Speculation about the National Party’s leadership has died down, after a fortnight of rumours and overt positioning by supposed challengers to Judith Collins. She lives on as leader for a bit longer, and Christopher Luxon and Simon Bridges have been put in their place. National now desperately needs to focus on the more substantial issues …
NZ-China relations: Mahuta Speech Tim Watkin (Pundit): Taniwha New Zealand shows its foreign policy teeth to the world. But what does it mean? Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Mahuta treads a careful but clear line on China Alexander Gillespie (The Conversation): Without evidence of real progress, NZ’s foreign policy towards China looks increasingly empty Luke Malpass and Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): The taniwha and the dragon: …
Housing crisis Reuters: ‘Explosion of wealth inequality’ as housing boom leaves many behind – economist Dan Satherley (Newshub): Housing crisis: Price falls coming, but ‘nothing compared to’ how much they’ve risen – economists Miriam Bell (Stuff): What will happen if house prices fall? Tara Shaskey (Stuff): Poverty will cripple Māori if housing crisis is not addressed – iwi leader Janine Starks (Stuff): What the comments section …
The Labour Government received plaudits this week for its historic announcement that it will ban the live export of animals by sea. It’s said to be a world first. The decision comes after years of pressure, which increased after last year’s tragedy when the ship Gulf Livestock 1 left New Zealand, and sunk in a …
National Party leadership Matthew Hooton (Herald): My message to National – and how to avoid another leadership fiasco(paywalled) Peter Dunne: National needs to sort out what it stands for before it thinks about leadership Jo Moir (Newsroom): National’s six months in a leaky boat Grant Duncan: The National Party’s leadership woes Government Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Can Covid-19 save Labour again in 2023? Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Why haven’t they? …
Live animal export ban Stuff: Editorial – The tide goes out on animal exports Luke Malpass (Stuff): Government announces an end to livestock sea export industry Calla Wahlquist (The Guardian): New Zealand to stop exporting livestock by sea Mirjam Guesgen (Spinoff): Live animal exports have always been a problem No Right Turn: Why wait? RNZ: Government announces ban for live cattle exports by sea Esther Taunton (Stuff): Opponents label live …
Health commentator Ian Powell (formerly the Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists) tells the troubling story of what has occurred in the Canterbury District Health Board. Previously (9 February) I wrote about how business consultants Ernst & Young were used to do a hatchet job on the former senior management team …
Housing crisis Henry Cooke (Stuff): Housing bonus: National say councils should be given $50,000 for every new house built Claire Trevett (Herald): National puts up its solution to housing shortage woes Nita Blake-Persen (RNZ): ‘Motel generation’ feared as emergency housing need continues Damian George (Stuff): City council brushes off criticism over $400m social housing gap Daily Telegraph (Herald): Why billionaires are snapping up second homes in New Zealand Debrin Foxcroft (Stuff): Two-thirds …
How seriously does the Māori Party take issues of corruption and the untoward influence of big money in politics? Not very, based on how it’s handling a political finance scandal in which three large donations were kept hidden from the public. The party is currently making excuses, and largely failing to answer questions, about being …
Maori Party referred to Police over donations Henry Cooke (Stuff): Māori Party referred to police over $328,000 in undeclared donations Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Māori Party undeclared donations: Electoral Commission notified as soon as error was noticed – party president Che Wilson David Farrar: Who are the mystery Maori Party funders? No Right Turn: The Māori Party’s hidden donations Claire Trevett (Herald): Election donations: Māori Party referred to police …
Covid: India travel ban Sandeep Singh (RNZ): Indian travel ban leaves Kiwis stateless Audrey Young (Herald): Was Jacinda Ardern’s decision on India racist? (paywalled) Tess McClure (The Guardian): New Zealand suspension of travel from India questioned amid fears of racist backlash Siouxsie Wiles (Spinoff): The data behind the decision to suspend arrivals from India in NZ Golriz Ghahraman (Spinoff): Why NZ’s south Asian communities are so …
Judith Collins’ National Party leadership is under more scrutiny, with increased talk in the media of her being replaced by brand new MP Christopher Luxon. For many commentators it’s just a question of “when” rather than “if” Collins is replaced. While others ponder whether Luxon really has what it takes to do better than the …
Covid: India travel ban Luke Malpass (Stuff): Is the the ‘temporary’ India travel ban proportional or a massive overreaction? Andrew Geddis (Spinoff): Is banning all arrivals from India, including New Zealand citizens, actually legal? Keith Lynch (Stuff): What the numbers say about the India travel ban 1News: Michael Baker says halting arrivals from India ‘absolutely right thing to do’ 1News: Temporarily halting travellers from India has ‘element …
Vaccinations and leaked figures Jason Walls (Herald): ‘Leaked’ document shows NZ vaccine rollout is ‘miles’ behind schedule, says National Party Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Government has vaccinated a third of its original target – leaked report Rachel Sadler (Newshub): How New Zealand’s vaccine programme will ramp up, why targets aren’t being hit Kate Newton (Stuff): What does data tell us about NZ’s Covid-19 vaccine roll-out? Zane …
The area of mental health has been a key strength for Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Government over the last few years. They campaigned strongly in 2017 on fixing up the dysfunctional system, and initially they made some vital strides forward in reforming the sector. An in-depth inquiry was instigated and the Wellbeing Budget of …
Travel bubble announced with Australia Luke Malpass (Stuff): Trans-Tasman bubble brings palpable relief to Parliament Audrey Young (Herald): Jacinda Ardern manages expectations over transtasman bubble (paywalled) Herald: Editorial: Bubble a significant and welcome step Jo Moir (Newshub): The public handbrake on an Aussie bubble Hannah Martin (Stuff): Public health experts welcome ‘cautious’ trans-Tasman travel bubble Tess McClure (The Guardian): Trans-Tasman travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia to start on …
Mental health crisis Kyle MacDonald (Herald): Jacinda Ardern has failed us on mental health – and it’s only going to get worse(paywalled) Henry Cooke (Stuff): ‘A lot of data and negative statistics’: Inside the battle behind dramatic edits and huge delays to a Government mental health report Tess McClure (The Guardian): New Zealand mental health crisis has worsened under Labour, data shows RNZ: Government …
Jacinda Ardern can essentially say “kia kaha” as much as she wants to those at the bottom of the housing market, but it won’t help their plight. Eventually her government is going to have to take state housing seriously as a tool for helping solve the housing crisis – especially for low-to-average income earners, who …
Housing crisis John Bishop (Stuff): Are speculators really the problem? Isn’t it the lack of houses? Daniel Dunkley (Stuff): Here’s why rental controls aren’t the answer Hannah Kronast (Newshub): Government could implement rental hike caps if necessary but it’s unlikely to be anytime soon – expert Brian Fallow (Herald): Who’ll feel the property pinch from Govt’s tax changes? (paywalled) Ashley Church (One Roof): Five consequences of inept …
Housing crisis Claire Robinson (The Guardian): Backlash to Labour’s housing policy has exposed signs of internal party disarray Graham Adams (Democracy Project): Housing – Ardern’s divide-and-rule tactics Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): National’s failure on housing risks making the party irrelevant Henry Cooke (Stuff): Public housing waitlist hits new record of 22,803 as new builds slow in January Zane Small (Newshub): Have rents ‘tended to mirror wage growth’ as Prime …
The Government has cleverly shifted blame for its own failings onto landlords. That’s the argument of Graham Adams, who says the demonising of landlords is simply about political management rather than actually fixing the housing crisis. South Auckland councillor Efeso Collins remarked early this month that Jacinda Ardern had abandoned the collegiality of “the …