NZ Politics Daily: 1 June 2023

FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SPY AGENCIES
Thomas Manch (Post): New Zealand’s search for security as a new era of great-power competition arrives(paywalled)
Thomas Manch (Post): Defence Minister Andrew Little to meet Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu in Singapore
Alexander Gillespie (North & South): The Awkwardness of AUKUS (preview)
Christine Rovoi (Stuff): Pacific takes climate change, Covid-19 messages to Korea summit
James Halpin (Stuff): Map reveals Russian military boss known as ‘Putin’s chef’ has interest in the Chatham Islands
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Intelligence overhaul recommendations could mean significant reform of spy agencies, expert says
Simon Ewing-Jarvie: The Intelligence Law Review Recommendations in Plain English
No Right Turn: Some sensible suggestions on reining in the spies

PARLIAMENT
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Prime Minister’s staff knew Education Minister Jan Tinetti’s office was holding up attendance data
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins retains confidence in under-fire Education Minister Jan Tinetti, won’t stand her down during investigation
1News: Tinetti insists she can be trusted ahead of investigation
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Jan Tinetti represents shoddy government leadership
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): MP Kiri Allan gives wrong speech on freedom camping bill in Parliament

ELECTION, ROY MORGAN POLL
Roy Morgan: New Zealand: National/Act NZ on 45% are just ahead of Labour/Greens on 43% in May; but neither is set for a majority
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Boom – New Roy Morgan Poll – Māori Party are Kingmakers!
Will Trafford (Whakaata Māori): Poll has Te Pāti Māori kingmakers for general election
David Farrar: Will Labour and Māori Party do a deal so they win more seats off fewer votes?
Joseph Los’e (Herald): Labour members ask Willie Jackson to stand against Meka Whaitiri in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti
Peter Dunne: Still overpromising and underdelivering
Brent Edwards (NBR): The election should be contested on ideas, not personalities (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Post): Kiwis: brace yourselves for months of a bipartisan coalition of cliches (paywalled)
Lianne Dalziel (Newsroom): Fear and loathing and fakery on the campaign trail
John Williams (Newsroom): Time to get over the shock of the ‘new’
Anna Whyte (Stuff): ACT swipes former National MP Parmjeet Parmar as new candidate
Anneke Smith (RNZ): Former National MP Parmjeet Parmar switches to ACT for 2023 election

HOUSING
RNZ: Luxon to discuss housing with govt, repeats bilingual signs criticism  
Nicholas Boyack (Post): National’s U-turn on development ‘disappointing’ for one mayor, welcomed by neighbour (paywalled)
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Intensive social housing proposal may be withdrawn after residents opposition
Sarah Hoffman (Spinoff): Lessons for New Zealand from California’s cataclysmic housing crisis
Morgan Godfery (Stuff): Human right to housing obscured by back and forth about density
Deena Coster (Taranaki Daily News): ‘Getting worse’: Taranaki’s housing crisis could see more pensioners at risk of homelessness
David Williams (Newsroom): Queenstown’s housing ladder is more like a beanstalk
Geraden Cann (Stuff): House prices fall another 0.7% in May, CoreLogic finds
Greg Ninness (Interest): Average value of Auckland homes declining by $333 a day, national average declining by $200 a day
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Loan-to-value rules relax: What will it mean for house prices?
Cameron Smith (Herald): Home loan borrowers getting used to higher interest rates ‘new norm’ (paywalled)
Janine Rankin (Manawatū Standard): Kāinga Ora resorts to demolition of Palmerston North homes in breach of recycling policy
Michael Read (Australian Financial Review): How Auckland took on the NIMBYs and won (paywalled)

LOAFERS LODGE FIRE TRAGEDY
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Minister unaware council had not audited Loafers Lodge since 2018
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Loafers Lodge remembrance service to be held in Wellington after devastating blaze
1News: All Loafers Lodge residents accounted for following fire
RNZ: Police to finish Loafers Lodge scene examination on Friday

ECONOMY, BUDGET
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Budget assumes decade of relative austerity (paywalled)
David Hargreaves (Interest): The Reserve Bank’s cunning plan – an election free of OCR hikes

