Budget: Benefits increase and poverty Janet McAllister (Stuff): Budget did not go far enough to fix child poverty Max Rashbrooke (The Guardian): Jacinda Ardern’s budget made progress on poverty, but it’s not mission accomplished Simon Wilson (Herald): Chewing over the Budget with Judith Collins and poverty researchers (paywalled) Henry Cooke (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern defends lack of middle-income measures in Budget, says Working For Families reform …

Budget: Benefits increase Bryce Edwards (The Guardian): A ‘righting of wrongs’ as Ardern finally tackles New Zealand’s inequality crisis Tess McClure (The Guardian): Ardern makes good on child poverty promise, but a long road lies ahead Audrey Young (Herald): If not now, then when for beneficiaries? (paywalled) Max Rashbrooke (Stuff): Labour’s years of caution are finally paying off Stuff: Editorial – Revenge on the ‘mother of all …

Budget 2021 Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Budget 2021: Newshub-Reid Research poll shows Kiwis are on board with expected benefit increase Jane Patterson (RNZ): Budget 2021 set to deliver more money to NZ’s poorest and those hardest hit by Covid-19 Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Budget 2021: Benefit increases, rent reforms needed to tackle child poverty in New Zealand – experts Luke Malpass (Stuff): Grant Robertson prepares for a Budget …

Budget 2021 Kate C. Prickett (The Conversation): NZ’s second ‘Well-being Budget’ must deliver for the families that sacrificed most during the pandemic Craig Renney (Spinoff): The dream budget for NZ progressives already exists across the Pacific Praveen Menon (Reuters): New Zealand’s recovery budget seen focusing on targeted spending Jason Walls (Herald): Māori housing and child poverty initiatives likely to be biggest Budget winners Tova …

Immigration reset Tess McClure (The Guardian): New Zealand to cut ‘low-skill’ immigration and refocus on wealthy Charlie Dreaver (RNZ): ‘Scene setting’ immigration speech labelled confusing by critics Luke Malpass (Stuff): Immigration reset light on details, but direction of travel is clear Richard Harman: Major immigration speech falls flat (paywalled) Michael Neilson (Herald): Government targets rich investors as part of its ‘reset’ of immigration settings Bernard …

Newshub poll Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Judith Collins’ allegations of Māori separatism not working for National in Newshub-Reid Research Poll Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Newshub-Reid Research Poll: The race relations debate – Kiwis think Judith Collins is being divisive Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Judith Collins being replaced as leader is now a matter of when, not if Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Newshub-Reid Research Poll: Majority of Kiwis back trans-Tasman bubble Toby Manhire …

Inequality and poverty Tess McClure (The Guardian): Ardern faces calls to boost child poverty spending in budget amid glacial progress Claire Achmad (RNZ): A brave and bold Budget 2021 is needed Anna Whyte (1News): Child poverty report ‘grim reading’, says action group Thomas Manch (Stuff): Child poverty report shows no measurable improvement in housing conditions, hospitalisations, food security Michael Neilson (Herald): Child poverty: High housing costs, poor quality …

Parliamentary debates on race Jane Patterson (RNZ): Policies can be called racist but not MPs, Speaker rules Tess McClure (The Guardian): Māori party co-leader ejected from parliament after performing haka in racism row Richard Harman: Behind Parliament’s “racist” row (paywalled) Meriana Johnsen (RNZ): Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi ejected from Parliament Anna Whyte (1News): Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi performs haka in Parliament, ordered to leave Zane …

Public sector pay freeze Claire Trevett (Herald): PM steps in, the melting of the pay freeze begins (paywalled) Jordan Bond (RNZ): Public sector pay freeze: Nurses warming to strike action plan – union Henry Cooke (Stuff): Thawing freeze: Jacinda Ardern says Government is open to introducing step-based pay for more public servants Duncan Greive (Spinoff): Is there a noble method to the political madness of the pay …

Public sector pay freeze Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): Ardern and Robertson say public sector wage freeze is ‘misreporting’. But is it? Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Grant Robertson schedules union crisis meetings after failing to communicate public pay freeze properly Chris Trotter (Interest): Playing by a new set of rules RNZ: Government urged to rethink public sector pay freeze decision Henry Cooke (Stuff): Government in damage control over public sector …

