NZ Politics Daily: 31 August 2021

NZ Politics Daily: 31 August 2021

Parliament
Audrey Young (Herald): Pressure on Judith Collins to make recall of Parliament worth it (paywalled)
Richard Harman (Politik): Ardern calls Collins’ bluff (paywalled)
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Ardern vs Collins on the convening of Parliament
Herald Editorial: Parliament back in the flesh?
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Judith Collins on Govt’s virus response, Parliament’s return
Barry Soper (Herald): Virus cleans out grizzlies in Parliament’s bear pit
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Resumption of Parliament: Parties take a stand over sitting
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Māori Party boycott in-person Parliament under lockdown, express fury at National and ACT for rejecting virtual option
Zane Small (Newshub): ‘Reeks of white privilege’: Māori Party unleashes on National, ACT for opposing virtual Parliament
1 News: Full video: National’s Judith Collins speaks with media
Newstalk ZB: ACT leader: Continuing Parliament suspension lacks consistency
Henry Cooke (Stuff): How Parliament will run while country is in lockdown
No Right Turn: The action of a sociopathic narcissist
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Gordon Campbell: On why Judith Collins should consider the Canada model
Zane Small (Newshub): Judith Collins denies rumblings in National Party caucus, going ‘ballistic’ at Chris Bishop
Waatea News: Hipango shoulders workload in reshuffle
Liz Wylie (Whanganui Chronicle): New responsibilities for Harete Hipango in National Party reshuffle

Government management of outbreak, expert advice
Tess McClure (Guardian): Even as New Zealand battles Covid, trust in government bucks global trend
Siouxsie Wiles (Spinoff): Covid is different this time. Level four lockdown needs to be, too
Chris Trotter (Interest): Discordant realities
Karl du Fresne: Testing the limits of spin
Mike Yardley (Stuff): ScoMo is right. We can’t stay hidden forever
Marine Lourens (Stuff): Second outbreak amid level change could see NZ ‘stretched to the limit’
Eva Corlett (Guardian): New Zealand Covid update: outbreak at critical juncture as cases drop to 53
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Has Delta peaked? A 53-case day only comes with caution
William Hewett (Newshub): Covid-19 modeller Shaun Hendy warns it’s too early to celebrate despite case numbers dropping
1 News: Shaun Hendy warns of potential further Delta spread outside Auckland
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Auckland bearing brunt of lockdown and restrictions on some businesses could get tougher
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Auckland could remain in Covid-19 alert level 4 lockdown as rest of country drops to level 2
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Fears Auckland may be heading for longest level 4 lockdown as alert levels lift elsewhere
Anna Leask (Herald): The countdown to alert level 3 – travel restrictions to stay tight as country readies to divide
Matt Burrows (Newshub): Covid-19 graph predicts New Zealand would have had 550 daily cases if not for lockdown
Sam Olley (RNZ): Northland mayors hoping for Cabinet to lower Covid-19 alert level
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Government slammed for 1pm press conferences, ‘spin’ reporting of vaccine rollout
Koenraad Kuiper (Stuff): Let’s cut Chris Hipkins slack for ‘spread their legs’ gaffe
RNZ: Covid-19 lockdown day 13: How it unfolded

Vaccine rollout
Newstalk ZB: Revealed: Government running out of vaccines, asked for shipment to be delayed
Newstalk ZB: Grant Robertson denies that the Government delayed vaccine shipment
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Government closing in on a ScoMo-style deal for extra vaccine supply
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Labour is putting its political reputation ahead of protecting us from Covid
Claire Trevett (Herald): To Auckland should go the Covid-19 vaccines while the rest feast at level 3(paywalled)
RNZ: ‘Throw the vaccine textbook’ at Covid-19 right now – top immunologist
Danielle Clent (Stuff): Vaccine roll-out could be scaled back from last week’s surge in jabs
Herald: Vaccination rollout may need to slow to planned levels after ‘lockdown surge’
RNZ: NZ should aim for more than 90% vaccinated – epidemiologist Rod Jackson
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Chris Hipkins admits misinterpreting vaccine delivery schedule by a month
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): Goff calls for Auckland to move up vaccine list
Jamie Tahana (RNZ): Māori health providers push for accelerated vaccination
ODT Editorial: Better vaccination news
Charlie Dreaver (RNZ): Couple struggling to find answers after vaccine mistake
Zane Small (Newshub): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern accused of ‘telling half the truth’ in COVID-19 vaccine graph
Adam Pearse (Stuff): Better against Delta? New vaccine trial in NZ set to start
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Hundreds of ‘scarfies’ turn out for mass vaccination in Dunedin
Andrew Marshall (ODT): Students face the music at walk-in vax clinic
Tim Brown (RNZ): Major push to get young Māori and Pasifika vaccinated in Dunedin
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): District councillor not stepping down from council, community roles following backlash to vaccine video
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Wellington’s rough sleepers vaccinated at special clinic
Herald: Expert says rare death from Pfizer jab no reason to avoid vaccination
Nikki MacDonald (Stuff): Covid-19 is more likely to cause myocarditis than the vaccine is
RNZ: New Zealand woman’s death may be linked to rare vaccine side effect – report
1 News: NZ woman dies after suffering rare side effect of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Woman with medical issues dies from myocarditis, rare side-effect of Pfizer vaccine