HEALTH
William Hewett (Newshub): Peter Dunne slams National, says Christopher Luxon ‘at sea’ with ‘messy’ stance on $5 prescription fee
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Election 2023: National to make women pay fee for contraception prescription if elected
Newshub: Election 2023: Labour fires back at National for making women pay contraception prescription fee if elected
Aimee Shaw (Post): Cigarette-free or smokefree by 2025? How government has sparked a vape shop boom (paywalled)
Bridie Witton (Stuff): Health Minister Ayesha Verrall to unveil plan stop young people vaping
Hannah Martin (Stuff): The age group with the highest daily smoking rates might not be who you think
Will Trafford (Whakaata Māori): Anti-smoking programmes failing Māori – Hauora provider
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Te Whatu Ora to decide fate of hundreds of jobs on Friday
Rachel Thomas (Post): ‘Kind of insulting’ – nurses in arm wrestle with managers to attend union meeting (paywalled)
Cécile Meier (BusinessDesk): Cancer Society CEO resigns at critical time (paywalled)
George Heagney (Manawatū Standard): Advocacy group calls for Government to hit pause on Therapeutic Products Bill
Bridie Witton (Stuff): PM praises his calm, ‘quiet reassurance’ during Covid
Ashleigh McCaull (RNZ): ‘A full circle moment’ – Sir Ashley Bloomfield recalls father’s MBE during investiture ceremony

CRIME, POLICE
Michael Neilson and Chris Knox (Herald): Is Labour really soft on crime? The numbers reveal a surprising story (paywalled)
Herald Editorial: Is this Government soft on crime and hard of hearing?
Herald: Police numbers climb by 1800: Government expected to announce target reached today
Hamish McNeilly (Stuff): Young father in fatal Dunedin fleeing driver crash

BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT
Charlotte Muru-Lanning (Spinoff): Explained: Hospitality gets the Fair Pay Agreement green light
Rebecca Stevenson (Interest): NZ won’t follow France, UK in introducing grocery price caps: Commerce Minister Duncan Webb
Aimee Shaw (Stuff): Study reveals supermarkets where we’re paying more for groceries
RNZ: Countdown to freeze prices on 300 products but only two vegetables make the list
Liam Dann (Herald): Business confidence rebounding, is it too soon for Reserve Bank’s inflation fight? (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Lift in business confidence more evidence further rate rise ahead, says ANZ
RNZ: Business confidence at 18-month high despite pessimism on rising costs – ANZ survey
David Hargreaves (Interest): ‘The RBNZ perceives widespread sogginess across the economy…We aren’t so sure’
Rob Stock (Stuff): Drop in households struggling with debt, but businesses are doing it hard
Raphael Franks and Akula Sharma (Herald): Favona fire: Today’s scrap metal yard blaze the ninth in five years, Fenz reveals
RNZ: Sims Pacific Metal blaze: Company boss promises full inquiry into Auckland fire
Nona Pelletier (RNZ): Buy NZ Made buys trademark infringement-spotting software Logo Hunter

EDUCATION
Finlay Dunseath (Stuff): Take 5: Key questions about the secondary teachers strike answered
Gabrielle McCulloch (Stuff): Strikes by secondary school teachers to resume after ‘inadequate’ pay offer
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Secondary teachers’ union says pay offer inadequate, will resume strike action
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Using AI to mark pupils’ work can be unfair and discriminatory – education ministry
Jody O’Callaghan (Stuff): School has the power to deter rangatahi Māori from crime, research finds
RNZ: University of Otago staff, supporters make a stand over job cuts plan
ODT: Vocal protesters rally against university cuts
Jamie Morton (Herald): Top scientist Mike Joy loses role at Victoria University
Dolores Janiewski (Post): As universities target academic cuts, what price wisdom? (paywalled)
Gianina Schwanecke (Post): More funding, more teachers and more tech: Survey sheds new light on ECE issues (paywalled)

AUCKLAND
Nick Truebridge (Newshub): Revealed: Auckland Councillors given all clear to increase rates above previously agreed maximum of 13.5 pct
Sapeer Mayron (Stuff): Twice as many Aucklanders in 50 years? Tall, not sprawl, the key to making it work
Roger Partridge (Herald): Auckland Council should ditch emissions reduction policy (paywalled)
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Auckland Council needs to sell their airport shares
Tim Dower (Newstalk ZB): Selling Auckland Council’s best asset won’t fix their deep-rooted problem; themselves