Public sector pay freeze Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Political Roundup: The Public sector worker backlash against Labour Andrea Vance (Stuff): Why Jacinda Ardern needs to make a John Key-style u-turn on pay sector freeze Alexia Russell (RNZ): Pay freezing out your traditional voter base Liam Dann (Herald): Muldoon or Richardson? Robertson cops it from all sides (paywalled) Claire Trevett (Herald): Labour in trouble with public sector …

Public sector pay freeze Stuff: Editorial – Pay freeze stretches public sector loyalty Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Pay freeze shows Government can’t manage the books Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Pay freeze controversy enters second day, with Greens and National pressing Labour Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Do people really earn more in the public sector? David Farrar: Robertson and Hipkins become honorary members of the Taxpayers’ Union Zane Small (Newshub): Chris …

Parliament’s Speaker Trevor Mallard Henry Cooke (Stuff): National v Mallard: That atrocious late-night debate is the reason people hate politicians Barry Soper (Herald): Trevor Mallard’s outburst this week questions whether he understands what a serious sexual assault is Claire Trevett (Herald): The unedifying spectacle of the Speaker v National in Parliament (paywalled) Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Mallard using his power to attack individuals – he needs to go …

He Puapua document and the National Party Henry Cooke (Stuff): Whose race card is this anyway? Judith Collins and David Seymour both appear to have found the same wedge issue Graham Adams (Stuff): Ardern on a hot tin roof over He Puapua plan to share power with Māori Claire Trevett (Herald): Judith Collins’ has grabbed the agenda on ‘separatism’, the PM needs to grab …

China and New Zealand Bryce Edwards (The Guardian): Ardern’s speech was not an attack on China, or even a shift away from Beijing Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): Nanaia Mahuta’s China dilemma and the future of New Zealand diplomacy Geoffrey Miller (Democracy Project): Something for everyone in Ardern’s speech on China Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Political, economic China perspectives collide at summit Michael Neilson (Herald): Greens, Labour undecided over Uyghur …

National Party: “Separatism” and He Puapua Matthew Hooton (Herald): Judith Collins’ speech raises important issues for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern(paywalled) Graham Adams (Democracy Project): Ardern in the gun over He Puapua Luke Malpass (Stuff): Judith Collins issues race relations warning, says Labour planning ‘two systems by stealth’ Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Echoes of the past in Judith Collins’ speech Lara Greaves and Ella Morgan (Spinoff): National won’t find its …

Housing crisis Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Government’s fix for its housing problems are just a game of whack-a-mole(paywalled) Amelia Wade (Newshub): Even if house prices fell 20 percent, three-quarters of renters still couldn’t afford one Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Govt crunches numbers to reveal property investors’ incomes Vita Molyneux (Newshub): ‘I feel ill’: 1995 Wellington house prices nauseate distressed millennials Melanie Carroll (Stuff): Increasing housing supply the key to affordability, minister …

Health reforms: Māori Health Authority Jo Moir (Newsroom): Collins ignores facts for political point-scoring Tova O’Brien (Newshub): National leader Judith Collins’ ‘segregation’ remark earns her Māori Party rebuke RNZ: Collins says her party won’t stand for ‘racist separatism’ New Zealand Michael Neilson (Herald): Judith Collins calls Māori Health Authority ‘segregation’ from last century Zane Small (Newshub): National leader Judith Collins likens Māori Health Authority to ‘segregation’ of last …

Housing crisis Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Emergency housing costs weigh on Government books, costing hundreds of millions a year Jane Patterson (RNZ): Government ‘ducking for cover’ over emergency housing – National Rotorua Daily Post: Millions spent weekly in Rotorua on supplements to help pay rent (paywalled) Sophie Cornish (Stuff): Immigration NZ looking into complaints migrant sex workers operated in former Wellington emergency housing motel David Farrar: Associate Housing Minister condemns …

NZ-China-Australia relations Luke Malpass (Stuff): New Zealand isn’t ‘sucking up’ to China by learning from countries’ mistakes Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Outrage over Nanaia Mahuta’s speech is really about Jacinda Ardern Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Where’s the real criticism of NZ and Five Eyes coming from?(paywalled) Thomas Manch (Stuff): The Five Eyes bluster will blow over, but beneath it lies a greater struggle …

NZ-China-Australia relations Chris Trotter: The Kangaroo encounters the Taniwha Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Speculation Five Eyes will become Four Eyes is completely ridiculous Richard Harman: Mahuta has to defend her Five Eyes comments Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Commentators need to calm down over Five Eyes, NZ and China Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Statecraft trumps spectacle as Mahuta, Payne meet Jason Walls (Herald): Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta talks up NZ’s …