NZ Politics Daily: 20 July 2023

ELECTION
Alex Spence (Herald): Christopher Luxon: The full story of the man who wants to be PM (paywalled)
Peter Dunne: Time for a closer look at Act
Brent Edwards (NBR): This is the minor parties’ time to shine (paywalled)
Herald Editorial: Flawed choices and a fractured, undecided electorate (paywalled)
Damien Venuto (Herald): The Front Page: Why have our major parties become so risk-averse?
Ben Thomas (Stuff): Things are getting frantic as National and Labour meet in the middle
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): The $35 question looming over Labour’s tax policy
Luke Malpass (Post): Cost of living still number one as Labour defends on economy and crime (paywalled)
Matthew Scott (Newsroom): National, Labour eye up Auckland Central
Chlöe Swarbrick (Herald): Election a chance for a fresh approach as crises loom (paywalled)
Adam Pearse (Herald): Act MPs not tossing toys after surprise list demotions
Mike Hosking (Herald): Chris Hipkins, Labour’s slogan meaningless, it’s results that count (paywalled)
Charlotte Graham-McLay (Guardian): New Zealand poll shows Labour and National in tightening contest three months out from election

POLITICAL FINANCE
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Govt review of political donations will make the problem worse
Lisa Marriott and Max Rashbrooke (The Conversation): Tougher donation limits and funding fixes would make future NZ elections fairer for all
Gordon Campbell: On how political donations favour the centre-right
Matt Nippert (Herald): The shouting and the ‘slush fund’: Inside Tamihere’s donations stoush (paywalled)

PARLIAMENT
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Health Minister Ayesha Verrall corrects answer to Parliament, echoing Jan Tinetti mishap
RNZ: Staffer in Health Minister Ayesha Verrall’s office requested delay to publishing correct clinical performance data
Anna Whyte (Stuff): Happy birthday Christopher Luxon, wishes Chris Hipkins – before inflation and tax take over in Parliament
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Election 2023: Labour laughs as Christopher Luxon says he’s ready for ‘years’ in opposition (paywalled)
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): As the clock ticks, MPs move into urgency mode (paywalled)
Spinoff: The clear file folder Marama Davidson would take to the next realms

ECONOMY, COST OF LIVING, INEQUALITY
Liam Dann (Herald): Inflation is not beaten yet – expect no respite on interest rates (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Inflation drops to 6%, warning Reserve Bank could be ‘on alert’
David Hargreaves (Interest): Inflation – the Reserve Bank’s job just got a little harder again
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Could we see another rate hike? Maybe (paywalled)
Dan Brunskiill (Interest): Core inflation has barely budged in the past nine months and may stick around until unemployment begins to rise, economists suggest
Jack Tame (Newstalk ZB): We’re still a long way from the CPI target
Gyles Beckford (RNZ): Inflation falls to lowest level since late 2021
Dan Brunskiill (Interest): Inflation drops to 6% as petrol prices decline and interest rates suppress demand, but domestic inflation remains high
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): Pressure still bubbling under inflation (paywalled)
Spinoff: Inflation ‘piping hot… out of control’, says National
RNZ: Good economic management needed to fix ‘pain and suffering’ of Kiwis – Luxon
Jo Cribb (Herald): Wake up call on gender gap in retirement savings (paywalled)
Roger Partridge (Herald): Why the inequality and tax debate is all wrong (paywalled)

JUSTICE, CRIME
Claire Trevett (Herald): Ram raids move is third time lucky for PM Chris Hipkins after fraught start to his tough on crime adventure (paywalled)
Jo Moir (Newsroom): PM finally hits right note on tough-on-crime talk
Holly Willson (Post): Justice reform needs a vision – and someone with the guts to speak up for it (paywalled)
Glenn McConnell and Anna Whyte (Stuff): Election 2023: Comparing National and Labour’s law and order policies
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): New ram raid law to charge 12 year olds, new offence with up to 10 years’ jail
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Government announces new ram-raid offence, 12-year-olds could face it in Youth Court
RNZ: Watch: Government announces new ram-raid criminal offence
Newshub: Kelvin Davis reveals no business case undertaken to determine cost, timeframes of new youth justice policy