Cases, demographics, Pacific communities, Māori communities
Torika Tokalau and Scott Yeoman (Stuff): Ardern and Bloomfield clear up confusion surrounding passport request incident in Tauranga
Andrew McRae (RNZ): Pasifika community ‘disappointed and angry’ after passport requests
1 News: Verrall ‘very sorry’ Pasifika asked to show passports for Covid jab
RNZ: Ayesha Verrall: Requesting passports at vaccine appointments ‘unnacceptable’
Samson Samasoni (Stuff): Pasifika community feels ‘battered and bruised’ by communication blunders
Fa’anana Efeso Collins (Guardian): Pasifika are on the frontline in New Zealand’s Covid battle – and are copping racist abuse for it
Robin Martin (RNZ): Parihaka prepared for lockdown – Zoom meetings not so much

Contact tracing, testing
Brittany Keogh (Stuff): Why it took the Government a year to make QR code scanning compulsory
Catrin Owen (Stuff): Mystery remains as to how Delta got out into the community
David Williams (Newsroom): As alert levels drop, our testing is falling
Rahul Bhattarai (Herald): Which supermarket chain dominates virus hotspots (paywalled)
Emma Houpt (Herald): Covid-19 swabbing tent stolen in Tauranga
Michelle Duff (Stuff):‘It’s weird that I can’t touch another human’: The rugby stadium worth of close contacts going it alon

Health
Stephen Forbes (Local Democracy Reporting): Middlemore Hospital ED ‘under pressure’ with staff stood down due to Covid-19
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): ‘Zero response’ from govt after visa delay concerns raised – doctor’s union
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Auckland’s delayed surgeries could be moved to other DHBs including Waikato 
Kate Hawkesby (Newstalk ZB): My response to the Public Services Commissioner
John Tamihere (Waatea News): Working on the Vaccination and Covid testing lines
Mike Houlahan (ODT): ‘It is so frustrating’: doctors sound warning about staff projections
Cate Broughton (Stuff): Public’s help sought for nasal spray to save lives of overdose victims
Māori TV: ACC taking Treaty seriously, opening up to rongoā Māori and technology

Lockdown inequality, charities
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Benefits for migrants to end today – ‘What happened to our fabled kindness?’
RNZ: Sudden lockdown puts financial pressure on struggling families
Miriam Burrell (Herald): Auckland foodbank shelves almost bare
Vandhna Bhan (1 News): Food parcel demand tripled from previous lockdowns
Newstalk ZB: ANZ: Increase in people calling for financial help
Katie Harris (Herald): Wellington sexual violence charity forced to scrap street appeal due to Covid-19 for second year

Alert Level rules
Jake Kenny (Stuff): In level 4, what can businesses do to prepare for re-opening?
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): How are the alert level three rules different from alert level four?
Brook Sabin (Stuff): New rules for who can cross alert level borders during lockdown
Nathan Morton (Stuff): Dairy farmers nervous about prospect of Auckland lockdown border 
RNZ: Lack of chips no reason to leave neighbourhood in lockdown, Dunedin police say

Lockdown compliance, enforcement, checkpoints
Matt Burrows and Rebecca Watson (Newshub): NZ Covid conspiracy group in disarray after almost nobody turns up to anti-lockdown protest
No Right Turn: The danger of over-zealous enforcement
John Weekes (Stuff): ‘Thousands’ of drivers ready for border crossing
Bernadette Basagre (Stuff): Reports of ‘appalling’ abuse towards transport staff during level 4
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): The scams you need to watch out for during lockdown
Herald: Thieves target supermarket grocery deliveries left on customers’ doorsteps
Alice Angeloni (Local Democracy Reporting): East Coast hapū set up checkpoint after authorities refuse
Zoe George (Stuff): Sports stars Du’Plessis Kirifi and Mila Reuelu-Buchanan in hot water for Level 4 partying

Wage subsidy, business, economy
Kristin Hall (1 News): Some employers underpaying staff during lockdown
Rosie Collins (BusinessDesk): Lockdowns are still the best economic response (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Stuff): Most hospitality businesses in Auckland will not be financially viable after another week in lockdown
Anne Gibson (Herald): Auckland’s Friedlander family cuts shop, hospitality rents by 80 per cent(paywalled)
Rahul Bhattarai (Herald): Business groups ask the Government for ongoing financial support during level 3
Andrea Fox (Herald): Big response to petition calling for business Covid support parity with employees(paywalled)
Jake Kenny, Hanna McCallum and Liz McDonald (Stuff):Businesses hungry for customers again after level 4 lockdown 
Liam Dann (Herald): Is it all over for economic boom or will we see V-shaped recovery? (paywalled)
Jem Traylen (BusinessDesk): Unemployment: how low can we go? (paywalled)
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): We’re paying a huge economic price for smugness
Rachel Sadler and Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Kaikōura cafe won’t display QR code claiming ‘breach of my rights’
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Shortages: Keep calm and carry on shopping, urge supermarkets
Bonnie Flaw (Stuff): NZ Post prepares for increase in online shopping, some delays expected 
RNZ: Businesses warned to be vigilant of scams, hacking during lockdown
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): IR extends hassle-free, tax-free option for reimbursing home working expenses
Sam Hurley (Herald): Accountants call for permanent legislative fix to work from home tax extension
Debbie Jamieson (Stuff): Domestic tourists not expected before Christmas, Queenstown mayor says
Jamie Mackay (Stuff): Covid-19 and a tale of two cities

