NZ Politics Daily: 31 July 2024

HEALTH
Tova O’Brien (Stuff): PM expresses confidence in his health minister despite several red flags
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Health Minister Shane Reti faces growing pressure over Health NZ finances
RNZ: Politics live: Health budget fall-out continues
Richard Harman (Politik): Government’s HealthNZ claims start to unravel (paywalled)
Thomas Manch (Post): Luxon, Reti now don’t care about '14 layers’ of Health NZ management (paywalled)
Adam Pearse (Herald): Minister admits health system in crisis amid rural hospital staff shortages
Kate Green (RNZ): Health staff recruitment issues: 'If it costs money, we can't do it'
Luka Forman (NRZ): Health NZ's quota on job numbers an effective hiring freeze - doctor
Annemarie Quill (Stuff): 'People could die waiting': Overworked nurses on ED wait times
RNZ: Westport residents told to call 111 overnight as hospital closed
Rachel Thomas (Post): Year-long MRI waits as staff shortages force scanner to be switched off (paywalled)
Stuff: Labour: $216 million tax cut for heated tobacco products could pay for cervical screening, more Plunket nurses
RNZ: Millions set aside for heated tobacco product tax cuts a 'contingency'
David Farrar: The $216 million nonsense
Taxpayers’ Union (Kiwiblog): Economics 101 for RadioNZ, Guyon Espiner and Professors Janet Hoek and Chris Bullen
RNZ: Covid-19 update: 1761 new cases, 16 further deaths

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Councils want fee-setting powers to tackle government-imposed costs
Emma Hatton (Newsroom): Government whims stick councils with hefty bills
Thomas Manch (Post): Councils point finger at government reforms for rate rises (paywalled)
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Government orders referenda on Māori wards, sparking ‘racism’ allegations
RNZ: Māori wards bill passes third reading
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘The community had its say’: Ruapehu council calls for Māori wards relief
Grant Miller (ODT): Complaints against Vandervis cost council $139,000 (paywalled)
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Controversial councillor: 'I reject all accusations of racism'
Luisa Girao (ODT): Mayor says email was sent by partner (paywalled)
Niva Chittock (RNZ): Invercargill mayor Nobby Clark publicly apologises for using racial and homophobic slurs
RNZ: More than 34,000 Aucklanders behind on rates
Tom Hunt (Post): Analysis: Council boss quit but questionable if she would have got another two years (paywalled)
Tom Hunt (Post): Wellington City Council boss to step down next March (paywalled)
Nicholas Boyack (Post): Who are the players fixing Wellington’s water woes? (paywalled)
Diane McCarth (Local Democracy Reporting): Whakatāne officials worried about timing with new water services bill
Laura Smith (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘We’re not here to censor them’: Council adds public forums for first time
Amy Ridout (Stuff): Rules about rough sleeping in the city will remain, but enforcing them is complicated
Julie Jacobson (Post): Still giving the council what for – at 89 (paywalled)

GOVERNMENT, PARLIAMENT
Anna Whyte (Post): Why the Greens’ waka-hopping process takes so long (paywalled)
David Seymour (Herald): My letter to the organisations who wrote the Prime Minister about Act’s Treaty Bill
Laura Walters (Newsroom): PM one step closer to Premier House after $180k upgrade
Claire Trevett (Herald): PM Christopher Luxon to move into Premier House - finally - and pledges to donate his tax cut to charity
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Trade Minister in hot water after shouting 'you're not in Mexico now'
RNZ: Minister of Trade Todd McClay apologises to Ricardo Menéndez March after Mexico remark
1News: 'You're not in Mexico now': MP 'shocked' by Minister's remark
Harriette Boucher (Post): Beehive Briefing: Everything you need to know from today (paywalled)
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): Business of Government: the new rules of economic nationalism, the juice on CE appointments and more

LOBBYING
Julie Jacobson (Post): PR company’s NZ demise a sign of the times (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Trans-Tasman consultancy closes doors in NZ
Shayne Currie (Herald): Media Insider: Top corporate communications, PR and lobbying firm SenateSHJ to close New Zealand operations (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Post): Senate SHJ New Zealand business being put into liquidation (paywalled)

“NZ Politics Daily” continues below. Paid subscribers can access the following categories of news and analysis: HOUSING; COST OF LIVING, ECONOMY, TAX CUTS; TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTURE; CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENT; JUSTICE, CORRECTIONS; EMPLOYMENT; CARTOONS

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