicole McKee that helped toughen Three Strikes (paywalled)
Kathy Spencer (Post): How the red-tape crusader is failing in his own mission (paywalled)
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): The Regulatory Standards Bill: What you need to know
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): What’s all the fuss about the bill to regulate regulations?
Adam Pearse (Herald): Justice committee unable to hear all oral submissions on Treaty Principles Bill amid record response
Kate Green (RNZ): Treaty Principles Bill: Number of total submissions to be revealed on Thursday
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Treaty Principles Bill smashes submissions record
Steven Cowan: Chris Hipkins: More of the same, but different
HEALTH
Art Nahill (Herald): Private heathcare in NZ: We need a transparent, comprehensive and independent review (paywalled)
Mariné Lourens (Press/Post): Health students at Otago University still mostly from privileged backgrounds (paywalled)
Jules Radich (ODT): As planned remains best hospital plan
Mountain Tui: Our Health Isn't Your Wealth, Shane Reti & Lester Levy
Barbara Fountain (NZ Doctor): Public health leaders urge reconsideration of pending cuts (paywalled)
POLICE
Jared Savage & Melissa Nightingale (Herald): Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming suspended amid criminal investigation
1News: Deputy police commissioner suspended amid investigation
RNZ: Country's second most powerful police officer, Jevon McSkimming, suspended amid probe
Sam Sherwood and Blair Ensor (Stuff): Top cop suspended amid criminal investigation (paywalled)
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Front Page: Protecting our police: Should NZ frontline officers carry guns?
ECONOMY BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Big 0.5% rate cut ‘no done deal’ as nerves jingle over inflation outlook (paywalled)
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): The centrepiece of Labour’s immigration reset gets the boot (paywalled)
Simon Bridges (Herald): NZ’s economic challenge: Investment and growth key to retaining talent (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Business sentiment is improving, but actual trading isn’t (paywalled)
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Stuttering start to 2025 for business confidence (paywalled)
Aimee Shaw (Post): Economic uncertainty growing concern among executives of large firms (paywalled)
Dan Brunskill (Interest): NZIER business survey turns positive for first time in almost four years
Brent Melville (NBR): Builders have more spring in their step: NZIER (paywalled)
Anne Gibson (Herald): Inland Revenue going ‘full throttle’ on January liquidation applications (paywalled)
Nicholas Pointon (NBR): Insolvency outlook: ‘Bumpy road ahead’ (paywalled)
Joanne Naish (Press/Post): Co-working spaces on the West Coast fight for survival after Govt funding comes to an end (paywalled)
Tom Peters (World Socialists): New Zealand government prepares anti-strike law
EDUCATION, TRAINING
Herald: NCEA 2024 exam results released on NZQA website today
Hanna McCallum (Post): Ministry unable to confirm next steps for girls’ college building (paywalled)
Bill Hickman (RNZ): Residents fume over tree felling at Wellington Girls' College, fears of damaging the street's 'character'
The Post: Thorndon pōhutukawa tree felling causing concern to neighbours (paywalled)
Brodie Stone (Northern Advocate): Lack of public secondary school in Mangawhai a ‘growing problem’
CHILD WELFARE
Ladan Hashemi (The Conversation): Children with traumatic experiences have a higher risk of obesity – but this can be turned around
Herald Editorial: Latest research on New Zealand kids highlights a national shame (paywalled)
Roman Travers (Newstalk ZB): I'm sick of hearing that children are resilient
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Brent Melville (NBR): Capacity contagion expands as Watercare ‘downsizes’ projects (paywalled)
Stephen Ward (Waikato Times): Former MP Jamie Strange also eyeing Hamilton mayoralty (paywalled)
Matthew Martin (Waikato Times): The race is on for the region’s top jobs (paywalled)
Rob Campbell (Newsroom): Don’t shrug your shoulders over local government
Olivia Wannan (Stuff): Wellington’s City to Sea Bridge gets brief stay of execution
Grant Miller (ODT): Moves to avoid event bidding war (paywalled)
CLIMATE CHANGE
Eloise Gibson (RNZ): Wildfire risk in NZ: More flames, less insurance
Brett Kerr-Laurie (Press/Post): Human action to blame for wildfires as risk increases (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Climate reporting cutbacks ‘would risk NZ reputation’
Greg Hurrell (BusinessDesk): Cross-border rules on aviation emissions give airlines an easy ride (paywalled)
Mark John (ODT): Dunedin climate activist pays offender levy in bag of coal
Karanama Ruru (Stuff): Dunedin environmental activist convicted of trespass pays offender levy in bag of coal
CONSERVATION
RNZ: Hoiho / yellow-eyed penguin could be extinct within two decades - Department of Conservation
1News: 'Unthinkable': Hoiho at risk of extinction on mainland — DOC
ODT: Factors fan fears of local extinction
ODT Editorial: Charging for nature (paywalled)
Maxine Jacobs (Press/Post): 'It's local extinction': Native alpine grasshoppers in decline as temperatures rise (paywalled)
HOUSING, BUILDING
Greg Ninness (Interest): Home ownership rates are falling with rental properties the main driver of growth in housing stock
Greg Ninness (Interest): Fewer homes are being built and they are taking longer on average to be completed
Anan Zaki (RNZ): Mortgage calls: When will borrowers see value in long-term rates again?
Brianna McIlraith (Stuff): Riding the market down for lower mortgage interest rates, and avoiding paying ‘too much’
Tony Alexander (One Roof): US punctures Kiwi hopes of cheaper mortgages in 2025
Brent Melville (NBR): $300b mortgage debt ’tsunami’ due to hit this year (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Post): By the numbers: Mortgage lending on the rise (paywalled)
CORRECTIONS, CRIME
Hamish Cardwell (RNZ): Te Korowai facility: Man living under extended supervision facing charges, including indecent assault
Mary Argue (RNZ): Waikato Hospital escapes: One Corrections staff member resigns, another on final warning
Pretoria Gordon (RNZ): Café brewing second chances
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Giles Dexter (RNZ): 'A good direction': Departing US Ambassador talks trade, AUKUS, and climate
The Post: NZ’s ambassador to the US to attend Trump inauguration
Richard Prebble (Herald): Jimmy Carter shows us why voters will, eventually, embrace leaders with real character (paywalled)
TRANSPORT
RNZ: Desert Road closure: Māori trust chief executive blindsided by NZTA decision
RNZ: More pain at the petrol pump as NZ dollar trades at nearly two year low
Jonathan Leask (RNZ): Ashburton loses 'turtle town' title with speed changes
Harriet Laughton (Post): Back on track: Wellington rail network reopens (paywalled)
OTHER
ODT: 2025: the start we’ve made: We’ve all but accounted for the first quarter of the 21st century, so how have we done? (paywalled)
1News: 'Long overdue': Sale of Lotto tickets to under 18s to be banned
RNZ: Lotto tickets sales to be banned for under 18s
RNZ: Transpower fined $65k after error leads to more costly power generation
Emma Andrews (RNZ): What's in the archived Black Power 'no Bull' newspaper
Mary Argue (RNZ): We must heed warnings past tsunamis to prepare for the inevitable, reasearcher says
Cartoons