MIQ, border, immigration
Jamie Morton (Herald): Will ‘vaccine passports’ reopen the world? (paywalled)
1 News: Covid sufferers say they’re having to drink water from bathroom in MIQ
Jo Moir (Newsroom): Crowne Plaza gets Delta-readiness check
Stuff: ‘These are real lives’: Kiwis exhausted and in anguish over MIQ
Anuja Nadkarni (Newsroom): Migrants live in limbo but ‘essential’ during lockdown

Education
Lee Kenny (Stuff): Call for new alert level to better protect students and teachers
Dubby Henry  (Herald): No plans for school holiday change despite lockdowns

Afghanistan
Tess McClure (Guardian): ‘She will die’: Afghans take New Zealand government to court over alleged visa inaction
Kurt Bayer (Herald): Escape from Kabul – Dramatic NZSAS rescue of Afghan grandmother in wheelchair outside airport gates (paywalled)
Caley Callahan (Newshub): NZ Defence Force captain in charge of Afghanistan evacuation speaks about mission for the first time
Stuff: Urgent hearing sought about visa delays for desperate Afghans
Paul Buchanan: 9/11, forever wars and the end of liberal internationalism

Local government
1 News: Is it time for Invercargill’s Sir Tim Shadbolt to leave politics?
Logan Savory (Stuff): Partner: Sir Tim Shadbolt brought to his knees ‘by bewildering lack of support’
Garry Law (Stuff): Three Waters reforms ill-matched to local government
Logan Savory (Stuff): Invercargill deputy mayor Nobby Clark wants council to opt out of water reform now
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): Driving region’s waste 180 kilometres will save $7 million over 35 years, New Plymouth council report says
Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland should seize chance to shape Māori seat move
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): Ruapehu District Council votes against increasing Māori councillors to three
Sinead Gill (Stuff): Public to have their say on two Māori wards for Rangitīkei District Council
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Due date for Wellington City rates extended by one month
Tom Hunt (Stuff): Chaos city: Wellington council takes aim at downtown safety
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Too soon for talk of commissioners: Parker
RNZ: Environment law delays: Councillor ready to resign if commissioners aren’t appointed
Janine Rankin (Stuff): Rural community wary of land grab for wastewater discharge

Transport
Simon Wilson (Herald): The real problem with congestion charging (paywalled)
Todd Niall (Stuff): Government holds off decision on public transport fare underwrite 
Joel MacManus (Stuff):KiwiRail defends high-emission ferry fuel decision
Brook Sabin (Stuff): Air New Zealand to retire all Boeing 777s – its largest jet

Media
Gavin Ellis (Knightly Views): Where is Maggie Thatcher when you need her?
Tom Frewen (Scoop): RNZ Magna Charter Part 6 – Govt Meddling With RNZ Review

Energy
RNZ: Coal mines remained open through lockdown
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Tiwai Point smelter owner ‘hasn’t read the tea leaves’ in dry lakes – Meridian
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Forestry waste trial offers lifeline to Huntly power plant
RNZ: Mobil, Refining NZ reach deal on switching Marsden Point to import-only terminal

Housing
Ashley Church (One Roof): Would a ‘managed crash’ in house prices help the housing market?
Cameron Bagrie (BusinessDesk): Is housing, the golden goose, no longer laying golden eggs?(paywalled)
Māori TV: Whānau without temporary housing feeling the brunt of lockdown

Cook Islands
RNZ: Cook Islands reinstates wage subsidies and grants
Mihingarangi Forbes (Newshub): Cook Islands’ tourism economy facing blow from New Zealand’s outbreak

Other
Dave Armstrong (Stuff): Community organisations face tough choices over pokie proceeds
Michael Reddell (Croaking Cassandra): Reading Michael Cullen
Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Ice-Cream Dreams
Paul Hunt (Herald): Hate speech laws and red lights – ‘anything approaching hate speech is wrong’(paywalled)
Andrew McRae (RNZ): ‘The Death Ship: A Fateful Voyage’ charts the passage of the Spanish Flu
Shaneel Lal (Spinoff): The conversion therapy bill must be amended if survivors are to get justice
RNZ: Commerce Commission wants better outcomes for complaints about telecommunications industry
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Emissions reductions plan close to reveal (paywalled)