CLIMATE CHANGE, FONTERRA GOVT SUBSIDY
Rachel Maher (Herald): Fonterra to receive $90 million Government subsidy to transition away from burning coal
RNZ: Government partners with Fonterra to cut coal use and halve manufacturing emissions
Sam Smith (Stuff): Government to partner with Fonterra to cut coal use in the dairy sector
Tina Morrison (Stuff): Fonterra steps up emissions reduction target, plans to switch out of coal
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Govt gives Fonterra $90m towards a $790m plan to reduce emissions (paywalled)
Hamish NcNicol (NBR): Govt to give Fonterra $90m to cut coal use (paywalled)
Oliva Wannan (Stuff): The carbon price jumps to news of successful climate lawsuit
Rachael Kelly (Southland Times): Groundswell NZ calls for two-week boycott of Countdown supermarkets

EXTREME WEATHER
Rayssa Almeida (RNZ): Homeowners forced out by floods welcome government accommodation payments
Kate Green (RNZ): Flood-hit homeowners say government’s accommodation payment a ‘lifeline’
Kate Green (RNZ): Homeowners forced out by floods to get taxpayer-funded accommodation payments
Karanama Ruru (Stuff): Help with housing costs for people displaced by Cyclone Gabrielle announced
Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Government to pay displaced homeowners hit by North Island extreme weather

FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Thomas Manch (Stuff): ‘It’s incorrect’: Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta disputes Solomon Islands PM claim that NZ delayed promised funding
Finau Fonua (RNZ): The battle for influence in the Pacific between the world’s superpowers
Pat Baskett (Newsroom): Security for NZ should focus on climate, not military
Richard Harman (Politik): Trans-Tasman wakeup call
1News: Hipkins to welcome ‘close friend’ Albanese to NZ next week
Thomas Manch (Stuff): Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to visit New Zealand
RNZ: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to visit New Zealand next week
Jordan King (Asia Media Centre): Comparing public views on Asia on both sides of the Tasman

BUSINESS
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Watch: Commerce Commission boss rejects accusation it lacks ambition
John Minto (Daily Blog): We don’t have a supermarket duopoly – we have a double-headed cartel
Esterh Taunton (Stuff): ‘Your timing is way off’: Backlash to Countdown’s $400m rebrand during cost of living crisis
Esther Taunton (Stuff): Report: Consumers ‘vulnerable to whims of power companies’, even in a crisis
Krystal Gibbens (RNZ): Electricity price comparison contract renewed without open competitive process, Power Compare says
Cécile Meier (BusinessDesk): Calls for a Commerce Commission probe into recycling claims (paywalled)
Cécile Meier (BusinessDesk): Are our big waste players as green as they claim? (paywalled)
Brianna Mcilraith (Stuff): The difficult task of finding a human to chat to at large organisations
Tina Morrison (Stuff): Tower warns it may lose money this year due to ‘challenging’ claims environment
David Hargreaves (Interest): Tower signals possible loss for the financial year

HEALTH
Ian Powell (BusinessDesk): Māori traditionally saw hospitals as being a place to die – sadly, it was often true (paywalled)
Matt Boyd and Nick Wilson (Public Health Communications Centre): Ready or not? Pandemic preparedness index and implications for NZ
Hannah Martin (Stuff): Te Whatu Ora nurses vote ‘overwhelmingly’ for 24-hour strike, union says
RNZ: Te Whatu Ora nurses vote to strike ahead of ballot on latest collective agreement offer
1News: 35,000 nurses to walk off the job for 24-hour strike
Fiona Ellis (ODT): Hospital short of urologists (paywalled)
James Perry (Whakaata Māori): Cancer care for Māori focus of new study
Louisa Steyl (Nelson Mail): Women spend thousands to fight least survivable gynaecological cancer

