NZ Politics Daily: 3 December 2024
GOVERNMENT, PARLIAMENT
Andrea Vance (RNZ): New poll delivers hung Parliament, bad news for Christopher Luxon as preferred PM
Luke Malpass (Post): The Post/Freshwater Strategy Poll: There was no honeymoon, just high prices and a recession (paywalled)
Simon Wilson (Herald): The Government’s year: Less performativeness, more performance please (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Manurewa Marae data misuse claims: Investigation to report back soon on ‘sensitive issue’
Anna Whyte (Post): Inquiry into Te Pāti Māori data allegations ‘nearing completion’ (paywalled)
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): NZIER and BusinessDesk play Santa for Christopher Luxon (paywalled)
LABOUR
Chris Trotter (Interest): Handling democracy
Jo Moir (RNZ): Labour lays groundwork for election-year capital gains tax
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Labour and the danger of talking to yourself (paywalled)
Steven Cowan: Chris Hipkins: Waving, not drowning
ODT Editorial: Don’t pop the bubbles just yet (paywalled)
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Front Page): Chris Hipkins on CGT, Dunedin Hospital rebuild, and whether Luxon’s a good PM
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Labour's AUKUS pledge an 'easy promise' - Andrew Little
Thomas Manch (Post): Labour's Aukus decision called ‘stupid’ by defence minister (paywalled)
RNZ: Labour makes pricey promises as it says coalition will be one term government
David Long (Stuff): Aucklanders being hit by triple whammy, Labour’s Chris Hipkins says
David Farrar: Labour in Auckland
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): Can someone please tell Chris Hipkins he's dreaming?
UNEMPLOYMENT
Derek Cheng (Herald): Jobseeker numbers balloon as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says economy is turning a corner
Maiki Sherman (1News): Number of people on Jobseeker benefit shoots up
Sam Smith (Stuff): New personalised plans for job seekers a 'heartless' policy, Opposition says
Alice Peacock (Newsroom): Unemployment to hit pandemic-level highs in 2025
Kelly Dennett and Harriette Boucher (Post): Jobseeker beneficiaries to get more intensive support, as numbers rise (paywalled)
Bryan Bruce: The Unemployment Problem (paywalled)
PUBLIC SERVICE
Kate MacNamara (Herald): CEO pay: Highest-paid public sector bosses (paywalled)
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Only 865 redundancies across public sector - Public Service Commission
Rob Campbell (Newsroom): The quantity of spending does matter, not just the quality
TREATY
Ryan Ward (E-Tangata): Seymour’s principles of privatisation
Gwynn Compton (Local Aotearoa): Sorry Seymour, but it's perfectly fine for councils to oppose your legislation
Jamie Morton (Herald): Explained: What today’s Supreme Court foreshore and seabed ruling means (paywalled)
Mike McRoberts (NBR): No need for rushed MACA law change - former Attorney General (paywalled)
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (1News): Customary marine title: Supreme Court allows Crown appeal
Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira (RNZ): Supreme Court allows appeal of customary marine title judgment
Isaac Gunson and Te Rina Kowhai (Te Ao Māori News): Takutai Moana: Supreme Court backs tikanga Māori in marine title decisions
Jamie Morton (Herald): Foreshore and seabed: Supreme Court finds Court of Appeal ‘erred’ in decision over customary rights
HEALTH, COVID-19 INQUIRY
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Historical revisionism on Covid threatens NZ’s pandemic preparedness
Lauren Crimp (RNZ): Front-line hospital workers told jobs could soon be gone
Natalie Akoorie (RNZ): Te Whatu Ora uses wrong job titles used in restructure plans
Nikki Macdonald (Post): Health authorities refuse to reveal serious and fatal mistakes (paywalled)
Adam Pearse (Herald): Pharmac minister and chairwoman refuse to express confidence in chief executive Sarah Fitt
Stuff: ‘I was blindsided’: Pharmac board chair apologises for menopause patch switch
RNZ: Pharmac will review HRT funding decision, Seymour says
Tumamao Harawira (Te Ao Māori News): Seymour dodges questions on Pharmac commitment to Māori
Gil Barbezat (ODT): How can we fix the health system?
