NZ Politics Daily: 24 October 2024

Dear Subscribers

I am considering some changes to the New Zealand Politics Daily and Political Roundup newsletters. I want to increase the impact and reach of these services, and so I am keen to know how you use them currently and hear your suggestions and ideas for the future. The two columns have been going for about 12 years now, and are quite labour-intensive, so I want to make sure they’re still hitting the mark.

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Kind regards

Dr Bryce Edwards

Political Analyst in Residence, Democracy Project, Victoria University of Wellington

WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THREE WATERS
Jo Moir (RNZ): Wellington City Council intervention a warning shot for other NZ councils
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Debt-strapped councils feel chill Wellington wind
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Front Page: Wellington City Council woes: Could other councils be next?
Thomas Coughlan and Georgina Campbell (Herald): Wellington rates funding water investment at nearly double national average
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Who will be Wellington City Council’s Crown observer?
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): What’s costing councils? Mayor says Government is to blame
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Ministers defend criticisms of Wellington City Council: 'It's about a series of poor decisions'
Thomas Manch (Post): Brown contests claim National water policy troubled Wellington council (paywalled)
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Inconsistency the hallmark of Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau’s leadership
Ben Thomas (Post): Government move on WCC shows its determination to tackle public services (paywalled)
Scott Sheeran (Herald): Crown observer: Respect for the Local Government Act will improve city’s governance (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): Call to lower Wellington City rates as Crown observer comes in (paywalled)
Laura Frykberg (Stuff): Wellington Mayor’s ‘non-negotiable’ project risks ‘murdering businesses’, councillor says
Thomas Manch (Post): Why the 'judder bars'? Chippy chips into the cycleway debate (paywalled)
Stuff: Live: Wellington mayor appears to agree with suggestions of a Government ‘hit job’
Stuff: The insults hurled at Wellington: A city ‘being destroyed’, a ‘ghost town’, in a ‘bad place right now’
Nicholas Boyack (Post): Councillors unhappy with water woes ‘hysteria’ comment
RNZ: Wellington not the only council facing water cost woes
Tim Clarke and Chrystal Tocher (Russell McVeagh): The Eye of Sauron: A Crown Observer for Wellington
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Fox Meyer (Newsroom): ‘Middle finger to localism’ as freshwater plan blocked
Ben Tomsett (Herald): Government intervention disrupts Otago Regional Council vote on land and water plan
ODT Editorial: Murkiness around freshwater (paywalled)
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Exclusion from waterway vote a ‘disgrace’ (paywalled)
Hamish MacLean (ODT) Appeal called for after vote axes ‘vital’ voice (paywalled)
ODT: ORC votes to ditch a Dunedin councillor
Kim Bowden (Crux): Queenstown, Wānaka and Cromwell get extra ORC seat
Jordan Rudd (1News): Meeting hears criticism of TCC's decision to sell Marine Precinct
Alicia Evans (Local Democracy Reporting): Tauranga council to review controversial avenue closure
Lois Williams (Local Democracy Reporting): West Coast councillor accused of ‘grandstanding’ at ratepayers’ expense, booted from meeting
Kim Bowden (Crux): Mayor Cadogan suggests next mayor a done deal in final Facebook Live
Emily Ireland (Local Democracy Reporting): Plea for 3% rates cap
Mick Hall: First NZ city votes to sanction firms linked to illegal Israeli settlements

GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC SERVICE
Thomas Manch (Post): Hipkins ekes out a margin to push Loser-gate into day six (paywalled)
1News: Man called a ‘loser’ by Andrew Bayly a former NZDF member
Felix Desmarais (1News): 'Small wine tasting': Bayly corrects record in House on drinking
RNZ: Andrew Bayly shows the government thinks workers are 'losers', says Chris Hipkins
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Public sector cuts: $80m spent on redundancies since govt took office
Annika Naschitzki: The cost of restructuring
Anna Whyte (Post): Performance Pay for public service bosses on the way for next financial year (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government to pilot ‘outcomes contracts’ in social investment push; Finance Minister Nicola Willis to speak
Brent Edwards (NBR): Impossible for MPs to know if spending achieved policy outcome (paywalled)
Peter Griffin (BusinessDesk): The PM needs evidence-based advice more than ever (paywalled)
Allan Brent: Two Fast Track lists, many questions and a lack of imagination
Anna Whyte (Post): Ministry admits it ‘did not meet our own standards’ when it refused OIA request (paywalled)
Julia Gabel (Herald): Thousands descend on Parliament to protest Government ‘attacks’ on workers’ rights
RNZ: Fight Back Together: Workers protest policy reforms and public service cuts
Shilpy Arora (Stuff): Thousands march to Parliament to protest Government’s ‘anti-worker agenda’
Ffion Heale (Post): ‘Stand up, fight back’: Thousands of workers rally nationwide to protest Government cuts (paywalled)
Amy Ridout (Stuff): Workers unite in Nelson to protest rights erosion

PARLIAMENT
Peter Dunne: Time to Dump the Electoral Integrity Act
Julia Gabel & Chris Knox (Herald): Explained: One North Island electorate will disappear before the next election – here’s why
David Farrar: One fewer electorate seat for the first time
Richard Harman (Politik): South Island population boom suggests it’s time for a larger Parliament (paywalled)
RNZ: North Island loses seat in 2026 election, one extra on the list
Julia Gabel (Herald): Census 2023: Stats NZ confirms number of general electorates to reduce by one
Gabi Lardies (Spinoff): Who is Benjamin Doyle, the soon-to-be Green MP replacing Darleen Tana?
Vernon Tava: Golriz Ghahraman: Appeal (Dismissed) of Declined Discharge Without Conviction
Phil Smith (RNZ): The House: Being hoist on a petard, and hoping to ban them
Kelly Dennett (Post): Politics at 5: Seymour and Peters deny ‘punching down’, electorate seat to go (paywalled)

Today’s free version of “NZ Politics Daily” contains links to 58 items above, and the full version, which continues below the paywall below, has links to an additional 80 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