HOUSING
Tom Kitchin (RNZ): The Detail: Healthy Homes remain an uphill battle
RNZ: ‘Density done well’ can benefit communities – Kāinga Ora
Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Large intensive Kāinga Ora housing proposal for Ohakune
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Queenstown rental listing ‘experiment’ highlights market problems
Miriam Bell (Stuff): Trade Me property asking prices fall back to 2021 levels

EDUCATION
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Ministry of Education challenges claims children sent home due to lack of teachers
John Gerritsen (RNZ): Major study finds no change in children’s average maths achievement
Gianina Schwanecke (Post): Overall maths achievement ‘stable’, but drop for Māori, Pasifika and girls (paywalled)
Joanne Naish (Post): Job ads for teachers up 31% since 2019 (paywalled)
Greg Dawes (The Common Room): Rose Hipkins and the ‘refreshed’ science curriculum
George Heagney (Manawatū Standard): Massey University grappling with ‘most challenging financial situation it’s faced’
Patrick Gower (Newshub): New Zealand daycares are in disaster, desperately need to be fixed

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Leanne Warr (Hawke’s Bay Today): Government announces rates rebate increases but not everyone’s happy
William Hewett (Newshub): Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau breaches council’s tenancy agreement by bringing her dog into office
Luisa Girao (ODT): Mayor asked councillor to clarify comments after she spoke up about sexism within the council (paywalled)

TRANSPORT
Bernard Orsman (Herald): ‘The road is safe’: Transport Minister David Parker given assurance by officials over safety concerns on new Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway
Emma Hatton (Newsroom): Budget docs reveal pressing need for transport funding overhaul

ENVIRONMENT
David Williams (Newsroom): Lakes will ‘die’ without urgent action
Waimanea Nuri (Whakaata Māori): Iwi rejects scientist’s claims about plastic pollution in Lake Rotorua
Waikato Herald: Lake Rotorua has highest levels of plastic pollution of all NZ lakes

MEDIA
Daniel Dunkley (BusinessDesk): Stuff hires Tova O’Brien amid senior editorial cuts (paywalled)
Imogen Wells (Stuff): Newsable: Tova O’Brien on the day TodayFM came crashing down
Stuff: Award-winning journalist and broadcaster Tova O’Brien joins Stuff Digital

COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Tony Smith (Stuff): ‘Tell him, he’s dreaming’: Why mayor jumped gun on Commonwealth Games
Lee Kenny (Stuff): What was the legacy of the Christchurch Commonwealth Games?

OTHER
RNZ: Undercurrent: Misinformation in Aotearoa
Richard Shaw (Newsroom): Book of the Week: Labour’s lost leaders
Brigitte Morten (NBR): Ramifications of Australian public servant accountability report (paywalled)
Allister Rose (Stuff): The problem with PTSD and the police
Michell Hageman (Herald): Stats NZ boss ‘really pleased’ with census uptake in Hawke’s Bay despite 21pc not engaging (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): Google Cloud signs agreement with Internal Affairs (paywalled)
Joanne Naish (Stuff): Greyhound handler fined $1200 for abusing two dogs and assaulting trainer
RNZ: Community visits to monitor welfare of children in care soon to begin
Jimmy Ellingham (RNZ): UN committee questions NZ on progress over Lake Alice abuse cases
James Perry (Whakaata Māori): First wahine appointed chief judge of Māori Land Court
Greg Hurrell (BusinessDesk): Delaying Wellington science hub plan would have blown ‘once in a generation’ opportunity – Verrall (paywalled)
Shaun Bamber (Stuff): ‘I should be dead or in jail with the stuff that I have seen and gone through’ – Dave Letele grabs attention in new show, Heavyweight