RNZ: Nurses go on strike across the nation today
Rachel Thomas (Post): 36,000 Health NZ nurses to strike for eight hours (paywalled)
Angus Chambers (Post): More pay for hospital nurses, more pain for GP patients (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): ACC stabilises rehab times but Government account only 48% funded (paywalled)
John Weeks (Herald): ACC privacy breach: Bosses grilled in scrutiny week at Parliament after plane crash survivor was sent another client’s confidential details (paywalled)
ENVIRONMENT
Fox Meyer (Newsroom): All of Govt’s 2024 coal earnings spent treating damages at a single mine
Eloise Gibson (RNZ): 'Self-serving' methane change could mix science with political views - climate group
1News: 'Do not drink': Warning over nitrate levels in Waimate water
RNZ: Waimate water: 'We've just got to work through the system as best we can'
Yashas Srinivasa (Stuff): Lower Waihao Rural Water Scheme users asked to cease water consumption
Madeleine Powers (Waikato Times): Plastic stickers sticking around a while longer (paywalled)
Matthew Martin (Waikato Times): Clam plan moves into long-term management phase (paywalled)
BIRD FLU
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Spinoff): A bird flu wake up call
1News: About 80,000 chickens to be culled after bird flu spreads at Otago farm
RNZ: Bird flu spreads to second shed at Otago farm, 80,000 chickens to be culled
RNZ: All poultry exports on hold until NZ free of highly pathogenic bird flu
RNZ: High pathogenic bird flu found on chicken farm: What you need to know
RNZ: Country's first case of high pathogenic bird flu found on Otago egg farm
1News: Controls in place as bird flu strain found in chickens at Otago egg farm
ODT: Bird flu outbreak: 40K chickens to be killed at Otago farm
Matthew Littlewood (ODT): Bird flu detected at egg farm
Kelly Dennett and Anna Whyte (Post): ‘We will be on top of this’: Bird flu case found on Otago egg farm (paywalled)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THREE WATERS
Harriet Laughton (Post): Government mulls cutting funding councils gets from waste levy (paywalled)
Gwynn Compton (Local Aotearoa): Is it time for executive mayoralties?
Dave Armstrong (Post): Whanau’s wins align with why she was voted in (paywalled)
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): Windbag: Can we finally just get on with the Golden Mile
Tom Hunt (Post): Wellington City councillors given days to read 4482 pages before bridge decision day (paywalled)
Gwynn Compton (Local Aotearoa): Wellington City Council's awesome transparency tool: Mātai Manapori - TrackDem
Simon Arcus (Post): The flip-side to Wellington council’s airport share sale flop (paywalled)
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Government to decide fate of Watts Peninsula, Peter Jackson wants public reserve
Justin Wong (Post): Kāpiti Coast ditches Wellington water entity (paywalled)
Avina Vidyadharan (Waikato Times): Who’s on which team for water? (paywalled)
Benn Bathgate (Waikato Times): Legal action against Waikato District Council ‘on the table’ over alleged Treaty Principles Bill website block (paywalled)
Stephen Ward (Waikato Times): Council backs $60k PR flood on water as ‘absolutely justified’ (paywalled)
Sinead Gill (Press): ‘A missed opportunity’: Tied vote kills chance to rezone Sydenham (paywalled)
Sam Smith (Stuff): South Island council’s proposed new $100k logo causes a stir
Al Williams (Herald): Thames-Coromandel District Council: A rainbow crossing is not a pedestrian crossing
ODT: Denial an issue as ORC outlines climate plan (paywalled)
Ellen Curnow and Raquel Joseph (Westport News): High-profile Westport councillor dies suddenly
TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
Michael Morrah (Herald): Civil Aviation Authority tried to keep secret an audit of NZ airports revealing susceptibility to terrorism, drug trafficking (paywalled)
Felix Walton (RNZ): City Rail Link: Businesses want inquiry into Auckland Council's management of project
Maxine Jacobs (Press): ‘Insane’: Warning of $8 bus fares for Cantabrians (paywalled)
Mike Yardley (Press): Lifting bus fares is not an unreasonable step (paywalled)
Shanti Mathias (Spinoff): Why can’t bikes go on buses in New Zealand?
Jonathan Leask (Local Democracy Reporting): Ashburton bridge announcement expected before Christmas
1News: Inquiry after suspected 'engine issue' diverts Air NZ flight
BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): The Annual Report: Employers clutching wins, unions sporting bruises (paywalled)
RNZ: Early signs of increase in manufacturers' activity
Gregor Thompson (BusinessDesk): Liquidations are up 27% year-on-year, Centrix says (paywalled)
Brianna McIlraith (Stuff): High income workers unable to claim unjustifiable dismissal thanks to new policy
Nick Mowbray (Herald): Unjustified dismissal overhaul makes sense for these six reasons
Brianna McIlraith (Stuff): Employers upholding parental leave benefits despite challenging times
Alka Prasad (Post): Code of practice to prevent port deaths unveiled (paywalled)
Gaurav Sharma (RNZ): Median income of Indian households defying stereotype
Theresa Gattung (Herald): NZ’s gender pay gap at 8.2%: A hidden economic crisis in 2024 – Dame Theresa Gattung (paywalled)
Cushla Norman (1News): Gender pay gap: NZ women now effectively working for free until end of year
ECONOMY, COST OF LIVING
Cameron Smith (Herald): ‘Challenging picture’: 461,000 borrowers behind on their payments
Rob Stock (Post): Big jump in loan defaults as debt-fuelled holiday season begins (paywalled)