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Rachael Kelly (Southland Times): Councillor’s employee set up petition calling for Gore CEO’s resignation
RNZ: Gore taxpayers likely to face 11% rate hike, public out of time for a formal consultation
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Govt ‘open minded’ on paying rates for schools, hospitals, conservation land
Julie Jacobson (Post): Councillor park perk makes for easy ride to work, for some (paywalled)
Adam Burns (RNZ): Exhausted Bromley residents target council over wastewater stench
Brendon McMahon (Local Democracy Reporting): West Coast plan commissioner steps aside, citing conflict of interest
RNZ: Ruapehu District Council and Ngāti Rangi sign relationship agreement
Moana Ellis (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘It’s not right to keep birds in cages’ – Whanganui councillors fight to close aviary

TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTURE, BILINGUAL ROAD SIGNS
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Opinion: Let’s Get Wellington Moving – we can’t give up on transport plan (paywalled)
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Councillors double down, email minister with Let’s Get Wellington Moving concerns
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Government still considering tougher driving penalties, fines for motorists
1News: Proposed bilingual road signs are ‘cost effective’ – Te Mātāwai
Spinoff: Bilingual sign ‘dog whistle’ dogs Luxon on morning media round
Kate Green (RNZ): East Coast’s ‘blue highway’ reaches the end of its road as SH2 reopens
Jill Herron (Newsroom): Public ‘flying blind’ on Tarras proposal

CONSERVATION
Andrea Vance (Stuff): The Government says there are 54 Māui dolphins left. International scientists say otherwise
Emma Hatton (Newsroom): Companies taken to court over wetland clearance
Matthew Martin (Post): Green MP calls for serious solutions to gold clam discovery in Waikato River

REFUGEES, IMMIGRATION
Lydia Lewis (RNZ): ‘Take responsibility’: first year of AUS/NZ refugee deal will not be met
Anna Whyte and Jody O’Callaghan (Stuff): NZ has taken ‘giant step backwards’ in refugee resettlement – National

CLIMATE CHANGE
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): NZ Steel deal spotlights mill’s $100m carbon subsidy
No Right Turn: Climate Change: He waka eke noa is dead, hurrah!
Riley Kennedy (BusinessDesk): Feedback suggests fertiliser tax not a good idea, O’Connor says (paywalled)
David Harrowfield (Post): A treasured return to a glacier that may soon be gone (paywalled)

FORESTRY SLASH AND DEATH OF OLIVER SHONE
Pattrick Gower (Newshub): Nobody has been held accountable over the death of Oliver Shone
Samantha Hayes (Newshub): Paddy Gower Has Issues: Expert says log that killed 11-year-old on beach was freshly cut
Patrick Gower (Newshub): Grandmother of boy killed by log on Gisborne beach calls for justice for Oliver Shone
Patrick Gower (Newshub): Gisborne Mayor’s blunt message for forestry companies who don’t follow rules

EQC
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): EQC buys more reinsurance and issues its first catastrophe bond (paywalled)
Rob Stock (Post): Toka Tū Ake EQC issues country’s first ever ‘catastrophe’ bonds (paywalled)

OTHER
Caroline Williams (Stuff): ‘How can I help?’: Ex-PM Sir John Key called Ministry of Justice over son’s podcast which broke suicide law
Seni Iasona (Newshub): Superannuation debate rages: Economist says raising age ‘very blunt instrument’, doesn’t tackle issue
Michael Neilson (Herald): Simon O’Connor denies ‘mother and father’ comment homophobic as Kiri Allan hits out
Will Trafford (Whakaata Māori): Act fires up over Labour refusal to define mātauranga
Ash Stewart (Stuff): New Zealand Customs is tracking your overseas travel. Here’s how
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): Law Society yet to set up wellbeing oversight group (paywalled)
Mana Wikaire-Lewis (Whakaata Māori): Winston Peters says TAB/Entain deal ‘too good to be true’
Leanne Warr (Herald): National MP David Bennett talks potential ways to save the racing industry
Jeremy Wyatt (The Conversation): With so many people speaking ‘their truth’, how do we know what the truth really is?
Krystal Gibbens (RNZ): Whakaari / White Island tragedy: Awards recognise rescuers’ courage