Nona Pelletier (RNZ): Debt pressures still a big issue across the economy - report
Ganesh R Ahirao: Fiscal policy kneecaps export target
David Hargreaves (Interest): Westpac sees 'risk' Reserve Bank will lower Official Cash Rate too far
Andrew Patterson (Newsroom): Bumps may lie in wait on road to economic recovery
INFRASTRUCTURE
Thomas Manch (Post): Collaboration builds for infrastructure system (paywalled)
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Ideas wanted: new Government framework to boost market-led proposals for infrastructure (paywalled)
EDUCATION
Karen Nairn and Susan Sandretto (The Conversation): Privatisation by stealth: changes to education in NZ opening the door to private interests
Steve Kilgallon (Stuff): Rejected charter schools pioneer threatens legal action over ‘deeply unfair’ process
Kaitlyn Morrell & Sonya Bateson (Bay of Plenty Times): New school truancy policy will ‘punish’ poor families, iwi leader says
Daniel Perese (Te Ao Māori News): Evie O’Brien named new chief executive of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TRADE, DEFENCE
Caron Copek (Stuff): Christopher Luxon says Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he came to NZ
Grace Tinetali-Fiavaai (RNZ): Samoa Citizenship Bill: Divided opinions and calls for inclusions
Phil Pennington (RNZ): NZDF battles $360m deficit after 'austerity' measures fail to make dent
Tom Hunt and Thomas Manch (Post): Maritime accident experts question Manawanui 'human error' finding
RNZ: Ministry of Defence signs $100m deal with Spanish army vehicle maker Urovesa
Alexia Russell (RNZ): The Detail: The niggle that could trip up an India trade deal
HOUSING
David Hargreaves (Interest): Housing mortgage pile grows by biggest amount in nearly three years
Greg Ninness (Interest): More first home buyers are purchasing a home of their own and they're paying more for them and borrowing more
Greg Ninness (Interest): A third fewer new homes consented annually compared to two years ago
Mike Jones (Newsroom): Holdin’ on – the NZ housing market stirs
RNZ: Loafers Lodge: Fire and Emergency still can't release review due to fair trial rights
Riley Kennedy (BusinessDesk): Kāinga Ora says no thanks to wool carpet (paywalled)
Anne Gibson (Herald): Retirement village dispute: Race, gender prejudice cited, residents lost (paywalled)
ENERGY
David Dempsey (The Conversation): NZ’s gas shortage was not caused by the offshore exploration ban – but it was still a flawed policy
Andrew Gunn: Gas-Bagging With Matua Shane
1News: SolarZero liquidation: Tradies fear they won't receive money owed
RNZ: Rooftop solar 'symmetrical tariffs' needed to increase uptake, experts say
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Is it worth getting a solar power system?
Maria Slade (BusinessDesk): Solar 'barely profitable': Provider (paywalled)
Nick Leggett (Post): The necessary pain of higher power bills (paywalled)
RNZ: Independent retail does 'not make financial sense' - power company
RETIREMENT
Kevin Norquay (Sunday Star Times): The million-dollar question: How much money is needed to retire? (paywalled)
Tracy Watkins (Sunday Star Times): Will the pension still be there when we retire? (paywalled)
Karyn Scherer (NBR): Sorted? Not yet, it isn’t (paywalled)
GANGS, CORRECTIONS
Herald Editorial: Gang patch law – are Kiwis sleeping safer now gangs are not wearing their patches in public? (paywalled)
Finn Blackwell (RNZ): Drone warfare: Corrections' challenge to keep up with technology
JUSTICE
RNZ: Call for children to have their own representation in relationship break-ups
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Judges slam SFO overreach and oppressive orders – prosecutions now in doubt
Nikki Macdonald (Sunday Star Times): Help or hindrance? Five-fold spike in cost of lawyers to assist coroners (paywalled)
Gary Judd: No courage to remedy gross injustice
FINANCE
Ella Somers (Interest): Confidence in NZ’s financial markets falls, FMA survey shows
RNZ: Confidence in financial markets drops significantly
Karyn Scherer (NBR): FMA blames economy as confidence in financial markets plunges (paywalled)
Jemima Huston (RNZ): Open banking services must migrate customers to regulated government system
RNZ: Largest banks to take next step on open banking services
MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA
Gavin Ellis: Spinoff distress flare signals all in peril on media sea
Nick Hanne (Plain Sight): Is the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill a risk for our democracy?
Jesse Mulligan: Will it work perfectly? Does it matter?
OTHER
Murray Jones (Herald): What I’ve learnt investigating the Mormon church
David Farrar: Banning Candace Owens from NZ a terrible decision
Toby Morris (Spinoff): Behind the scenes of New Zealand arts funding
Emily Makere Broadmore (Sunday Star Times): Ending the echo chamber: How to find where left and right unite (paywalled)
RNZ: First satellite controlled by NZ one step closer
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Couple charged with $124,000 fraud of Covid-19 wage subsidy payments
John Weekes (Herald): SFO roading bribery case: Jason Koroheke sentencing delayed, court hears of family tragedy (paywalled)
Andrea Fox (Herald): Former Port of Auckland CEO Tony Gibson’s case carries lesson for big company leaders, says law firm (paywalled)
RNZ: Remembering the lives lost to illegal abortion in NZ
Krystal Gibbons (RNZ): Te Papa makes $750k in two months from international visitor fee
Cartoons
